Join us as we plant a forest along the banks of the newly restored Snow Creek Uncas Preserve Reach near Discovery Bay!

December 7th, 10am-12:30pm

After completing the first stage of floodplain and large woody debris work in the summer of 2023, the next stage of this project is working to restore a healthy and diverse riparian forest on the shores of Snow Creek. We will plant native trees and shrubs from 10am-12pm. After planting, we will give a tour of the restoration project from 12-12:30pm.

Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.

Parking is very limited, so please try to carpool if you can!

About the site:

During the summer of 2023, NOSC undertook a comprehensive habitat restoration project at the Jefferson Land Trust’s Snow Creek Uncas Preserve. The Land Trust acquired the property in 2015 to conserve the stream and riparian habitat to support salmon recovery.

This reach of the stream was identified as a major source of bank erosion, contributing fine sediments that were being washed downstream. This erosion impacts downstream redds of endangered Hood Canal Summer Chum. As sediment settles into the gravels around salmon eggs, it limits the flow of water across the eggs and restricts their access to dissolved oxygen.

To minimize bank erosion in the project reach, water traveling through the stream needed to be slowed down. This was achieved by installing 39 engineered log jams in order to slow water flow and add stream complexity. Additionally, ¼ mile of side-channels and 1.4 acres of floodplain were created or reconnected, allowing water to spread out and slow down during moderate to high flows.

Interested in learning more about the whys behind restoration work like this? Check out this talk by NOSC’s Project Manager, Kevin Long, on Stage 8 Restoration from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s Future of Oceans Lecture Series

While the first phase of the project is complete, the second phase, reforesting the site with a healthy and diverse riparian forest is just beginning. After an initial planting phase last winter, we aim to complete the reforestation this winter by infilling with additional understory and increasing plant density in some areas.

Photo by Jeremy Johnson.