It’s no secret that the District is invested in healthy salmon runs throughout Pierce County. We’ve been working to restore streams and rivers for decades. Lately the District has worked with a team including the Puyallup Tribe, the South Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, and Pierce County, to plan restoration at the South Prairie Creek Preserve.

The South Prairie Creek Preserve contains more than 160 acres and is held in permanent floodplain habitat protection by the District and Pierce County. More acres are added each year – we will soon add another 5 new acres thanks to a grant from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. This month the Washington Department of Ecology joined our team with an investment of their own - $325,125 in state funding. This brings our total secured funding for this project to more than $4,000,000.

The funding that the District just secured is the final piece needed to construct major channel reconstruction at the South Prairie Creek Preserve. Cleanup and early planting started last fall. Next year earth moving will begin to construct more than a half-mile of new side channel habitat for salmon, and to increase ground water recharge and flood storage. The South Sound Salmon Enhancement Group is the overall project manager for this restoration. The District is managing all aspects of native plant installation and maintenance. Watch for opportunities to volunteer on this exciting project!
 

As we break ground on this project, we'll have lots of volunteer opportunities, so Contact Us to find out how you can get involved!