FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: City of Sammamish Celebrates Restoration of Salmon Habitat at Zackuse Creek

City of Sammamish Celebrates Restoration of Salmon Habitat at Zackuse Creek

Sammamish, Wash., (December, 2018) –  On Tuesday, December 18, the City of Sammamish joined with local and regional partners to celebrate a symbolic ribbon-cutting and mark the completion of the Zackuse Creek Fish Passage and Stream Restoration Project, a project promoting the restoration of native Lake Sammamish kokanee

Representatives and elected officials from the City of Sammamish were joined by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Snoqualmie Tribal Council Member Richard Zambrano, Kokanee Work Group Chair David St. John, local resident and kokanee advocate Wally Pereyra, and other project partners and community members.

“Today is an historic day as we celebrate the first of several major culvert openings that will bring about new opportunities for native kokanee to spawn and travel through our local streams,” said Sammamish Mayor Christie Malchow. “These little red fish have long been a part of this community and the culture of the Snoqualmie Tribe.”

The decline in kokanee population has been of special concern to Sammamish residents, fisheries and native tribes. Without diversity in available spawning habitat, a single localized event can destroy the entire population.

To aid in the reestablishment of Zackuse Creek as a kokanee spawning area, the City of Sammamish installed a fish-passable culvert under East Lake Sammamish Parkway and restored approximately 400 linear feet of stream habitat. Similar projects are planned for nearby George Davis and Ebright Creeks, to be constructed over the next three years.

For more information on City fish passage and stream restoration projects, visit our website.