Thornton
Creek Alliance
Matthews Beach Restoration Site
Restoration of the south part of Matthews Beach Park was sparked by the Thornton Creek Alliance, and carried out by the Seattle Dept. of Parks and Recreation and the US Army Corps of Engineers. In fall of 1998, water in a ditch was diverted into a new stream channel, which feeds a pond and then flows into Thornton Creek close to its mouth at Lake Washington. The pond and stream channel will serve as off-channel rearing habitat for juvenile salmon. Wetlands were enhanced, and nonnative plants have been removed. Several volunteer work parties put in thousands of native plants to replace them and spread mulch to aid their growth. A concrete abutment along the beach was covered with excavated soil and clean sand, and rocks and logs placed on the new beach thus created. Logs, rootwads and rocks were placed on the site and in the stream and pond for habitat. A walking path and observation platform were included, and interpretive signs will provide information for all.
