12/14/07

Madrona Creek was still slowly making its way to the new Madrona Park cove on November 26 when friends, neighbors and local dignitaries gathered at the shore of Lake Washington to dedicate the newly daylighted stream. Mayor Greg Nickels, Parks Superintendent (designate) Tim Gallagher, County Councilmember Larry Gossett, and City Councilmember Richard Conlin came to congratulate the Friends of Madrona Woods and celebrate the completion of the first phase of the Madrona Creek daylighting. They praised Friends of Madrona Woods for their efforts and dedication to restoring habitat for salmon and people along Lake Washington.

The creek water was released on November 15 but traveled slowly, saturating long-dry ground and filling pools along the way. Those at the dedication had to use a bit of imagination to envision the future of the small trickling stream.  But the thanks and praise flowed freely, despite the creek flow falling short of the lake shore. Judith Starbuck, representing Friends of Madrona Woods, thanked the city, county and federal agencies and in-kind donors that helped make this success possible. Polly Hicks from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Jessica Saavedra from King Conservation District joined the program representing two of our granting organizations.

Just a week later, Mother Nature contributed a deluge, filling the ponds and channel and propelling the creek all the way into the lake. The creek has become much more timid since then and is again progressing toward the cove on its own steam.  The new shoreline of the cove has already been discovered by many birds, including a heron, and is the frequent playground of a river otter whose previous home was disrupted by the construction. 

This dedication ceremony was a momentous occasion but not the final one.  We still need to raise about $300,000 in 2008 to bring the remaining two-thirds of the creek out of underground pipes and add it to the free flowing stream. We are delighted to report that we received a $15,000 grant from the Department of Neighborhoods for plants and planting, a $5000 grant from the Seattle Garden Club for plants, and a City of Seattle Climate Action Grant valued at $6,500 for a week of EarthCorps time. Many thanks to all three supporters! The Mayor has recommended us for an $80,000 Aquatic Habitat Matching Grant for next year’s construction.  We’re also waiting to hear whether we’ll receive any of the several grants we’ve already applied for, and are always looking for more grant opportunities.