b'MayorsMessage Eric Zimmerman EZimmerman@NormandyParkWA.govH appy Spring,Nature and People that allows us to enjoy the Normandy Park! Asoutdoors in ways that very few communities the season deepens,this close to Seattle can still offer. The trees new leaves and flowers areare visually appealing, they give us shade, they great visual aids for thishelp give our local air a cleaner and richer smell, months magazine theme:and they mitigate the negative impacts of our Earth Month!surprisingly nearby international airport. In terms of the differentMuch of our tree canopy and vegetation is on places we can live on ourprivate propertymaking many of us collective planet, Normandy Park is astewards of what Normandy Park looks like in newcomer. Archaeologiststhe future. Will we always sense the echoes of an believe people were starting to live together inancient hilly forest, or will our trees disappear villages in the Middle East about the time theas we remake ourselves into a generic residential 3000-foot high Vashon glacier melted (ten timeshillside? I dont like asking facetious questionshigher than the highest point in Normandyits usually bad manners and readers dont need Park!), dumped its rough mix of clay, silt, sand,help understanding the point. I ask this question gravel, and rocks, and shaped our citys signaturemore to visualize what I fear: a collection of northern bowl through the watery run-off of itshouses distinguished only by being on a slope by last pockets of ice. Normandy Park looked sparsewater. I wont judge if you like that bare visual for a while after that.better, but I think most will agree we look better Vegetation, trees, andwith lots of trees. animals got establishedFor Earth Month, I throughout the PugetIt strikes me that our cityoffer the idea of this Sound and attracted thepersonal experience: the people later called Salishretains a balance of Naturenext time youre outside, a little while beforeand People that allows us tothink about the trees those living in the Nileon your property and Valley began formingenjoy the outdoors in ways thatthe role they play in our into the long-termvery few communities this closecommunitys well-being. communities that wouldHow healthy are your become Egypt. Whileto Seattle can still offer. trees? How important are we dont have evidencethey for shade, habitat, Normandy Park was evervisual appeal, and fresh-permanently inhabitedsmelling air? There can before the 1800ssloping hills with giant treessometimes be good reasons to take out a tree, being rather hard to build onwe do know thatbut my own sense is there is usually a longer list our beaches, especially around The Cove, wereof good reasons to keep one in. I hope you love extremely popular food-collection spots forand enjoy your trees, your neighbors trees, the everyone passing by.trees in our parks, and the many trees we get to The homes we live in and the streets we drivelook at across the water on Vashon and Maury on today are the first major changes to Normandyislands. (treebenefits.com) Parks landscape since the Vashon glacier melted. It strikes me that our city retains a balance ofMayor Eric Zimmerman4 Normandy Park City SceneSpring 2025'