Environmental stewardship is an important component of our work. King County Parks manages over 25,000 acres including some of the most pristine and valuable ecological lands within King County such as wetlands, salmon habitat, intact riparian areas and old forests.

King County Parks values this region’s environmental legacy and is working hard to educate today’s generation and preserve this legacy for generations to come.

Acquisitions from King County’s Greenprint are managed by the Parks Division team and our Natural Resource Coordinators.

2004 Open Space Plan (1.5 MB pdf file) for Parks, Trails, Natural Areas and Working Resource Lands focuses on managing and caring for the county's 25,000+ acres of valuable open space lands and resources and 200 miles of trails for generations to come. It clearly defines the county as primarily a regional open space provider and a facilitator of recreation programs related to the open space system. The county will remain the local provider for sites located in rural areas, but will transfer to cities those sites located within their urban growth areas.