Since 2008, volunteers in Walker Preserve have removed large amounts of invasive plants and planted many native trees and shrubs. Walker Preserve is in the City of Normandy Park, along Walker Creek, and has spawning coho and chum salmon each fall. Restoring native vegetation along the creek benefits salmon and other wildlife.

“Please join us this Saturday, January 14, to continue this work!” said Elissa Ostergaard, Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward. “We also have several monthly community weeding projects scheduled through the winter to remove ivy and other invasive weeds, and plant native trees and shrubs along the trail and stream in Walker Preserve and other areas in the basin.”

This stewardship project is a joint effort of the City of Normandy Park, and the Miller and Walker Creeks Stewardship program.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Walker Preserve Invasive Plant Removal work party.

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 14, 9:30 a.m. – Noon.

WHERE: SW. 168th St. and 2nd Ave. SW. in Normandy Park, up the road from Normandy Park City Hall.

If driving, your parking options include:

• Three spaces in the small lot at SW 171st St. and Second Ave. S.W.
• On the street along SW. 168th St.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This park does not have a restroom.

Stewardship Purpose:

• Improve habitat along the stream by removing non-native, invasive plants

Activities:

• Seek out English ivy and remove it from trees and pull roots out of the ground.
• Seek out Himalayan blackberry plants, cut them back, and then dig out the root balls.

What to bring:

• Your enthusiasm
• Clothing that will protect you from the rain and blackberry thorns
• Filled water bottle
• Gloves if you have them

We provide:

• Gloves
• Tools
• Donuts!

Sign up and questions:

• Elissa Ostergaard, elissa.ostergaard@kingcounty.gov, 206-296-1909 (Saturday, January 14 only: 206-707-6549)

This volunteer event is an opportunity to visit a pleasant park along Walker Creek. The City of Normandy Park recently rebuilt the footbridge over the creek, and neighbors and other volunteers have made a lot of progress restoring the native plant community in this park. This work will help create areas for native plants to go in later this winter. Please sign up if you can, or decide to show up at the last minute!

The City of Normandy Park is reporting that salmon have been returning to Miller and Walker Creeks, with a count that “far exceeds last year’s total.”

“To date, the volunteers of the Community Salmon Investigation Team have reported seeing 209 live coho, and 44 carcasses!” reads the City Manager’s Report. “This far exceeds last year’s total coho count of 25 and only 6 carcasses.”

Salmon investigation results are now posted on the Miller-Walker salmon monitoring web page here.

The city says that results will be updated about once a week.

“Among the interesting facts the CSI volunteers have uncovered is that the pre-spawn mortality rate is only 23% (higher than a pristine stream, but much lower than some of the urban streams nearby), and the proportion of hatchery fish (as indicated by the carcass inspections) is so far 61%,” the report said. “No one has reported seeing any chum yet, but it could be any day. Last year the first chum was reported on November 7.”

Meet Elissa Ostergaard, the new Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward who has taken over duties previously completed by Dennis Clark, who moved on to greener pastures in a new gig with the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

Elissa, on duty since July, has over 14 years’ experience working on the broad range of stewardship duties, including policy development, salmon and habitat management, data collection, analysis, and summarizing, project management, program development, and storm and surface water planning.

She formerly worked for the City of Bellevue as a Senior Watershed Planning Engineering Technician, where she coordinated the Storm and Surface Water Comprehensive Plan, and managed updating of the city’s stormwater engineering standards.

For nearly six years, Elissa worked for the Arizona Game and Fish Department as a Urban Wildlife Specialist where she managed southeast Arizona’s urban wildlife program in which she built strong bonds with residents, city councilmembers, and legislators through constant, effective dialogue. She developed the “Living with Urban Wildlife” program which remains an extremely popular approach to managing wildlife in southeast Arizona. Elissa has led large teams and facilitated complex decision making.

Elissa was an Ecologist with the King County Water and Land Resources Division from 1994 to 2000. After leaving King County, Elissa obtained a Master of Science in Wildlife Science from the University of Washington.

