Thar Be Frogs in Yonder Bog

Mention Renton to any of your city-dwelling friends, and "environmental preservation" probably won't be the first words out of their mouth. Seattlest was also quite surprised to learn that Renton is home to one of the last intact peat bogs in King County. The very word "bog" might be more than you care to know, but bogs turn out to be very handy things for our rain-prone region. According to the state Department of Ecology, a bog is defined thusly:

Bogs are generally acidic, and have low levels of nutrients available for plants due to receiving water primarily from precipitation. Plants growing in these sensitive wetlands are specifically adapted to such conditions, and are usually not found, or uncommonly found, elsewhere. Relatively minor changes in the water regime or nutrient levels in bogs may cause major changes in the plant community. Bogs, and their associated acidic peat environment, provide a habitat for unique species of plants and animals.

The Shadow Lake Bog near Renton fends off floods by absorbing many times its own weight in water, and is an important wetland wildlife habitat for our region. It has also been eyed by developers for many years (who would effectively want to drain it), and also suffered as an ad-hoc dumping area. Local resident Max Prinsen and family purchased a significant amount of land on the outskirts of the bog, and worked with various local and national organizations to clean out, restore, and replant the bog with local, native plants. They also put in an amphibian pond that is now being used for research by local scientists, and is accesible by the public via a sturdily-built bridge.

This Sunday, the 14th, volunteers are throwing the annual Frog Frolic party at Shadow Lake bog. Celebrate last year's preservation efforts, eat some tasty food and make burping sounds at the resident frogs. Seattlest hopes that with all that peat moss lurking around, a future Renton Single Malt Scotch distillery isn't out of the realm of possibility as well.