|
WRIA 9 Happenings
Lower Russell Road Levee Setback Monitoring
 |
In the spring of 2023, King County tagged juvenile Chinook to better understand how juvenile salmon are using the new Lower Russel backwater. A tracking antenna was installed (see photo) near the mouth to detect fish entering the project area. With the antenna in, ecologists captured and tagged young salmon within the project. Preliminary results from the effort are promising. Over 20,000 individual tag detections were made from nearly 100 juvenile Chinook using the project (50 tagged in the project, 40 entering from the river). The project implemented a new “artificial tributary” by pumping river water into the project area. Tagged juvenile Chinook were immediately attracted to this flow and entered the project from the river, using both the tributary as well as the engineered backwater habitat. Overall, fish stayed in/around the project for up to 40 days- with those entering early in the year spending the most time. One tagged Chinook was recaptured in the backwater 8 days after being tagged- growing a surprising 5mm in that short time. These results suggest that the project is providing long term rearing habitat capable of attracting, retaining, and growing juvenile Chinook in the lower Green River.
Duwamish River People's Park & Shoreline Habitat Monitoring
 |
The Port of Seattle recently completed Year 1 fish monitoring at its Duwamish River People’s Park and Shoreline Habitat (formerly known as T-117) in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle. Three separate fish sampling events occurred in April, May, and June 2023 using a fyke net deployed at the mouth of the marsh basin during high tide. The preliminary results of the fish sampling are exciting! Approximately 246 Chinook salmon were captured during the three sampling events, all of which appear to be natural origin. Over 7160 chum salmon were captured, along with over 750 shiner perch, 150 three-spine sticklebacks three sculpin, and one sucker. The Port recognizes it could not have accomplished this without valuable input and direct assistance from its partners: Environmental Science Associates (ESA) led the effort, with staff from King County, University of Washington, and the Suquamish Tribe Fisheries helping to make the sampling effort a huge success. Collecting empirical data to affirm that migrating juvenile salmonids will use constructed habitat restoration sites as soon as they are made available to them is instrumental in helping the salmon recovery effort. For questions or more information please contact Kathleen Hurley, Senior Environmental Program Manager. (Photo Credit: Environmental Science Associates (ESA), 2022)
StormFest
From June 6 – 8, 2023, over 1200 6th graders from Highline Public Schools attended StormFest at Des Moines Beach Park. StormFest is an annual field-based stormwater education event for all Highline Public Schools 6th grade students. At the outdoor event, students learn about their local watershed, sources of pollution, and engineering solutions to prevent stormwater pollution. Each day, students from different middle schools rotated through five hands-on lessons about stormwater and water quality taught by community volunteers, bilingual station educators, and environmental professionals.
“It’s really working for the kids,” Pacific Middle School science teacher A.J. LeCompte said. “StormFest brought what we couldn’t do in the classroom.”
The event is put on by the StormFest Committee, which includes partners from Burien, SeaTac, Des Moines, King County, Normandy Park, the Environmental Science Center, EnviroIssues, and Highline Public Schools. View the website for more information about the event and curriculum.(Photo Credit: David Inman)
Riverview Park Volunteer Event
On June 10th, the Green River Coalition partnered up with Blue Origin, Unleash the Brilliance, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, and Kent Parks to host a volunteer event at the Riverview Park site. It was a fun filled event with plenty of education, outreach, and hard work! In total there were 25 people at the event and Mayor Ralph gave a great speech about the work on the site! All in all, a great event!
Long-term Community Science Effort on Vashon Island
Vashon Nature Center has completed a general summary of stream invertebrate data from a long-term community science effort on Vashon. This effort involves school children and the public in helping monitor the health of local streams using macro-invertebrates. Through the years this program has been supported by the Vashon Groundwater Protection Committee, Rose Foundation, Vashon Schools Foundation, Partners in Education, a B-WET grant from NOAA and a King County WaterWorks grant. View the storymap summary.
Nicoterra to use Spiling to Manage Riverbank Erosion
The Old World, specifically the British Isles have used willow spiling to reduce river erosion threats for centuries. Spiling consists of thick stakes driven along riverbanks and thinner, wispy rods woven between those stakes to form a sinuous fencing following topographic contours. Soils are then pulled up against the live willow rods for rooting and growth. This achieves both vertical and horizontal growth. Construction work typically occurs between November and March. Nicoterra is testing this technique along the lower mainstem of the Green River.
Grant Announcements & Upcoming Events
Register for June Workshop about Flooding and ways to Reduce Flood Risk
Flooding is our region’s most common natural disaster and part of life in King County. Want to learn how your family can be better prepared for and respond to floods? Want to share your ideas to shape the King County plan that works to reduce flood risks? King County is hosting this community workshop as part of developing the next King County Flood Management Plan.
This will be hosted online Tuesday, June 27, 6:30 – 8 p.m. Register here.
If you have questions about the flood plan or how to get involved, contact Chrys Bertolotto, Flood Plan Engagement Coordinator at 206-263-2677.
t?áwi, Creek of HOPE, Longfellow Creek Photo Exhibit by Renowned Photojournalist Tom Reese
This is the first contemporary photo exhibit of the creek from its 10,000 year old headwaters at Roxhill Park to Elliot Bay. This iconic creek which is on the ancestral land of the Duwamish Tribe, is the backbone of West Seattle reflecting the many complex changes of the region as it has developed. Discover little known places of the creek, the human and wildlife connections, and the questions we face about its future. This urban creek is also home to Coho salmon and other wildlife, threatened by a century of urbanization. Through a visual perspective, the exhibit tells the creek’s environmental story, its connection with communities and acquaints viewers with a holistic understanding that is rarely seen or understood today. Learn more!
|