So be sure to welcome Elissa Ostergaard to the ‘hood (or watershed)! She can be reached at (206) 296-1909, or elissa.ostergaard@kingcounty.gov.

Our friend Dennis Clark, Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward for King County, is asking our Readers to help review a draft document he and Dean Wilson have completed on the aquatic resources of the Miller and Walker Creeks basin.

They’re seeking the public’s input, and have set a deadline of Thursday, April 7th.

Here’s more info from an email we received:

The Highline community has previously helped to figure out how to better monitor the aquatic resources of the Miller and Walker Creeks basin.

In 2009, the Final Monitoring Recommendations were completed, based largely on input from the public and city/agency staff.

Dean Wilson from King County and I have now completed a follow-on document to the Final Monitoring Recommendations.  This follow-on document is the DRAFT Monitoring Sampling and Analysis Plan.

• Learn more about the DRAFT Monitoring Sampling and Analysis Plan
• Download the DRAFT Monitoring Sampling and Analysis Plan (Adobe Acrobat 8 MB)

The DRAFT Plan does propose two notable policy changes from the 2009 recommendations:

• It downgrades the importance of collection of information juvenile fish
• It upgrades the importance of learning the origins of significant stormwater volumes to Miller Creek

To learn more about the nature and rationale for these changes, please see:

• The footnotes on pages 3 and 4
• Section 2.2.1 on page 9
• Section 3.2 on page 31

Other than the policy change described above, this DRAFT plan is largely technical.  Nonetheless, I wanted to give the many interested citizens and city/agency staff in the basin a chance to look it over, correct any factual errors, identify any ambiguities, and comment on its overall direction.  Note that a few cost figures are missing from page 30; these will be filled in during the review period.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Please send me your comments by close of business, Thursday, April 7.

Dennis Clark

206-296-1909   additional contact information

Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward

Miller/Walker Creeks Basin Stewardship

Last week the results of a scientific survey of adult salmon in the Miller and Walker Creeks were presented to the public by Dennis Clark at the Burien City Hall.

The data represents the outcome of an effort dubbed “CSI: Highline” that was conducted by teams of volunteers during the last three months of 2010.

This project sought to count adult Coho and Chum Salmon in the Miller and Walker Creeks, identify whether or not salmon were spawning before they died, and to raise awareness of the stream habitats in the Highline community.

The study was conducted from October 8 through December 23, 2010. During the study period, teams of volunteers walked the creeks daily to gather data. This included noting details about water flow and quality and conducting necropsies on salmon carcasses when discovered.

Dennis Clark, Basin Steward for the Miller and Walker Creeks, reviewed the history and results of the “CSI: Highline” investigation in a comprehensive presentation. This year’s data will provide a baseline as the efforts to scientifically document salmon in our local streams continues this year and beyond.

Along with seeing the results of their hard work, as part of the “CSI: Highline” finale volunteers in attendance received recognition from Burien Mayor Joan McGilton and Normandy Park Mayor Pro Tem Clarke Brant.

For full details on the results of last year’s salmon monitor program and details on how you can get involved with this year’s survey, visit the official website or contact Dennis Clark at 206-296-1909.

This past Saturday (Jan 22) volunteers gathered at the Miller Creek plant of the Southwest Suburban Sewer District. Equipped with coolers of all shapes and sizes, their mission was to transport the more than 100,000 salmon fry hatched here to creeks in the local area.

The tiny salmon arrived at the hatchery here in mid-December as eggs from the Soos Creek Hatchery operated by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

For the last month they’ve been watched over by volunteers under the guidance of members from the local chapter of Trout Unlimited, who manage the local hatchery operation. During this period these volunteers combed through incubation trays looking for dead and diseased eggs.

Eventually the fish hatch and absorb their yolk sacks. Now they’re ready to be introduced into local streams.

Compared to other hatchery operations, these Coho salmon fry are being released into the wild earlier in their life cycle. The benefit is that this causes them to be exposed to many of the same environmental pressures as their wild counterparts. While up to 90% of the newly released fry will perish, those that survive will be stronger and healthier.

