Cultivating Clean Water in Eagle Creek
/Members of the District’s Washington Conservation Corps Crew plant live stakes in the wetland.
Laura Denovan looks back fondly on her early years as a streamside property owner along Eagle Creek.
“There were salmon swimming in the creek,” she said. She recalls being able to see the fish splashing even from a distance. However, in recent years, the salmon are no longer swimming in Eagle Creek. Laura cites the absence of salmon runs as the main reason why she became interested in hosting a habitat restoration project on her property, which Snohomish Conservation District is now spearheading.
“It’s all about the salmon getting up the creek,” says Laura.
Prior to Laura’s time at the property, the land was used for hay production and cattle grazing. The previous owners ditched Eagle Creek to drain the field, but this system was not maintained for drainage after the property was taken out of active cultivation.
Two years after initial planting, the live stakes surrounding the creek are taller and have grown leaves.
Now, as the creek flows off the hillside into the floodplain, water fans across the field, creating a marshy wetland. This wetland system is beneficial in keeping water on the land, especially during the dry summer months. The standing water provides hydration for plants and wildlife on the property while also recharging the groundwater.
However, there’s still room for improvement regarding the health of this wetland and the health of Eagle Creek, which influences water quality in the nearby South Fork Stillaguamish River. The predominant species on site is invasive reed canarygrass. This grass can prevent native vegetation from establishing by depriving them of space and sunlight and can cause the formation of deep, straight channels with fast moving water that are inhospitable to young salmon.
Our main strategy for this site has been invasive species management and the re-establishment of native vegetation. The District’s crew manages the canary grass by stomping the grass around the newly installed plants several times throughout the growing season, giving these plants the opportunity to grow until they are large enough to compete with the grass.
Revegetation is an important element of this site’s restoration process and our crews have been planting thousands of live stakes of native species such as willow and twinberry. Live stakes are stem cuttings from trees that will eventually grow into trees themselves.They are inexpensive, and easy to transport and install in wet areas, making them ideal for large, difficult to traverse sites like this one. As these native trees grow, they will create a buffer that will provide shade for Eagle Creek. The added shade will help cool water temperatures, making the creek more habitable for fish and aquatic macroinvertebrates–also known as water bugs. This buffer will also absorb and filter stormwater runoff, helping to keep pollution out of Eagle Creek and protecting its water quality.
“It’s great that the District has been working hard and putting in this effort,” she said.
Many of the live stakes look similar to sticks when they are first planted and Laura is looking forward to warmer temperatures when they will begin to leaf out, allowing the picture of the restoration planting to come together.
There’s hope for more than just improved stream health in planting at this site. The trees will provide carbon sequestration and habitat for wildlife, such as birds and pollinators. Laura is happy about the progression of the project and its many benefits. The District hopes to expand this project in the future, adding to the area of creek that is planted and increasing the health of the water there, as well as in the neighboring South Fork Stillaguamish.
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under an assistance agreement to the Washington State Department of Ecology through their Water Quality grant program. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Ecology, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
