Stream & Wetlands Restoration Project
Project Video: 15 Years of Stream Restoration
The Normandy Park Community Club has been awarded the following grants for stream and wetlands improvements at the Cove:
- Puget Sound Restoration Fund
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
- Port of Seattle
- King County WRIA 9 Opportunity Fund
Our Club's goals are to improve salmon habitat and encourage community stewardship for Miller and Walker Creeks through the Stewards of the Cove Volunteer Program.
These grants were awarded to our community due to the hard work of a dedicated group of Normandy Park residents.
This grant money will be used for the following projects at the Cove:
- Improve fish habitat by a) removing invasive plants b) adding new native plants along riparian buffer zones c) improving stream quality d) reducing sedimentation in the streams.
- Restore wetlands between Duck Pond and Miller Creek.
- Salvage Duck Pond from excessive silt and add fish habitat debris.
- Repair erosion near mouth of Miller Creek.
- Improve existing trails and footbridges.
- Monitor health of streams, Duck Pond and wetlands.
- Install descriptive and educational signs.
The Stream Team
To implement this project the Board of Trustees formed a new committee, known as the Stream Team. Team members are volunteers from the community who want to preserve and protect the natural habitats found at the Cove. The Stream Team’s goals are,
- Habitat Restoration – restoring in-stream salmon habitat and replanting native streamside vegetation.
- Habitat Stewardship – providing monthly monitoring and maintenance of newly planted habitat restoration sites through Stewards of the Cove volunteers.
- Water Quality Monitoring – testing for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and various contaminants.
- Fish Spawning Survey– conducting surveys during the fall and winter spawning season to calculate returning salmon populations. This activity will continue to be done by the local chapter of Trout Unlimited.
- Macroinvertebrate Survey– Monitoring aquatic insect populations to gauge the health of the Miller and Walker Creeks.
- Watershed Discovery– educating school children about watershed health and local salmon protection.
- Public Outreach– educating the community about the salmon habitat found in Miller and Walker Creeks.
People benefit from many of the same things that salmon need to survive. As we work to protect and restore natural features at the Cove like clean water, wetlands and riparian zones for salmon, we’ll also be protecting the natural heritage and beauty of our own community.