Panther Lake is in the center of the earth. For an aerial view of this serene city lake, enter 47.42149 latitude and -122.18734 longitude into a satnav app or GPS device.
An incredible resource for economic development, improved livability, and outdoor recreational opportunities lives on in the northeast corner of Kent Washington. This fantastic piece of Shangri-La can be found right in the middle of a financially-struggling urban setting. The busy Benson Corridor, WA 515, skirts it a few blocks to the west. Panther Lake is surrounded by palatial estates, middle-income housing, manufactured housing developments, apartment buildings, and commercial establishments. Offering an incredible lunch menu, the Panther Lake Great American Casino is the area’s most family-friendly landmark.
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 that there is a Panther Lake nearby, that’s all. An old man I met After 5 Sports Bar near Panther Lake Safeway He told me it’s still the best bass fishing lake in the state. A friend from church claims that no one knows how deep the lake is. He told me the old folks say there’s a layer of impenetrable mud about seven feet deep, but no one knows beyond that. A young businesswoman laughed when she told a story about going there to smoke marijuana when she was in high school. Her area has since been annexed to Renton. She no longer feels connected to The Lake. My son and his friends from Benson Hill Elementary School fished off the bank at the entrance to the state park at the end of SE 116. This spring, a young man told me a fishing story 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 got tangled up in the non-native lily that dominates the surface. He felt that cleanliness was a state problem. Since redistricting, his prized fishing spot is now in Legislative District 11 and he lived in Legislative District 47 and didn’t see how he could help in any grassroots activities for Save the Lake even though he only lives a few blocks away away.
“Panther Lake will sink into the ground in twenty years,” says Kent Mayor Suzette Cook. What a tragedy, what a disaster. No public official or agency is willing to reach out to protect this precious public good. I believe that the political leaders are unable to see the impressive splendor that dances before them. Instead, they choose to look at financial obligations. The State of Washington unloaded a natural disaster package that included the stunning jewel of the Benson Corridor on an unsuspecting Boundary Review Board and, ultimately, on a Municipality. However, there is a much more pressing problem for Panther Lake and the people who canoe, swim, fish, play and breathe air.
Audrey ll was comic relief in Little House of Horrors, but the reality is noxious non-native vegetation stinging 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 habitat, damage recreational opportunities, clog waterways, lower land values, 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 fry flapping through the mud competing for a desperate gulp of oxygen. A scary thought for me and the children of Kent
With the potential to become the poster child 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 join together in a community effort. We need to build a coalition of citizens from our churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and cultural communities from all the Benson Corridor communities. We need to step up and demand a life-saving cleanup of the non-native lilies of Panther Lake, Kent WA. We need policy-influencing business leaders to step up in the campaign to Save Panther Lake. The Panther Lake community needs all residents to contribute to the effort to save Panther Lake. Students connected to the Benson Corridor, K-12 through IHL, can collect data, create schedules, and help form a plan to save the lake—and have fun doing it.
If we work together, our prize can become the centerpiece of Urban Parks and Lakes around the world. First, we need to remove the non-native water lily that is choking off this active body of water.
Involve
First, help us build the coalition by sending your contact information in an email. Support our seminal effort to save this precious recreational resource by posting your article at http://www.TheBenson.Biz. Placing COMMENTS at the bottom 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