DESCRIPTION
Re-establishing native forest is crucial to the long term restoration of the stream corridor. Recent efforts to remove abandoned buildings from the property create opportunity to re-plant riparian vegetation. The addition of large wood to the stream will not only increase the number of pools and cover, but raise water elevations and improve floodplain connectivity. Minor excavation work can restore ephemeral side channels and wetlands along the left bank floodplain that were filled when the site was farmed. Beavers have been very active in the area and restoration designs at this site (as well as some other locations in the watershed) will need to consider how beavers utilize the area and alter the channel, floodplain, and riparian characteristics of the stream corridor. The site may be ideal for public access where visitors can see a very rare Puget Lowland stream in near-pristine condition (upstream of homestead) and see a locally impacted area in the process of being restored.
The riparian forest has been cleared along the lower 500 ft of Wildcat Creek (at the confluence with Lost Creek) as part of an abandoned homestead that is now part of the Rhododendron Preserve. The channel is slightly incised, has unvegetated banks, and is lacking in channel complexity due to impairments to natural wood recruitment.
