Fish Return to the South Prairie Creek Preserve

By Cynthia Harbison

February 8, 2021

This is an update to the post from August 28, 2018: Project Spotlight: South Prairie Floodplain Restoration

Planting Rows on the South Prairie Creek Preserve floodplain restoration site. (Photo Courtesy of Pierce Conservation District)

Completed in October 2020, the South Prairie Creek Preserve Floodplain Restoration project included the installation of 118 engineered log jams, demolition of nine buildings, and the installation of over 10,700 plants. This project also included the installation of 36-foot steel bridge over Silver Springs Creek, which is less impactful on the ecosystem, and will provide safe access to the property. As one of twelve grant agreements that comprised the funding portfolio from design to construction, the Habitat Strategic Initiative is proud to have contributed to this project through investment of Puget Sound National Estuary Program funds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3qJkDS9vWg&feature=youtu.be

South Prairie Creek Preserve restoration project construction.

South Prairie Creek was identified as a priority stream for restoration by project partners given its importance for Puget Sound Chinook, Steelhead, and Coho. The completion of this project will improve survival and productivity of those fish populations to help ensure our salmon and trout populations can thrive now and into the future.

Proposed project area. Explore the project with the South Prairie Creek Restoration Web map.

Success Story: Building Change and Supporting Jobs

This project required strong partnerships to take on this multi-year design venture, ambitious construction schedule, and landscape-scale planting effort to bring this project into being. This project was made possible because of the dedicated work of many, including employees from over 35 tribal governments, public agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private businesses.

Side channel that developed immediately after construction. Photo credit: South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group

Project construction lasted 7 months and was a team effort with local contractor as the lead with help from other local sub-contractors and suppliers. The Pierce Conservation District will be investing decades into restoring the floodplain forest with local crews, nursery suppliers, and volunteers from the community.

Chinook have already been spotted spawning and juvenile steelhead feeding in and around the newly constructed log jams on the South Prairie Creek soon after construction. Can you spot them? Photo Credit: South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group

What’s Next?

This project has been 7 years in the making and there is still so much more work to be done to raise the young floodplain forest to an age where the trees will be big enough to fully restore South Prairie Creek to a system sustained by natural floodplain processes. The long-game restoration plan for this project is to restore the natural processes that support salmon and trout habitat by continued stewardship of the floodplain forest. The success of habitat restoration efforts in South Prairie Creek relies on healthy forest and wetland vegetation communities to create and maintain habitat complexity, hydrologic stability, and thermal diversity to support salmon in the future.

Did you know?

The Habitat Strategic Initiative is working to refine and implement the Floodplains Implementation Strategy which aims to support integrated floodplain management and increase the connection of rivers in Puget Sound’s largest river deltas.