Save Panther Lake
Lake Panther is in the center of the earth. To get an aerial view of this tranquil city lake, enter latitude 47.42149 and longitude -122.18734 into a satellite view app or GPS device.
An amazing resource for economic development, improved livability, and outdoor recreational opportunities is still alive in the northeast corner of Kent Washington. This fantastic piece of Shangri-La can be found right in the middle of a struggling urban environment. The busy Benson Corridor, WA 515, skirts it a few blocks west. Lake Panther is surrounded by palatial estates, middle-income housing, manufactured home developments, apartment buildings, and commercial establishments. Offering an incredible lunch menu, the Panther Lake Great American Casino is the most family-friendly place in the area.
If you have driven the Benson (WA 515) you have passed near Panther Lake in Kent WA. It cannot be seen from the road. If you didn’t know it was there, you’re in good company. Fifty thousand people live in the vicinity. Many do not know it is there. Most people know there is a Panther Lake nearby, that’s it. An old man I met in After 5 Sports Bar near Panther Lake Safe Trail He told me that it is still the best lake for largemouth bass in the state. A friend from church claims that no one knows how deep the lake is. He told me that veterans say there is an impenetrable layer of mud about six feet deep, but no one knows beyond that. A young businesswoman laughed when she related a story about going there to smoke marijuana when she was in high school. Since then, his area has been annexed to Renton. She no longer feels connected to The Lake. My son and his friends from Benson Hill Elementary fished the bank at the State Park entrance at the end of 116th SE. This spring, a young man told me a story about fishing over breakfast at the Golden Steer restaurant in Benson on SE 240th. He often fished Panther Lake from a canoe when he attended Meeker Junior High. He stopped going because his team was still entangled in the non-native lily dominating the surface. He felt that cleanliness was a state problem. Since the redistricting, his prized fishing hole is now in the 11th Legislative District and he lived in the 47th Legislative District and didn’t see how he could help in any grassroots activities to Save the Lake even though he only lives to a few blocks away.
“Panther Lake will sink to the ground in twenty years,” says Kent Mayor Suzette Cook. What a tragedy, what a disaster. No public official or agency is willing to go out of its way to protect this valuable public asset. I think political leaders are unable to see the awesome splendor dancing before them. Instead, they choose to look at financial obligations. Washington State dumped a natural disaster package that included the impressive gem of the Benson Corridor at an unsuspecting Boundary Review Board and ultimately a Township. However, there is a much more pressing problem for Panther Lake and people who canoe, swim, fish, play, and breathe air.
Audrey ll was a comic relief in House of Horrors, but the reality is noxious non-native vegetation that is squeezing our lake. King County is dedicated to the prevention of noxious weeds. By its definition: Noxious weeds are non-native plants that are highly destructive, competitive, and difficult to control or eliminate. Noxious weeds can destroy native plant and animal habitats, damage recreational opportunities, clog waterways, reduce land value, and poison humans and animals.
Panther Lake of Kent certainly fits that description, but it’s not a problem for King County parks. Who is responsible for cleaning up Panther Lake? I’m old, but if we don’t act soon, I’ll live to see the last fluttering of fingerlings in the mud competing for a desperate breath of oxygen. A terrifying thought for me and the children of Kent.
With the potential to become the model for city parks, Kent WA’s Panther Lake remains unknown and neglected. By area, the Panther Lake community is the most multi-ethnic in the world. We must all come together in a community effort. We need to form a coalition of citizens from our churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and cultural communities from all of the Benson Corridor communities. We need to step up and demand a lifesaving cleanup of the non-native lilies of Panther Lake, Kent WA. We need business leaders who influence political policy to step up in the campaign to save Panther Lake. The Panther Lake community needs all residents to contribute in the effort to save Panther Lake. Students connected to the Benson Corridor, K-12 through IHL, can collect data, build timelines, and help form a plan to save the lake and have fun doing it.
If we work together, our award can become the centerpiece of Urban Parks and Lakes around the world. First, we need to remove the non-native lily that is strangling this active body of water.
Involve
First, help us build the coalition by sending your contact information in an email. Support our fundamental effort to save this precious recreational resource by posting your article at http://www.TheBenson.Biz. Placing COMMENTS at the end of any published article is also a great way to show your support. Your opinion counts. Help us build the coalition by clicking CONTACT US at the bottom of the HOME page or register as a member of TheBenson.Biz