History

The land currently designated as Paramount Open Space was acquired slowly from the late 1960s through the early 2000s. Prior to becoming a park much of the land was a peat bog, much of which was mined during the early 1900s. Like most peat bogs in Shoreline, and throughout Puget Sound, nothing remains of the original bog plant community. Today, the former bog is mostly dry except for Little’s Creek and a restored wetland near the south end of the park. Most of the area encompassing the park was purchased with funds from the King County Forward Thrust bonds approved in 1968. Additional parcels were purchased during a 20 year period from the late 1980s through the early 2000s through neighborhood efforts to acquire land along the southern and eastern boundaries of the park threatened with development. During this time neighborhood volunteers managed efforts to restore wetlands at the south end of the park and build trails. Over the ensuing years native forest grow over the restored wetlands, but English ivy and other invasive species have spread throughout the park and threaten to overtake nearly all forested areas. Friends of Paramount was established in 2018 to remove invasive species and ensure that native trees that iconic to the northwest, such as Douglas-fir and western redcedar persist at Paramount.