Adopt a Stream to host free rain garden workshop in Everett
Published 6:30 am Wednesday, September 11, 2024
EVERETT — As of this month, staff with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife have counted nearly 47,000 Chinook, coho and sockeye salmon as they swim to the Ballard Locks from Lake Washington. Many fish will head to North Creek this fall, in a watershed that stretches from Everett to Bothell.
To help revive this year’s salmon runs, the Adopt a Stream Foundation will hold a free rain garden workshop at 7 p.m. Sept. 19, at the Northwest Stream Center, 600 128th St. SE. Attendees will learn how to install rain gardens in their own green spaces.
Rain gardens are landscapes that collect, absorb and filter stormwater runoff from hard surfaces like roofs and driveways. They serve as temporary ponds that allow water to quickly soak into the ground, boosting stream flows.
“Most of the North Creek watershed upstream of the Northwest Stream Center is heavily developed,” Adopt a Stream Executive Director Tom Murdoch said in a press release. “Since late May, except for isolated pools, there is no stream flow in the upper two miles of North Creek. If rain gardens were installed on all suitable areas in the watershed, next year’s stream flows will improve during the summer months and stormwater runoff during the wet month will moderate.”
Locals interested in attending the workshop, sponsored by the state Department of Ecology, can register at www.streamkeeper.org or call 425-316-8592.
Ta’Leah Van Sistine: 425-339-3460; taleah.vansistine@heraldnet.com; X: @TaLeahRoseV.
