Salmonberry Creek
Port Orchard, WA


After two years of construction and three planting seasons, one of our biggest projects is finally close to being finished: Located just outdie Port Orchard, our Salmonberry Creek project is a 5-acre wetland-pond-complex that will provide off-channel habitat, embedded in 40 acres of native re-vegetation. 

Landowners at the site contacted Mid Sound because salmon were becoming stranded in their fields during high water events. The project involves excavating 5 acres of off-channel ponds and controlling 20 acres of invasive weeds by planting native trees and shrubs.






 

Although the surrounding vegetation at this site is mostly native (with the exception of a few patches of invasive reed canary grass), it consists almost exclusively of hardhack and willow. After construction phases, in September of 2003 and 2004 respectively, were finished, volunteers planted more than 1,700 native trees and shrubs at the site, thus creating a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees, shrubs, and groundcovers which will allow for higher biodiversity.

Our volunteers did not only work hard during planting seasons - they also came out to spread straw and grass seed immediately after construction, to protect the newly planted trees with rodent guards, and to water during the hot and dry summer months.

In addition to implementing this project, Mid Sound is also securing 40 acres of conservation easements from the five involved landowners, some of which will be donated.

This project is funded by a $288,600 grant from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and $60,000 in matching contributions. 

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PROJECT PARTNERS:

Kitsap Stream Team
Kitsap Conservation District
GeoEngineers
Smayda Environmental
West Sound Technical Skills School