Photographer Michael Brunk took part in this weekend’s event and shot these photos. You can click on individual photos to view them larger.

Miller/Walker Creek Steward Dennis Clark gets assistance while testing water from a local creek as part of the out-planting operation

Coho salmon fry are transferred from an incubation tray into coolers for transport to their release point

Dennis Clark briefs a volunteer on where they’ll be transporting their cargo of salmon fry

David and Caroline Bobanick, their son Ethan and friend Brenda Sullivan hiked upstream of the hatchery on Miller Creek to release their Coho salmon fry in a secluded spot

Volunteers are needed to help “outplant” coho salmon eggs on Saturday, Jan. 22nd, beginning at 9am at the Miller Creek Plant of the Southwest Suburban Sewer District, located in Burien.

“Each year, Trout Unlimited volunteers raise coho salmon eggs during December-January,” said Dennis Clark, Miller/Walker Creek Steward. “At the end of the incubation phase in the hatchery, the eggs have turned into salmon fry and are ready to be outplanted in streams in southwest King County, including Miller and Walker Creeks.”

The annual outplant, which takes about an hour, is a fun educational and volunteer opportunity for people of all ages. The outplanting consists of swiftly transporting the fry in coolers or buckets to various locations across the basins and gently introducing the fish to their new home. To see just what the outplanting operation looks like, view:

• January 23, 2010 outplant story and photos
• January 17, 2009 outplant story and photos
• January 19, 2008 outplant story and photos

Basin Steward Dennis Clark gently pours the coho fry into Miller Creek in Normandy Park. Helping Dennis was Marion Yoshino, Normandy Park City Council member, perched on the rocks behind the ice chest. Photo courtesy King County.

Begun in the 1980s, the purpose of the Trout Unlimited hatchery outplanting project is to compensate for the presumed low survival rate of natural-spawning coho in the streams. Due to low adult coho returns and high storm flows caused by extensive impervious surfaces, it is thought that there are fewer fry than the streams can support. Unlike most hatchery operations, this program introduces the fry to the streams as soon as they have “buttoned-up” or absorbed their yolk sacks. The fry are not fed or raised in raceways before being released. This early-release approach means the fry are subject to the same evolutionary pressures as the natural-origin fish in the system. These pressures range from the natural – the frequently-seen great blue herons – to the unnatural – polluted stormwater and extreme flows. Life is hard for small fry and most will not survive to migrate to the ocean. For a very lucky few salmon, though, the outplant marks the start of what will be an epic life journey.

Here are the event details:

WHAT: Trout Unlimited Coho Salmon Outplant.

WHEN: Saturday, Jan 22nd beginning at 9am.

WHERE: Meet at the Miller Creek Plant of the Southwest Suburban Sewer District, located at 1015 SW 174th Street. Enter on the northern entrance:

• West on SW 160th from First Ave South.
• Left onto Sylvester Road SW (first light).
• Left onto 8th Ave SW.
• Follow signs to the sewer plant.
• Hatchery is at the southern end of the complex.
• Parking is limited, so you may need to park at the office (small lot by the flagpole) and walk south along the concrete path by the stream.
• Drive carefully through the complex as there will be a lot of vehicular traffic on Saturday.
• When driving in, note the stream revegetation “test plot” I’m working on with the Sewer District and volunteers.

INFO: Dennis will be at the hatchery at 8:30am to conduct water quality sampling. Parents are welcome to bring their kids early to watch.

Given the growing level of interest in the outplant event, most volunteers will outplant only to one location so the task probably won’t take more than an hour.

What to wear and bring:

• Warm, weatherproof clothing – even if it’s not raining, the water can splash around from coolers/buckets
• Gloves that can get wet
• Knee-high rubber boots or sturdy shoes/boots – both with good tread – you’ll need to get down the edge of streams to get the fish into the water
• CLEAN, WELL-RINSED COOLER that you don’t mind getting in mud

If you have additional questions, please contact Russ at rwelker@q.com or John at psmuramatsu@earthlink.net.

