Protecting the Restored Wetlands at Magnuson Park

Map shows aerial image of south Magnuson Park and proposed location and design concept for outdoor pickleball court facility. The restored wetlands are shown in a false blue color.

Seattle Parks and Recreation plans to build an 80,000 square-foot, outdoor pickleball facility adjacent to the restored wetlands at Magnuson Park. The impacts from such a facility would degrade Seattle taxpayer investments in wildlife habitat and accessible nature experiences.

We Need Your Help to Protect the Wetlands

The Details

 Ecological and Cultural Significance of the Magnuson Park Wetlands

Covering approximately 30 acres, the restored wetlands are now among the largest freshwater emergent and pond wetlands in the city. Only two other freshwater wetland complexes are larger: those at Foster Island and Union Bay Natural Area [1].

The restored wetlands were carefully designed to become a complex ecosystem that would improve Magnuson Park’s values as a wildlife habitat area [2]. They are now home to more than 100 native wildlife species [3]. The wetlands were also intentionally threaded with ADA accessible trails that provide unique access to nature for people of many different abilities.

The wetlands were a major investment in urban habitat and nature access, costing Seattle taxpayers at least three million dollars [2]. We have a duty to protect that investment.

Noise Is an Environmental Pollutant

Human-related noise is recognized as an environmental pollutant that can negatively impact humans [4] and a wide range of other species [5], [6]. The World Health Organization acknowledges the human health burden of exposure to noise from sources including leisure activities and publishes guidance for managing exposure [7]. Land managers are increasingly studying and seeking to mitigate impacts of recreation-associated noise on public lands and wildlife conservation areas (e.g., [8], [9]).

Pickleball Is Noisy

Pickleball is famously noisy [10]. The hard paddle and rigid plastic ball can create loud sound bursts up to 120 decibels courtside and sustained sound levels up to 70 decibels within 100 feet of a court [11]. This is as loud as freeway noise [12]. Urban residential background noise levels are around 50 decibels. Under ideal conditions, the loud bursts from pickleball would still be nearly 3 times louder than typical residential noise background levels more than 600 feet away from the courts.

This will have a direct degrading effect on visitors’ experience and general habitat quality for noise-sensitive species in the wetland.

Idealized attenuation of peak sound levels from pickleball, which can reach 120 decibels courtside (darkest red). Under ideal conditions, sound levels decrease proportional to the inverse square of distance from the source. Sound levels would be 80 decibels 100 away from the court, 70.5 decibels 300 feet from the court, and 64.4 decibels 600 feet from the court – still more than 2.7 times louder than typical background residential noise.

A Ballfield and a Pickleball Facility Are Not Equivalent

The site is currently approved to be converted into a baseball field. Some may argue that conversion to a pickleball facility is an equivalent recreational use. This is not the case. First, when not in use, baseball fields can serve a variety of other uses and users—pick-up games, practice, catch, walkers, picnickers, frisbee players, and more. Pickleball courts do not provide the same multiuse benefit. Second, the noise from baseball is much less frequent (because ballfields do not get daily or day-round use) and the noise is not as sustained as it is in pickleball (because baseball players contact the ball less frequently).

Alternative Sites and Other Facilities

There’s room for more pickleball courts in Seattle. In fact, another tournament-ready pickleball facility is in the works for North Seattle, inside the former Theo Chocolate warehouse. There are even locations within Magnuson Park that would be a better fit with less impact to wildlife, such as lot on the west side of Arena Sports; we believe that site could accomodate at least eight pickleball courts. We would be excited to support biodiversity-sensitive pickleball court development at more suitable locations and have not seen evidence that other options were considered.

Conceptual design of pickleball courts in a parking lot west of Arena Sports in Magnuson Park. This site is already paved, close to restrooms and other amenities, and would have less impact on wildlife habitat and nature experience.

Preventing Future Conflict

The birds, frogs, butterflies, and other living things we live alongside are important members of our urban community. They provide essential services we all benefit from and help us maintain a connection with nature [13]. We need them, but we too often overlook their needs. We urge Seattle Parks and Recreation and all City departments to adopt Biodiversity-Sensitive Urban Design Protocols—frameworks that incorporate local ecological knowledge into the urban planning and design process [14], [15]. This will help us reduce the potential for future biodiversity-development conflicts.  

