Seattle Press on Line - Lake City's Balancing Act: Fitting a wildlife habitat into the middle of a city

Lake City and Wedgwood

Lake City's Balancing Act: Fitting a wildlife habitat into the middle of a city

By Adam Richter

Thornton Creek flows under Lake City Way through a cement pipe. Adam Richter photo.

Feb 28, 2002 -- Skip Knox found a great blue heron walking through his yard last week. Such a sighting may seem unusual, especially considering that Knox lives in the densely populated Lake City neighborhood.

But it's not the first time Knox has seen a heron on his property. He lives along Thornton Creek, which--due partly to conservation efforts by both residents and Seattle government--attracts more wildlife to the city than one might expect.

"That's incredible," says Knox of his blue heron encounters, "when you think of how urbanized that ecosystem is."

Thornton Creek meanders through 11 miles of public and private property from its headwaters in Shoreline to Matthews Beach, where it empties into Lake Washington. Home to numerous species of fish, birds and insects, Thornton Creek also attracts a number of human residents who seek the placidity that's difficult to find in most cities.

Willows Creek flows into Thornton Creek near NE 98th Street and Lake City Way. Adam Richter photo.

"The folks who live on the creek sought out these places for solitude in an urban setting," says Knox. Wildlife habitats like Thornton Creek, he says, make the Pacific Northwest "the part of the United States a place people want to go to, rather than go from."

Knox and his neighbors have a strong interest in keeping the creek as clean as possible. He bought his house specifically to live closer to nature. And living so close to it has made him a stronger advocate for the environment. For example, he no longer uses fertilizer in his yard, and lets the plants on the banks of the creek grow wild.

Cheryl Klinker, outgoing president of the Thornton Creek Alliance (TCA), also lives on the water by choice. She says that her own environmentalism has been made stronger by her experience.

"By living right on the creek, I notice pollution and sediments more than I did before," she says.

Willows Creek flows into Thornton Creek near NE 98th Street and Lake City Way. Adam Richter photo.

To Learn More About Thornton Creek:

For a body of water, Thornton Creek certain has its share of fans. But if you want to buy an "I (heart) Thornton Creek" T-shirt, you're out of luck; they don't exist.
If you want to show your love for T.C. in more meaningful ways—or if you want to learn more about the sexiest creek this side of Lake Washington—then call these very nice people.
Seattle Public Utilities Creek Steward Program:

Bob Spencer, Coordinator
(206) 684-4163
http://www.cityofseattle.net/util/urbancreeks/volunteer.htm

Thornton Creek Project:
(206) 526-0187
Online library (under construction):
http://www.thorntoncreek.org

Thornton Creek Alliance:
(206) 367-4635
http://www.scn.org/earth/tca/

Thornton Creek Legal Defense Fund:
(206) 365-4477
http://home.earthlink.net/~tworthington/

Through her work with TCA, Klinker has taken a more active role in cleaning up the entire watershed. Home to over 200,000 residents, the Thornton Creek Watershed covers 12 square miles and is one of the largest in Seattle.

Klinker admits that restoring the natural ecology of Thornton Creek is an uphill battle. Each new development that gets built means more impervious surface, which means more stormwater runoff that hurts the creek.

But Klinker is hopeful that the creek can be restored--if pollution and sediments decline.

"I guess the real key for me is going to be, if we can ever get back sustainable salmon runs," she says.

Before Thornton Creek was seen as a valuable wildlife habitat, people spent most of the last century building over and around it. The creek passes under major streets like Lake City Way via concrete culverts.

Thornton Creek just west of Sand Point way as it flows through residential yards. Adam Richter photo.

It flows the same way under the Northgate Mall's south parking lot, where the issue of daylighting Thornton Creek and restoring its natural surroundings is the center of a lawsuit between the City of Seattle and the Thornton Creek Legal Defense Fund. The TCLDF, established in 1998, sued the city and the property owner, Simon Properties, to prevent further development on top of Thornton Creek.

"It's a salmon-bearing stream that needs to be preserved," says TCLDF president Janet Way. She also wants to preserve the wetlands in Northgate around the creek, which are vital to Thornton Creek's survival and the ecology of Northgate.

"Those [wetlands] are the areas that preserve the integrity of the stream," says Way. "In the winter they prevent flooding. In the summer, they allow the water level to be maintained. It's like a sponge."

Away from Northgate, efforts to rejuvenate Thornton Creek have enjoyed some success. Volunteers from the Thornton Creek Alliance and Earthcorps worked with Seattle Public Utilities in habitat restoration along Thornton Creek.

The mouth of Thornton Creek at Matthews Beach. Adam Richter photo.

This section, called Homewood Park, sits in a deep valley between an abandoned Denny's and a boarded-up KFC restaurant. A trail runs from Lake City Way along a ridge down to the creek. Volunteers covered the hillside with jute mats to help prevent runoff. Saplings and other new plants, marked with yellow and pink tags, dot the shores. These native plants replace invasive and non-native vegetation removed by members of Thornton Creek Alliance and Earthcorps.

Thornton Creek Alliance is one of several advocacy and education groups dealing with preserving Thornton Creek. Seattle Public Utilities recently started a Creek Steward Program, which recruits volunteers to help maintain Seattle's urban creeks. Bob Spencer, the program coordinator, has no illusions about the challenges before him.

"It's one of the most difficult environments to work in, because it's in a city. It's neat that the city's so involved, but it's very difficult," he says.

Vic Roberson, a manager with SPU, says that although the Creek Stewards Program is relatively new, he's able to work with groups of already committed citizens. "Some of the established groups in the area have always been strong advocates of preserving wetlands," he says.

Many of those groups, such as the Thornton Creek Alliance or the Thornton Creek Project, are composed of residents who live on or near the creek. Not only do they care deeply about Thornton Creek, they cared before it was popular to do so. Most of Skip Knox's neighbors have lived in their homes for over 30 years.

Irv Berteig lives on Maple Creek, one of many tributaries that empties into Thornton Creek. A longtime resident, Berteig says his experience of living on the water--as with many other residents--shaped his environmental views. "You see the effects of what you do if you mess with the land," he says.

That's a familiar refrain that comes as no surprise to Berteig.

"The whole Thornton Creek system, as with any creek system--there is a separate community of people who choose to live there and have a lot of the same values," Berteig says.

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