The Cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie, the Si View Metropolitan Park District, and the Meadowbrook Farm Preservation Association are collectively planning for the future Baqwab Prairie Loop Trail at Meadowbrook Farm Park.
The City of North Bend secured a $500,000 Parks Capital Grant from King County for the project, and the parties are jointly applying for a 2022 Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program grant to fund the remainder.
The loop trail will connect from the Meadowbrook Farm Interpretive Center north through the fields, forests, and wetland areas of Meadowbrook Farm to connect to Centennial Fields Park, with a spur trail connecting to Snoqualmie Middle School.
With its link to the existing paved trail paralleling Park Street in Snoqualmie and Boalch Avenue in North Bend, the trail will form an ADA-accessible 2.6-mile loop around Meadowbrook Farm.
The trail will provide access through some of the more remote portions of Meadowbrook Farm, where one can experience the remnants of the original Baqwab Prairie. Baqwab is the Lushootseed name for the prairie that has existed here for thousands of years.
The project will also provide for the management of noxious weeds, including canary grass, and the restoration of native plant species historically present in the prairie and its wetlands.
Interpretive signs will help to tell the story of the prairie, which will be developed in consultation with the Snoqualmie Tribe. The trail will provide opportunities for walking, jogging, bird and elk watching, and learning about and connecting with the rich history and experience of the Baqwab Prairie.
The city looks forward to continuing collaborative planning work for the Baqwab Prairie Loop Trail proposal.
For more information on the project proposal, contact North Bend Senior Planner Mike McCarty at (425) 888-7649 or mmccarty@northbendwa.gov.
[Information provided by the City of North Bend]
