DESCRIPTION
The Milwaukee Dock Eelgrass Restoration Project is located approximately 200 feet from the beach at Pritchard Park near Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island. This project will fill and replant with eelgrass 2 sub-tidal, artificial depressions associated with the former Milwaukee Dock. The 2 depressions (a north depression and a south depression) cover an area of approximately 3 acres and have a maximum depth of -25 feet (MLLW). An extensive and dense eelgrass meadow surrounds the area of the former Milwaukee Dock, but channels were dredged through meadow to access the dock, thus destroying eelgrass and leaving behind these 2 large depressions. Sparse eelgrass exists in the depressions only to depths between -12 and -14 feet (MLLW). The dredged channels are no longer needed. The habitat that was destroyed by the dredging will be restored by this project returning it to the pre-disturbance elevation and vegetation community. The Elliott Bay Trustee Council has completed design and permitting. Restoration of the south depression began in 2012. Fill of a specified grain size has been placed in the south depression to return elevations to approximate pre-dredge conditions. Eelgrass being propagated at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Marine Science Lab will be transplanted to the former south depression around June 2013. Trustee funds were sufficient to complete only the south depression. Tribe and partners will implement the remainder (north depression) of the restoration.
The Suquamish Tribe with the Elliott Bay Trustee Council completed eelgrass restoration at Milwaukee Dock, located approximately 200 feet from the beach at Pritchard Park near Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island. The overall project entailed filling two sub-tidal, artificial depressions covering an area of approximately three acres from a depth up to -25 feet (MLLW) to a more natural bathymetry and replanting with eelgrass. An extensive and dense eelgrass meadow surrounds the area of the former Dock, but channels were dredged through meadow to access the dock. Sparse eelgrass existed in the depressions only to depths between -12 and -14 feet (MLLW). The dredged channels are no longer needed. This grant funded restoration of the north depression. The Trustees completed overall restoration design and permitting. The first phase of restoration initiated in 2012 and completed in 2013 was funded by the Trustees and entailed 1) placing fill to return south depression elevations to approximate pre-dredge conditions; and 2) transplanting eelgrass propagated at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Marine Science Lab. The habitat that was destroyed by the dredging was returned to more natural sub-tidal elevations (as builts are provided in the attachements) and eelgrass was planted to restore the original vegetation community to benefit ESA listed Chinook salmon, as well as coho, steelhead, bull trout, and forage fish such as herring.
