Executive summary of 1994 Bear Creek Annual Report

A major transition in the Watershed Management Plan occurred in 1994. Bear Creek was selected as one of the top six aquatic resource watersheds in King County and became eligible for conservation funds to protect key aquatic lands through the Waterways 2000 program. This is a voluntary program for property owner participation and the Bear Creek Community continues to set a stewardship example for the rest of the Northwest to follow by showing strong support through a willingness to participate in the Waterways program. This is exemplified by the very active community group called Water Tenders. Water Tenders activities include monitoring, salvaging native plants, removing non- native plants, adopting park conservation lands, community outreach, basin newsletter, and watershed advocacy.

Through the Waterways 2000 program and the Upper Bear Creek Conservation Area fund over 1100 acres of high value aquatic land is targeted for protection. The community and King County are proposing to preserve these areas through purchase, conservation easements, or property tax reduction. The response from property owners has been very favorable. Significant leveraging of public funds through the Current Use Taxation Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS) is protecting 64% of this acreage. This Conservation program will be very active in 1995.

Some of the issues mentioned in the 1993 annual report have been resolved but new issues have appeared for 1995. In 1994, the King County Council adopted a new Comprehensive Plan that designated an urban-rural boundary, while Snohomish County is still deliberating on a comprehensive plan and its urban rural line. The adopted line follows closely the city boundaries of Woodinville and Redmond and the existing high density residential areas in the watershed. Roughly 75 percent of the watershed is still designated rural. Major highway construction was started on SR 520 and Avondale Roads. Additional highway work will start in 1995. These highway projects expose large areas of ground and impact many streams and wetlands in the basin. Forest Practices are another concern. Large areas of forest(about 200 acres) were harvested in the watershed without a watershed analysis, although buffers to the streams and wetlands were left. The need for a formal clearing agreement between local jurisdictions and Washington State Department of Natural Resource is still needed and is being actively pursued.