Yauger Park

Yauger Park is a mixed-use recreation and sports park in Olympia, Washington across from Capital Mall. The park contains a natural filtering water retention system that serves as a wetland preserve and is home to a community and demonstration garden.

The 49-acre (20 ha) park was created in the early 1980s on land once owned by the Yauger family. The grounds were purposefully constructed to flood and the stormwater retention area was expanded twice, in 1995 and during a large scale project completed in 2011. A system of bioswales, ponds, rain gardens, and weirs can hold up to 27,000,000 US gallons (100,000,000 L; 22,000,000 imp gal) of urban runoff from hundreds of acres in the surrounding West Olympia neighborhood. The natural filtration system connects with other bodies of water, including Capitol Lake, delivering clean water throughout the local ecosystem until it reaches Budd Inlet.

The ponds, located in the southern portion of the park, form part of a 5-acre (2.0 ha) wetland area and during most of the year, is home to various species of aquatic creatures and waterfowl. The stormwater grounds were intentionally built to create a habitat for wildlife. A forested area in the northern portion, near the gardens, is home to a variety of birds.

Most sports and recreational amenities were built as part of the early beginnings of Yauger Park. Features include baseball fields and space for additional sports, a competition horseshoe pit area, a jogging path, a nature trail, playground, and a skate park. The skate park was built in 2000 after a community-led initiative.

Ongoing issues at Yauger Park regarding safety, such as drug use and homeless camps, have been a focal point in the 21st century. Yauger Park contains the last athletic complex created in Olympia.