Reviving Wetlands and Wildlife on Carpenter Creek
/Carrie O’Keefe and her husband stand with their dog in front of their barn in Snohomish.
Carrie O’Keefe’s Restoration Journey
One spring evening at dusk, Carrie O’Keefe and two of her neighbors carried a large dog kennel deep into the woods of her 10-acre property in Snohomish. They removed the sheet covering the enclosure, tapped gently on the top, and watched the great horned owl inside fly off.
“It was such a quick experience, but so fulfilling,” said Carrie. “We all teared up.”
Giving that owl—rehabilitated at Sarvey Wildlife with Carrie’s help—a chance to live in a healthy ecosystem is at the heart of why the O’Keefes chose to partner with Snohomish Conservation District on a restoration project. And one of the neighbors who helped Carrie release the owl has joined her on that restoration journey also.
Before the plantings, Carrie’s property tended to flood in the winter months as seen in this photo. In the December 2025 flooding, Carrie noted that her property suffered far less than in previous years and attributed it to the plantings.
Where It All Started
The O'Keefes’ project began with a very practical issue. Carrie and her husband had grown increasingly concerned about erosion by the road that runs through their property, over Carpenter Creek, and provides access to 20 homes.
“The road crosses our wetlands, which were mostly planted with pasture grass,” said Carrie. “The roots are shallow and the area floods in the winter—so of course erosion happens. We were worried about the road being compromised.”
Carrie did some research and found that planting trees and shrubs with deeper roots could help hold soil in place and reduce flooding. When she learned that Snohomish Conservation District might be able to provide some assistance, she had Habitat Restoration Program Lead Thomas Bulthuis out for a site visit.
As they walked through the marshy areas, ankle-deep in water, Thomas told Carrie about the possibility of grant funding for a planting project on their property.
“I knew we had a salmon-bearing creek—our previous dog brought us a frozen salmon once in November,” Carrie laughed. “And every spring we watch the fingerlings from our bridge.”
A small herd of deer graze in the section of wetland that the field crew planted in..
But what Carrie hadn’t realized was the importance of their creek as part of a larger effort. Carpenter Creek is a tributary of Woods Creek, one of the highest priority watersheds for salmon recovery in Snohomish County. High water temperatures, sediment, and a lack of large woody debris are threatening the salmon populations. Fecal coliform bacteria is also above safe levels.
In 2012, Snohomish Conservation District worked with Snohomish County to develop a Woods Creek Action Plan for Riparian Restoration. Since then, the District has partnered with 21 landowners on restoration projects, totaling over 45 acres of riparian habitat in the watershed. A planting project on the O’Keefes’ property would help build on that effort.
“When I realized that it could restore native habitat in the watershed and also help with the erosion, I was sold,” said Carrie.
Ripple Effect
After Carrie told her neighbor, Liz Hare, about plans for the restoration project, Liz eagerly agreed to have planting done on her property as well.
In 2023, the District revegetated a combined 4.4 acres between the two properties, planting over 3,000 native trees and shrubs along the wetland buffer bordering Carpenter Creek. The work was funded through a Washington State Department of Ecology Centennial Clean Water Program grant and other sources, with the District managing both the funding and the project implementation.
“We were thrilled to see the crews of 10 or 12 people doing the work,” said Carrie. “My husband and I are in our 60s—there’s no way we could have done it on our own.”
Dense plantings of fast-growing willow and black cottonwood now line the creek and will eventually shade the water, keeping it cool for fish. Over time, western redcedar, Sitka spruce, and other conifers planted in slightly higher areas will grow into a forest canopy, while shrubs such as salmonberry, red-osier dogwood, and Pacific ninebark fill in the understory. Together, these native plants will help anchor wet soils, slow water flows, and reduce erosion.
They’ll also filter pollutants from runoff, which will help protect both the creek and the O’Keefes’ groundwater.
“We’re on a well, so preventing contamination of our aquifer really matters to us,” said Carrie. “I want to be able to trust my water source.”
Bundles of fast-growing willow and black cottonwood before they were planted along the creek.
If you look closely, you can see thin black sticks on the edges of the creek. These are live plants that will eventually grow into trees!
At the Heart of It All
But for Carrie, the restoration project isn’t just about clean water or erosion control. It’s also about caring for the many species that share the land with them. As a volunteer at Sarvey Wildlife and Snohomish Conservation District’s Annual Plant Sale, she’s particularly aware of how much animals depend on healthy habitat—including the great horned owl she released on their property.
“It’s important to me that the plants will help provide food, shelter, and a safe place to live,” said Carrie. “There's so much wildlife here—we’ve seen river otters, Pacific Northwest giant salamanders, eagles, owls, bears, beavers.”
Carrie has even given one of the beavers a name for the kids in the neighborhood.
“They ask me, ‘what’s his name again?’ And I say, ‘that’s Carpenter Creek Carl!’” Carrie chuckles. “He’s kind of our beaver ambassador.”
A Pacific giant salamander on the O’Keefe property.
Just like the native plants in the wetland and along the creek, beavers play an important role in creating healthy waterways. Ponds created by their dams help store rainwater, which can reduce flooding, trap sediment, filter out pollutants, and recharge groundwater. However, because willows are a favorite food source for beavers, Snohomish Conservation District crews installed protective fencing around them in 2024, allowing the willows’ root systems to become established so they can provide their many benefits to the creek—and also become a source of food and building materials for the beavers in the future.
Carrie is grateful to see the thousands of trees and shrubs beginning to knit the wetland back into a living, thriving ecosystem. Though just beginning to take hold, the new plantings promise a legacy that will grow over time. For Carrie, that legacy is deeply personal.
“We have five children between us and now we have a new granddaughter,” said Carrie. “As humans, we're taking so much away from the earth right now. I feel like I’m the steward of the land that I own—if I can't preserve this, then what can I preserve?”
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. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