Learn More and Get Involved

Watch Fox13 Seattle’s news coverage of the Magnuson Park pickleball project.

Watch the recording of our information session on protecting the Magnuson Park wetlands on YouTube.

Fill out our volunteer interest form to let us know how you’d like to contribute to this effort.

Sign our petition to protect the Magnuson Park wetlands.

Email Seattle leaders to urge them to protect the Magnuson Park wetlands.

Provide public comment at a City Council Parks, Public Utilities & Technology Committee meeting. See out guide to providing effective comments at City Council meetings.

Provide public comment at an upcoming Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners meeting. See our tip sheet for providing effective comments at public meetings.

Email or print this flier to help spread the word.

References

[1] United States Fish and Wildlife Service, “National Wetlands Inventory.” May 01, 2024. Accessed: Feb. 09, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://documentst.ecosphere.fws.gov/wetlands/data/metadata/FWS_Wetlands.xml 

[2] D. Sheldon, K. O’Brien, and S. Bagshaw, “Monitoring Plan for Wetland Compensatory Mitigation for Magnuson Park Phase 2 Development Seattle, Washington,” Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, Seattle, Washington, COE #200600052, Feb. 2006. [Online]. Available: https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/ParksAndRecreation/MPAC/Magnuson%20Park/Mag%20Master%20Plan%20Ord_122318.pdf 

[3] iNaturalist Community, “Life in the Restored Wetlands at Magnuson Park, Seattle,” iNaturalist. Accessed: Feb. 11, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/life-in-the-restored-wetlands-at-magnuson-park-seattle 

[4] H. Jariwala, H. Syed, M. Pandya, and Y. Gajera,  Noise Pollution & Human Health: A Review . 2017. 

[5] J. R. Barber, K. R. Crooks, and K. M. Fristrup, “The costs of chronic noise exposure for terrestrial organisms,” Trends Ecol. Evol., vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 180–189, Mar. 2010, doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2009.08.002. 

[6] G. Shannon et al., “A synthesis of two decades of research documenting the effects of noise on wildlife,” Biol. Rev., vol. 91, no. 4, pp. 982–1005, Nov. 2016, doi: 10.1111/brv.12207. 

[7] World Health Organization, “Environmental noise,” in Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment, Geneva, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/who-compendium-on-health-and-environment/who_compendium_noise_01042022.pdf?sfvrsn=bc371498_3 

[8] A. B. Miller et al., “Sustaining Wildlife With Recreation on Public Lands: A Synthesis of Research Findings, Management Practices, and Research Needs,” U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, Oregon, General Technical Report PNW-GTR-993, Dec. 2020. 

[9] G. L. Patricelli, J. L. Blickley, and S. L. Hooper, “Recommended management strategies to limit anthropogenic noise impacts on greater sage-grouse in Wyoming,” Hum.-Wildl. Interact., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 230–249, 2013. 

[10] A. Keh and A. Schukar, “Shattered Nerves, Sleepless Nights: Pickleball Noise Is Driving Everyone Nuts,” The New York Times, Jun. 30, 2023. Accessed: Feb. 11, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/30/sports/pickleball-noise-complaints-lawsuits.html 

[11] L. Lee, T. H. Fitzpatrick, L. A. Irwin, A. N. Calder, and N. F. Manzoor, “Making a racket in America’s fastest growing sport: Evaluation of noise exposure in pickleball,” Am. J. Otolaryngol., vol. 45, no. 5, p. 104409, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2024.104409. 

[12] S. of California, “Typical Noise Levels | Caltrans.” Accessed: Feb. 11, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://dot.ca.gov/programs/maintenance/pavement/noise-levels 

[13] D. C. Dearborn and S. Kark, “Motivations for Conserving Urban Biodiversity,” Conserv. Biol., vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 432–440, Apr. 2010, doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01328.x. 

[14] G. E. Garrard, N. S. G. Williams, L. Mata, J. Thomas, and S. A. Bekessy, “Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design,” Conserv. Lett., vol. 11, no. 2, p. e12411, 2018, doi: 10.1111/conl.12411. 

[15] H. Kirk et al., “Building biodiversity into the urban fabric: A case study in applying Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design (BSUD),” Urban For. Urban Green., vol. 62, p. 127176, Jul. 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127176. 

A Black-capped Chickadee at the restored wetlands at Magnuson Park | Virginia Bound