| October 11, 2002
News Release Coho salmon and cutthroat trout now have access to an extra 1½ miles of Denny Creek spawning and rearing habitat thanks to a cooperative fish ladder project between King County and a Kirkland-area neighborhood group. Representatives of the Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance (DCNA) and King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks will celebrate the completion of the fish ladder with a formal dedication at 10:00 a.m., October 18, at Big Finn Hill Park. "The Denny Creek Fish Passage Project is a good example of what can be accomplished when a community and local government join forces," said King County Parks Division manager Bob Burns. "This partnership can serve as a model for other local projects." Burns will join King County Councilmember Jane Hague, and DCNA members Cheryl Myers and Clayton Rich in offering remarks at the dedication. Hague, Burns and Rich will also participate in a ceremonial tree planting. "This is very exciting," Hague said. "It represents a textbook public/private partnership between county government and a community dedicated to responsible stewardship of their local resources. I always believed in this project, and today it is a success story that we all can share." "We're elated about how this partnership turned out and we hope it inspires others to see what is possible in their neighborhood and community," said Clayton Rich, DCNA fish ladder administrator. The project has transformed 230 feet of creek from what had become a stretch of sediment filled waterway under a fish-blocking, eight-foot waterfall. The erosion-caused waterfall was blamed in part on a 70-year-old concrete bridge. Now the fish ladder looks like a naturally sloping stream through the woods, traversing pools formed by large boulders, stream cobbles and large woody debris. The project included the installation of 16 "weirs" to create step pools making fish passage possible. The last phase involved volunteers planting native trees and shrubs such as cedar, fir, salmonberry, lady ferns and alder alongside the creek. Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance members initiated, designed and provided volunteers to do much of the work on the project. They completed construction documents, biological assessments and obtained funding from county, private and federal sources. The group received an appropriation of $50,631 sponsored by Councilmember Hague, $47,330 from the King County WaterWorks Block Grant Program, $34,900 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and $12,400 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. King County Parks resource coordinator Mike Crandell said Parks employees performed construction, using free clay from a landslide to seal the bottom of the creek, and large woody debris from park storm damage. The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks also provided technical assistance, project management, permits, and volunteer coordination. The county will own and maintain the fish ladder. The fish ladder was completed in about five weeks, with the native plant salvage and final plantings coordinated by two Boy Scouts earning their Eagle Badges. To learn more about Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance go to their Web site at: www.dennycreek.org. Information about the King County Department of Natural Resources is available at: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/.
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