Madrona Park Creek Daylighting Is Complete

With the addition of the stream flow from the Madrona Ravine above 38th Street in October, the completion of the bridge over the stream at the main trail entrance at Spring and Grand in January, and the planting of thousands of native trees, shrubs, and ground covers in March, the Madrona Park Creek Daylighting is essentially complete. Only maintenance continues to be a Friends of Madrona Woods responsibility for three more years. The stream is flowing as predicted from the springs above 38th to the lake at the cove. Its fresh, cold water is expected to attract salmon fry as they migrate from their spawning streams to Puget Sound past the “rearing and refuge” offered by the restored stream and ponds on both sides of Lake Washington Boulevard.

For a tour of the creek, start at the overlook at the curve where 38th Street goes through the woods. Looking uphill you’ll see the stream emerging from the vegetation on the hillside. It enters the pipe under the road installed last fall and emerges at a lovely rock cascade on the other side of the hill. Walk down 38th and you’ll see where it tumbles down log-weir steps to the wetland just before. A simple bridge crosses it there so you can walk up Jack’s Trail into the woods there if you choose. Or continue down to the bottom of the hill (38th becomes Spring and then Grand) to the new bridge that allows you to enter the woods at the main entrance there. Stand on the bridge to watch the creek flowing on down to the pond on the west side of Lake Washington Boulevard. Be sure to listen to the music the creek makes at every stop. From Spring and Grand, take the sidewalk down to the Boulevard and go across to enter the natural area just a little to the left. Walk along the trail in either direction (or both) to view the cove and the stream running down to the lake. Don’t forget to go along the main sidewalk a little south of the entrance to see the pond on the east side of the Boulevard.

WNPS talk about daylighting

WNPS Daylighting Talk (PDF)

Last week Peter Mason gave a brief talk about the daylighting project to the Washington Native Plant Society’s Central Puget Sound chapter.

P-I Article

Thanks to Seattle Post-Intelligencer environmental reporter Lisa Stiffler for highlighting our group in an inspiring November 7, 2005 front-page article that clearly laid out the perils of an urban forest.

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  The Friends of Madrona Woods strive to restore the Woods to a healthy, natural state by removing non-native invasive plants and revegetating with diverse native plants and to make the Woods safe and accessible through an environmentally friendly trail system.