Wildlife group urges Seattle officials to halt pickleball plans because noise could disturb birds

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Mar 28 2025

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News

Environmental and wildlife advocates in Seattle are urging officials to halt plans for new pickleball courts at the city's Magnuson Park because they're worried about how pickleball noise could impact birds that frequent the area.

Seattle Parks and Recreation says the goal is to build lighted pickleball courts at Magnuson Park by 2026, which local pickleball players have pushed for as wait times at nearby Green Lake Park have grown longer and longer in recent years.

However, the area is located near restored wetlands, and a group called Birds Connect Seattle is sounding the alarm over the impact of noise on wildlife, as well as residents who come to that area to escape from urban life.

"We are working to protect this special place," Joshua Morris, Urban Conservation Manager at Birds Connect Seattle, told local media. "... Pickleball is famously noisy. Noise is a known environmental pollutant, and we are working to suggest that the city find a more suitable location that protects taxpayer investment and habitat."

The group is suggesting an alternative plan close to a nearby industrial area.

Birds Connect Seattle has also started a petition online to urge the city to reconsider its plans. It reads:

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, urge Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Seattle City Council, and the Mayor of Seattle to:

Halt planning and development of outdoor pickleball courts near the restored wetlands at Magnuson Park;
Reject any update to the Magnuson Park Master Plan that would allow such development; and
Adopt Biodiversity-Sensitive Urban Design protocols to reduce the potential for future biodiversity-development conflict.

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