Trout Unlimited volunteers Russ and John transfer the young coho salmon from a tray into an ice chest. A battery-powered pump oxygenates the water during the time it takes to drive the fish to the stream where they will be outplanted. January 19, 2008. Photo courtesy King County.

This annual visible reminder that there are juvenile fish in the streams underscores how important it is to be good stewards of the land that drains into the streams. The waters of Puget Sound start in our yards, streets, and businesses before flowing untreated into Miller, Walker, and many other streams. You can help increase the survival rates for these little fish and improve Puget Sound by taking simple actions – and encouraging your friends and neighbors to join you:

• Scooping the poop
• Practicing natural lawn care: minimizing use of pesticides and fertilizers
• Fixing oil leaks in your car
• Washing your car at a commercial car wash or washing your car on the grass to soap/detergent out of storm drains
• Lots of other tips !

For more information, please contact Dennis Clark at 206-296-1909.

King County Miller/Walker Creek Basin Steward Dennis Clark wants everyone to “mark your calendar – this is one ‘season finale’ you can’t Tivo or watch online,” as “CSI: Highline” will be presenting its findings from its Community Salmon Investigation on Wednesday, Jan. 26th at Burien City Hall, from 7:30pm – 8:30pm.

“The exceptional scientific endeavor of 20 Burien and Normandy Park volunteers last fall gave us our first detailed understanding of adult salmon returns to Miller and Walker Creeks, which drain Burien, SeaTac, and Normandy Park,” Clark said in a statement. “Over an 11-week period, the volunteers navigated water high and low to count living fish and find carcasses for measurement and necropsies.”

Here are the details:

WHAT: “CSI: Highline” Season Finale Public Presentation on Findings from the Community Salmon Investigation for Highline.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Burien City Hall Activity Room (Council Chambers), 400 S.W. 152nd Street.

INFO: The January 26 “season finale” will feature:

• Overview of the CSI: Highline program – who participated, how they surveyed
• Analysis of the data
• Final population estimates for chum (the number of sightings shown on the web site “double-counted” some fish)
• Photos from the volunteers and me (including many not on the web site)
• Video footage
• What we didn’t expect to see – things exciting and strange
• Overview of key factors affecting salmon health in the streams: stormwater volumes, water quality, streamside vegetation
• Plans for the 2011 CSI: Highline survey season

We’ll also have a brief “thank you” recognition ceremony for the 2010 volunteers.

Whether you want to know more about the Highline environment or are interested in volunteering for the 2011 survey season, this season finale is not to be missed!

For more information, visit the Miller and Walker Creek Stewardship website here, or contact Dennis Clark directly at 206-296-1909.

The much-anticipated “Pineapple Express” torrential “river” of rain hit the Burien area hard over the weekend, causing local flooding of creeks, a landslide, newly-formed ponds in residential backyards and a soaking wet day for anyone who dared venture outside.

Here’s what we’ve learned (as of Sunday, Dec. 12th at 12:45pm 3pm):

• Southcenter Blvd. in Tukwila was closed to traffic in both directions at I-5 Sunday afternoon due to water over the roadway. Fast work from crews and the subsiding rain allowed Southcenter Blvd to re-open around 3pm.  All lanes of Southcenter Blvd AND the off-ramp from Southbound I-5 are NOW OPEN. 

• A landslide happened in the 2400 block of SW 172nd, near Three Tree Point; according to KING5.com: “…a mudslide sent a beam into a home in the 2400 block of SW 172nd. Firefighters helped three people out of the home. Fortunately, no one was injured.” We could see no evidence of the slide from the road, although we’ve received confirmation of it as well as this pic:

• Miller and Walker Creeks have overflowed in Normandy Park. Roads around The Cove have been closed (see pics below).
• According to the National Weather Service, Sea-Tac Airport on Saturday set a record for rainfall for the date with 1.42 inches, breaking the old mark for Dec. 11 of 1.32 inches, which was set in 1955.
• Reports are that the rain will begin to taper down as the day progresses, but don’t let that fool you – remember, water has to go somewhere, and it’s likely that a lot more will fall, and/or appear as rivers and creeks fill up.
• The land under our feet is very saturated as well, and the Weather Service issued the following Advisory at 1:30am Sunday morning (Dec. 12th), warning of landslides:

