Topeka Zoo Cuts Trees For Kay's Garden

A century old Japanese Pagoda tree was cut down by the Topeka Zoo as part of an expansion project.

City of Topeka employees cut down a hackberry tree at Topeka Zoo.

Rick Knight, horticulturalist at the Topeka Zoo, talks about trees being cut down at Gage Park.


By Michael Hooper

The Topeka Zoo is cutting down 43 trees at Gage Park as part of an expansion project. Some of the trees are over 75 years old.
Brendan Wiley, director of the Topeka Zoo, says the zoo must build a "29-foot wide storm water conveyance channel 4 feet deep," or the zoo cannot move forward with Kay's Garden.
On Monday a City of Topeka truck was being used to cut down a hackberry tree that is over 50 years old.
Zoo officials cut down a Japanese Pagoda that was close to 100 years old.
More than 30 trees along the proposed storm water channel have red markings for cutting. Several pin oaks that are about 75 years old are scheduled for demolition.

Trees along the green path in the proposed plan are being removed.

Wiley said the need for the storm water channel came about after an audit by the Environmental Protection Agency in fall 2017. He said that the EPA came into Topeka and conducted an audit of the construction of the Camp Cowabunga. He said the EPA reviewed the project and determined the park lacked a storm water drainage system. The storm water is presumably to be cleaned through "a biofilter system and retention pond."
When asked, Wiley could not produce any correspondence from the EPA addressing this issue, but instead referred to the engineer who has worked on the project, Bob Koopman of Professional Engineering Consultants of Topeka. A phone call to Koopman has not been returned.
Wiley said Kay's Garden has been set back a year due to the challenges associating with accommodating the drainage system.
He said the storm drain system will cost $1.5 million. A total of $2.1 million is being spent to do the storm draining system, new parking and group entry.
The zoo is spending another $6.4 million on the construction of Kay's Garden. About 62% of the funding for the 7,000 square foot garden is coming from Kay McFarland and the balance from private donations, "in theory we are hoping it will all come from private donations," Wiley said.
The contractors KBS Contractors and Professional Engineering Consultants of Topeka are handling the construction projects.
Wiley said water drains into the bear facility in the southeast corner of the zoo, but the water has not been a threat to the animals. During high periods of rain, he said, the bear holding area may get 2 inches of water in it.
Wiley insisted this is a water quality project. The dogs in the dog park leave poop behind, he said. Cars leave oil behind, he said. The bio-filtration system, with wet land, will clean the water, he said.
I believe Hill's Dog Park Patrons clean up after their dogs and put baggies of poop in the trash cans. Very little poop is left on the ground.
When asked if there was any study proving there is a water quality problem, Wiley said he was unaware of any water tests.
Calls to the EPA's Kansas City office have not been returned.
Wiley said Bob Koopman of PEC is the engineer involved in the design of the storm water drainage system. Wiley said Koopman is leaning on standards established by the Mid America Regional Council on Stormwater Best Management Practices.
Wiley said he held a public meeting about the zoo expansion at 6 p.m. Sept. 20 at the zoo, but only media showed up, no one from the neighborhood was there. He said he would be willing to hold another meeting Monday, Dec. 3, at noon in the education room at the zoo.
Rick Knight, horticulturalist with the zoo, said the pin oak trees being cut down are near the end of their lives. He said pin oaks live to be about 75 years old. A lot of pin oaks were planted in the park during its early years.
Bill Riphahn, park planner with Shawnee County Parks and Recreation, said the issues affecting Gage Park are complicated.
"There's some big oak trees I hate to see go," Riphahn said. "Nothing makes a park better than big shade trees."
I agree. Shade trees make the hot summer temperatures more bearable, providing cover for both humans and wildlife. Try having a picnic on a hot day without shade.
Wiley said the old growth trees are not really original to the park. He said tall grass prairie was its original landscape. He said the new drainage system will be above ground, not below ground. To make it below ground would have cost too much money, he said.
Why can't the drainage system go in and around the trees? I didn't really get an answer for this question.
The drainage plan calls for a retention pond to be located just east of Reinisch Rose Garden. Several trees are marked for cutting in that area, some are old trees.
Knight said it is true "we are taking out some trees but those trees will be replaced with new trees. In 20 years, he said you will see new species of trees, maybe sooner than that."
He said he plans to recycle the wood from the downed trees.
He said the three Champion Trees in Gage Park are not affected by the project.
Those Champion Trees are a White Ash and a Rubber Tree in the zoo, and a Willow Oak and a Sugerberry near Reinisch Rose Garden.
Riphahn said the trees are likely to be cut down before April 1, which is the deadline by which trees must be cut down to protect long-eared bats that inhabit the trees.

He said the eastern half of Gage Park is owned by the city of Topeka by a very restrictive deed. 

Attempts to find out what is going on from the EPA have not been successful. A call to the Kansas City EPA office has not been returned.

In 1899 Guilford Gage donated to the city 80 acres on the eastern half of Gage Park. His heirs donated the other 80 acres for a total of 160 acres. 

When the City and County Parks and Recreation departments merged the city tried to give the Gage Park deeds to the county but was unsuccessful in moving the eastern half of the park to the county because of restrictions on the deed. So the city actually still owns the the eastern half of the park, Riphahn said.
I plan on attending a meeting at noon Monday, Dec. 3, at the zoo. I want to find out more about this plan. I believe these trees deserve our respect and honor as they have served this community for a long time. There is an abundance of wildlife in the Gage Park ecosystem, which includes the nearby cemetery, and surrounding neighborhoods, like McFarland Farm subdivision south of the park, which was virgin pasture and forest before Kay McFarland sold it in 1999. The new owners leveled the trees, reshaped the drainage system and sold lots for new homes. Some of the McFarland estate is being used for Kay's Garden.
I asked if there was an environmental impact study on this project, and the zoo director said no. I asked for an accounting of all the trees impacted by the project, their species, their age, health, etc., but there was no study.
Until we know all these answers, I think it is inappropriate to move forward with killing these trees.
Our world is polluted. The oxygen in the air is damaged by car pollution. One way to fight pollution is to plant more trees. We should be planting more trees, not cutting them down.