Big Rock Park South Is Buzzing With Pollen-Tial!

Last spring, the City of Sammamish opened a portion of Big Rock Park South for trail use. This is the third and final property of a 51-acre phased land donation that began in 2010. These three properties boast nearly 4 miles of trails to explore.

As part of the partial opening, an expansive temporary fence was required to help define the open and closed sections of the park. In an effort to enhance the appearance of what would be a pretty plain fence and looking for ways to involve the community in this project, the Parks team began reaching out to individuals throughout the community to participate in a temporary art installation on the fence. The team chose this opportunity to promote pollinator habitat. The City had recently achieved the designation as a “Bee City” and as part of that, we were looking for ways to elevate the importance of pollinators and engage the community around this theme. The artwork is painted on wood panels, sealed to protect from weathering, and installed on the chain-link fence.

To date, over 300 wood panels have been painted by school students, girl scout troops, city-sponsored event attendees, after school art programs, and many more! Each panel represents the engagement of a local resident that chose to create something beautiful for the park. This installation will continue to grow as additional members of the community sign up to participate and will be completed once all sections of the fence are filled with artwork. Each contribution to this unique installation highlights a collective dedication to enhancing our shared spaces and enriching our community experience, while promoting a topic as critical as pollination.

Panels will be on display until the first phase of park improvements are complete, which is anticipated in 2028. The Parks team will also look for opportunities to re-purpose this artwork during the design of park improvements.

Article and photo from Shelby Perrault, PLA, City of Sammamish Parks Project Manager

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