History of SUN 
Seattle Urban Nature was founded in 1998 to document the natural resources on Seattle’s public lands, to inform civic decision-making and support improved stewardship of these lands.
A seven member board of directors, in concert with four staff experienced in performing botanical and biological surveys, developed a system to survey the plant communities and wildlife habitats on approximately 8,000 acres of public park, utility, transportation, school, and municipal property within the Seattle city limits. Once this work was completed, the information was put into a geographic information system (GIS) and the data were mapped. A printed atlas was developed from this effort.
The maps and data have been used by Seattle public agencies, such as the Department of Parks and Recreation, to help make better-informed decisions about how to manage invasive and native species within parks, and where to undertake restoration. A goal of SUN is to help non-profits and commuity groups to use the data to assist with their work.
SUN is currently moving towards a focus on empowering people in Seattle and Puget Sound to improve urban habitat through science-based information and methods. SUN will accomplish this by implementing two major program areas:
- Helping public, private, and non-profit groups to improve their urban restoration efforts
- Setting up and implementing a plan to monitor key variables important for management of Seattle’s Public Lands. This will continue the legacy started by the SUN 1999-2000 survey of public lands.
