OUR STORY
THORNTON CREEK
WATERSHED RESTORATION PROJECT
We are city dwellers who enjoy taking walks along Thornton Creek. We love having this natural beauty right here in the City of Seattle free for all to enjoy!
When we noticed a nearby channel of water that looked neglected, we wondered if we could create a project to improve it? Other people had created bioswales to filter pollutants out of stormwater, so we wondered if we could too?
One thing led to another, and we applied for a King County Waterworks grant. We were thrilled when it got funded!!! Now we want to include everyone in our project!
ABOUT OUR CAUSE
Renee walks by this site, between Jane Addams Middle School and Nathan Hale High School, nearly every day. She says it looks like a neglected "ditch" or puddle of water!
But it's actually a tributary to Thornton Creek with water running through it year round!
Our King County Waterworks grant is designed to improve the water quality of this site. We hope to prevent illegal parking that compacts the soil and we will add plants to restore the filtering capacity of the soil. When soil gets compacted, it can't filter contaminates out of stormwater and pollution ends up in the creek instead. We hope these improvements will also beautify the site and inspire passers by to take better care of it.
VOLUNTEER!
UPCOMING PLANT AND WEED DAY!
Join us for an hour in Spring 2023. (Exact planting days are still to be determined.) We will show you how to put the new plants in the ground: how deep to dig the soil and how much distance to leave between plants. We will provide all the tools you will need. You can stay longer than an hour if you want.
We will have approximately 600 plants! Plenty for everyone to give it a try!
Later on, we will schedule times to remove weeds, as needed. We will teach you which plants are weeds and which are not. Please check back for specific "weeding party" times!
This event will be outdoors. You can wear a mask if you wish.
MEETING TO MAKE SIGNS
We want to explain our project to everyone who walks by - how it cleans the water that flows to Thornton Creek. Do you have ideas for making signs? Please RSVP!
Can you write or translate in languages in addition to English? We want to make signs in multiple languages. Please RSVP!
Once we have enough interested people, we will schedule a meeting to discuss how to create the signs.
This event may occur indoors or outdoors. You may wear a mask if you wish.
JOIN OUR NEXT WATER QUALITY SAMPLING EVENT!
Join us for our water quality sampling events. You can observe. Or you can help collect water, measure some of the ingredients in the water, and write down the results for safe keeping.
First we will collect water samples. Then we will measure the level of dissolved oxygen, phosphates and other substances in the water. We will write down our findings on data collection sheets. Come learn how!
We will take measurements before and after our project and compare results.
This event will be outdoors. You can wear a mask if you wish.
MEETING TO DESIGN WEB PAGE
We want to explain our project on the web - how it cleans the water that flows to Thornton Creek. Do you have ideas about how to do this? Please RSVP!
Can you write or translate in languages in addition to English? We want our website to be in multiple languages. Please RSVP!
Once we have enough interested people, we will schedule a 75- to 90-minute meeting to discuss how to create the website.
This event may occur indoors or via Zoom. If we meet indoors, you may wear a mask if you wish.
Upcoming Volunteer Events
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSOR
THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE KING COUNTY WASTEWATER TREATMENT DIVISION
