Thornton
Creek Alliance
Habitat Improvement: WCRP received a grant to improve fish passage near the mouth of the creek. Environmentally-concerned young people from all over the world (coordinated through the King County World Conservation Corps, a joint program between King County and a local non-profit organization, Cascadia Quest) removed mountains of concrete, dug a new channel, and placed over three tons of clean rock and gravel into the creek. Result: more, and larger, fish found upstream.
Willow Creek Restoration Project The Willow Creek Restoration Project (WCRP--part of the Thornton Creek Alliance) has worked to restore Willow Creek, a tributary to Thornton Creek's south fork, as a place of beauty and pride in the community, and a resource for people and other living things. WCRP does this through habitat improvement, community education, and community involvement.
Community Education: WCRP has linked up with a school in the Thornton Creek watershed which twice a year contributes community service hours to Willow Creek. Examples: constructing a bat house; monitoring water quality; distributing educational pamphlets.
Community Involvement: Willow Creek neighbors have planted trees and other native plants, have written letters to government agencies, and more. People love living on a creek in the middle of a major city. How can you describe the feeling of having kingfishers and herons flying overhead, oblivious to traffic?
