Thornton
Creek Alliance
MEADOWBROOK WETLAND AND CREEKLET
Students plant trees on the hillside
overlooking the Meadowbrook wetland, ballfield, and community center. The creeklet
is just at the base of the hill.The wetland has been restored, and water flows from here at the base of the hillside, toward the viewer, to the south fork of Thornton Creek.
Adjacent to the Meadowbrook playfield, close to the South Fork of Thornton Creek, are a hillside and a wetland that have undergone considerable restoration. Thornton Creek Alliance members, students, and others from the community have been working with the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation to bring back Meadowbrook's character and natural value.
The hillside has been planted with native trees and shrubs. The area adjacent to the wetland also has been replanted with native vegetation. The creeklet flowing out of the wetland is being restored, and the part of it that was underground is now back on the surface. It has meanders, and it flows between the new community center and the adjacent baseball field. Community cooperation has allowed room for the creeklet between the community center and the outfield fence on the ballfield. One benefit is that the ballfield, which had been perennially soggy, now has better drainage with the creeklet functioning more normally. The creeklet's banks have been mulched and planted, and rocks and logs were added for gradient and habitat value.
As the planted areas mature, they serve as habitat for birds and other wildlife. It is hoped that the creeklet, which flows into Thornton Creek's south fork, will serve as rearing habitat for juvenile salmon--and there is evidence that they have already found the creeklet. Hatchery salmon will be released each spring by children from nearby schools, but if the various Thornton Creek restoration efforts succeed, wild salmon juveniles may also use it. Young coho salmon, especially, need such habitat off of main creek channels as shelter in the wintertime.
In addition, Pacific chorus frogs have been reintroduced here, and on warm summer evenings, you may hear their loud trilling along the creeklet!
