Seawest Granston (Middle Bear) Natural Area Rest.
#BCLC-R9-3-BB #BCLC-R9-3-BB
 Tier 1 Bear Creek/Cottage Lake Creek Seawest Granston (Middle Bear) Natural Area Rest.
Organization Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8) Lead Entity
Sponsor King County Water & Land Resources
Status Completed
Schedule Start Date: 9/22/2022 End Date: 1/3/2024
Category Category: Restoration
DESCRIPTION
Planting and installation of "Habitat Pickets" were installed at the Seawest Granston site over the fall and winter of 2022-2023. A total of 33 wooden posts were driven vertically into the streambed in 9 different locations within the project reach to study their effects on the channel and whether beaver would utilize them for dam-construction. These installations were monitored over the course of the winter of 2022-23 and through the following summer and fall. In addition, 1850 potted plants and 6350 live stakes were installed on the site during February and March of 2023 over a total of 8.8 acres of riparian habitat. This included live staking of 4.8 acres of dense reed canayrgrass, some of which was treated with burlap mulch prior to installation, one acre of conifer underplanting, and 2.9 acres of shrub underplanting in and area previously planted with a monoculture of Douglas fir. These plantings were installed by Washington Conservation Corps crews. A property owner requested a modification of the planting plan, which we accommodated by moving about 0.9 acres worth of live stakes to another area of the site where they still provided riparian function. Beaver activity in these reaches of Bear Creek increased dramatically as a result of the planting. Six new dams have been recorded in the reach since planting occurred, one of which was erected on an array of "habitat pickets" installed as part of this project. The result has been a dramatic rise in water surface elevations in the reach and extensive flooding of the broad floodplain adjacent to the channel. Beaver have constructed several large channels through the reed canarygrass and extending hundreds of feet into the floodplain and begun construction of dams of those channels. This is a significant and dramatic rehydration of the Bear Creek floodplain consistent with our most optimistic predictions. However, beaver harvested a majority of the live stakes installed to create these dams, again consistent with our predictions. The project team continues to monitor the site and plans for subsequent planting phases, as well as possible large wood addition to the channel. Future challenges will include planting in a much wetter environment than existed prior to this first phase of planting.
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FUNDING SOURCES
FUNDING ENTRIES FROM GRANT PROJECT AGREEMENT
TypeDateFunding OrgFunding ProgramMatchAmount
Requested02/23/2022Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO)Salmon State Projects$100,000.00
Requested02/23/2022King County Water & Land ResourcesMatch$226,500.00
Allocated12/14/2023King County Water & Land ResourcesMatch$17,648.00
Allocated12/14/2023Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO)Salmon Federal Projects$100,000.00
Spent01/02/2024King County Water & Land ResourcesMatch-$17,648.00
Spent01/02/2024Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO)Salmon Federal Projects-$100,000.00
Grant Project Agreement Totals Proposed Requested Allocated Spent Balance
$410,000.00 $326,500.00 $117,648.00 $117,648.00 $0.00
OTHER FUNDING (Funding that is NOT in a grant project agreement)
TypeDateFunding OrgFunding ProgramMatchAmount
Other Funding Totals Proposed Requested Allocated Spent Balance
Grand Totals Proposed Requested Allocated Spent Balance
PRIMARY SPONSOR
PROJECT CONTACT
ALT PROJECT CONTACT
PROJECT MANAGER
PHOTOS

 
LOCATION
Chinook-Pop (ESU):Chinook-Puget Sound, Sammamish River, Threatened
Chum-Pop (ESU):Chum-Puget Sound/Strait of Georgia, Not Warranted
City Areas:Cottage Lake
Coho-Pop (ESU):Coho-Puget Sound/Strait of Georgia, Species of Concern
County:King
HUC12:Bear Creek (171100120301)
HUC8:Lake Washington (17110012)
Lead Entity Area:Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8)
Legislative District:45
Pink-Pop (ESU):Pink-Odd Year, Not Warranted
Puget Sound Action Areas:South Central Puget Sound
Salmon Recovery Regions:Puget Sound
Sections:20
Steelhead-Pop (ESU):Steelhead-Puget Sound, North Lake Washington and Lake Sammamish, Threatened
Township:T26NR06E
Watershed Administrative Unit:Sammamish River
WRIA:Cedar - Sammamish
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  APPLICATION FINAL 
RESTORATION METRICS
Miles of Stream and/or Shoreline Treated or Protected (C.0.b)
0.45mi0.45mi
Instream Habitat Project    
Total Miles Of Instream Habitat Treated (C.4.b)
0.45mi
 Channel structure placement (C.4.d.1)    
Acres Of Streambed Treated for channel structure placement (C.4.d.4)
0.50acres
Miles of Stream Treated for channel structure placement (C.4.d.3)
0.45mi
Number of structures placed in channel (C.4.d.7)
39.00
Pools Created through channel structure placement (C.4.d.5)
8.00
Riparian Habitat Project    
*Total Riparian Acres Treated (C.5.b.2)
18.50acres8.80acres
*Total Riparian Miles Streambank Treated (C.5.b.1)
0.45mi0.45mi
 Planting (C.5.c.1)    
Acres Planted in riparian (C.5.c.3)
18.50acres8.80acres
Miles of streambank planted (C.5.c.4)
0.45mi0.45mi
 Riparian Plant removal / control (C.5.h.1)    
Acres of riparian treated for plant removal/control (C.5.h.3)
8.00acres
Miles of streambank treated for plant removal/control (C.5.h.4)
0.45mi