… Heavy rainfall overnight and today will lead to increased risk of landslides in western Washington…

Heavy rains of up to 2 inches over the western Washington lowlands since noon Saturday… and up to 4 inches in the mountains… have increased soil wetness to high levels around western Washington. Heavy rain will continue today and tonight… with another 1 to 2 inches over The Lowlands and another 2 to 6 inches over the mountains.

This amount of rain will result in soil instability. Cumulative rainfall over the last three weeks have soaked soils to the point where they are above the U.S.G.S. Landslide index.

When cumulative rainfall over the previous 3 days and previous 18 days exceed the U.S.G.S. Cumulative threshold index… rainfall induced landslides are possible during intense rainfall or when rainfall amounts exceed two inches in 24 hours. A diminishing risk of landslides will continue for several days after today.

At least two landslides have already been reported during this heavy rain episode… one along Chuckanut drive in the north interior and another near Vancouver Washington.

While the U.S.G.S. Rainfall thresholds apply to the Seattle area… most of The Lowlands of western Washington are susceptible to landslides due to wet soils. Areas most susceptible to landslides under these conditions are steep coastal Bluffs and other steep hillsides. For more information about current conditions… see the following internet web pages:

Http://www.Wrh.NOAA.Gov/sew

http://landslides.USGS.Gov/monitoring/Seattle/rtd/plot.Php

Weather.Gov/Seattle

Publisher/Editor Scott Schaefer managed to get out and take some pics this morning, and in-between toweling the camera off and avoiding flooded roads, took these photos (if you have any pics you’d like to share with our Readers, please email us):

The road leading to The Cove in Normandy Park was closed where Miller Creek overflowed.

A Resident walks through the overflowing Miller Creek as a Normandy Park Police Officer surveys the scene.

The front yard of a house listed "For Sale" near Miller Creek in Normandy Park has become a makeshift river detour as floodwaters surged.

From our observations, it appears that the house is not being flooded due to strategic placement of sandbags and barriers.

Where Walker Creek flows into its outlet at The Cove, the level is so high that the bridges are almost under water.

And here are some Reader pics sent to us (if you have any, please email us and we’ll post):

This first batch is from Miles Partmen, who lives on 22nd Ave S. in the newly-annexed part of Burien; he says:

My pond overflowed. This is no dinky pond, this is a huge pond!

The pond is 16 by 10 feet and 4 feet deep, and it’s 7 inches above flood stage.

It is groundwater flooding and we are on top of a hill.

This is the first time my pond has flooded I’m in the newly-annexed part of Burien:

Seven volunteer teams — Dubbed CSI: Highline — conduct daily audits of the Miller and Walker Creeks from early October to mid-December. Trained by Dennis Clark, the Miller/Walker Creek Basic Steward, the teams walk the creeks with the mission to identify and count live adult fish and conduct necropsies on salmon carcasses to determine if the fish were able to spawn before they died.

The data collected by the volunteers will shed light on trends in the health of the salmon population and provide a baseline to measure the effectiveness of improvements to their habitat in future years.

At this point we’re just over halfway through the spawning season for Coho and Chum salmon. To date 20 Coho salmon have been identified and 66 Chum salmon, with another 24 fish that couldn’t be positively identified. The season started around October 11 with the Coho salmon run and is now continuing with the Chum salmon run which is expected to run through mid-December.

This is the first year the CSI program is gathering methodical data for the Miller and Walker Creeks. Anecdotal information from members of the Normandy Park Community Club from past years suggest that the Coho calmon run is much weaker. Low Coho returns in the Puget Sound area overall may be contributing to this, along with a weather pattern of alternating days of rainfall and dry weather that make it difficult for Coho to migrate upstream.

For more information on salmon monitoring visit the CSI: Highline website.