Artificial logjams are visible along Woods Creek where Adopt a Stream Foundation recently led the removal of a creosote railroad trestle that was toxic and a physical barrier for migrating salmon on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Artificial logjams are visible along Woods Creek where Adopt a Stream Foundation recently led the removal of a creosote railroad trestle that was toxic and a physical barrier for migrating salmon on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

As Woods Creek railroad trestle comes down, a new doorway for salmon

The trestle was a toxic, physical barrier for salmon since 1939. Now, migrating fish will benefit from its removal.

MONROE — Over a thousand salmon waited in the shadow of a beaver dam over Woods Creek on Monday morning. Many had been stationed there for several days.

The salmon — a mix of pink, coho and endangered Chinook — swam against the current. Some found spots to breach the dam, flopping across debris to get to the other side.

Many swam in place in anticipation for something, anything, to happen at the edge of Al Borlin Park in Monroe.

They are the first group of salmon to benefit from a more than $1.4 million restoration project less than a mile away. The Adopt a Stream Foundation, in partnership with several environmental organizations, helped remove a 165-foot creosote railroad trestle that impeded their migration for decades.

Some biologists used to believe beaver dams hindered salmon migration, too. But staff from Adopt a Stream said coho salmon especially benefit from the dams, which create ponds for juveniles to rear in.

Coho in Woods Creek travel all the way into the upper tributaries of the watershed, said Anna Gilmore, an ecologist with Adopt a Stream. Typically, those higher-elevation areas are pretty dry, she said, making it difficult for fish to spawn.

“By forcing the coho to wait, now we’re getting all this rain,” Gilmore said. “That’s putting water up in the watershed, so there’ll be water the whole way.”

The weekend rain helped water levels rise, too. Standing on the side of the creek, the dam — a tangle of branches and knotweed — burst from the rain in a matter of minutes. Dirt flooded the creek as debris flowed downstream. At last, the salmon would be able to continue their journey.

The 84-year-old trestle north of the beaver dam was coated with creosote — a wood preservative toxic to salmonids and other aquatic life. Under the bridge, debris and sediment had collected, too, making it difficult for salmon to move upstream when the creek was low.

Gilmore and Mollie Brown, a stream restoration technician for Adopt a Stream, were stationed downstream for a removal process that lasted about a week. They monitored the turbidity, or cloudiness, of the water to ensure it didn’t get too hazy for fish. If it did, work stopped.

Gilmore and Brown also netted any creosote wood pieces that escaped the containment area and put them on shore. Project workers placed oil booms in the water to prevent contamination as well.

The structure was “impeding upstream migration of adults and, more importantly, downstream migration of smolts too,” said Walter Rung, senior ecologist for Adopt a Stream.

Adopt a Stream began assessing the feasibility of the trestle’s removal in 2016. The owners of the trestle, including the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway and Snohomish County Parks, were “really supportive,” Rung said.

A salmon leaps out of the water while migrating up Woods Creek on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A salmon leaps out of the water while migrating up Woods Creek on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Securing funding for the project was more complicated. According to Adopt a Stream, $1.2 million in habitat restoration funds trickled down from NOAA, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Snohomish County Surface Water Management.

“All those steps took a lot of time,” Rung said.

Once construction began on Sept. 6, workers had nine days to demolish the trestle.

“As soon as adult salmon come back, you’re not allowed to work in the water because you will interfere with their migration,” Rung said. “Any delays in their upstream migration could result in pre-spawn mortality.”

The Snohomish County Public Utility District funded the construction of logjams near the site of the former trestle, providing erosion control and juvenile salmon habitat.

The project was completed before the work window closed Sept. 15, Gilmore said.

An artificial logjam along Woods Creek on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

An artificial logjam along Woods Creek on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023 in Monroe, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Adopt a Stream staff and volunteers will start planting native vegetation near the site of the previous trestle this fall, in a continuing long-term effort to restore the riparian zone.

The grant from NOAA also requires three years of monitoring, to observe how the site changes, though Rung said it will likely take four to eight years to see the complete results of this project, as salmon mature in the ocean and return to spawn in freshwater.

“It’s definitely a win,” Rung said, “in the ongoing battle for salmon recovery.”

Ta’Leah Van Sistine: 425-339-3460; taleah.vansistine@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @TaLeahRoseV.

Talk to us

More in Local News

Lead climbers head up their respective routes at Vertical World North on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, in Lynnwood, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Beginner’s ascent: A newcomer’s guide to indoor climbing

Indoor climbing gyms in and around Snohomish County offer thrills without winter chills.

Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. (Olivia Vanni/The Herald)
Providence Swedish tightens COVID, mask policy

Citing a rise in respiratory illness, local hospitals and clinics will require masks for care.

Chestnut mushrooms grow in a fruiting tent on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, at Black Forest Mushrooms in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Fungi town: Downtown Everett home to new indoor gourmet mushroom farm

Black Forest Mushrooms will grow up to 20,000 pounds of tasty mushrooms each month. Its storefront opens Saturday at 2110 Hewitt Ave.

Outside of Angel of the Winds Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Police arrest Angel of the Winds arena worker accused of stabbing boss

The man allegedly walked up to his employer and demanded a raise, before stabbing him in the stomach, witnesses said.

The town post office in Index, Washington on Wedesday, Nov. 29, 2023.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Index, smallest town in Snohomish County, is No. 1 in voter turnout

Index has beaten the Snohomish County ballot return rate in each of the last 10 years. Snohomish County leaders have a few theories as to why.

Founder and Executive Director Pa Ousman Joof, alongside Lynnwood Mayor Christine Frizzell, right, prepares to cut the ribbon during the grand opening of the Washington West African Center on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Lynnwood, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Born out of struggle, West African Center flourishes in Lynnwood

African music filled the room Saturday at 19203 36th Ave. West, for the grand opening of the nonprofit’s new state headquarters.

An STI clinic opened Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free STI clinic opens in Everett after 14-year hiatus — and as rates spike

The county-run facility will provide treatment and resources for prevention of sexually transmitted infections.

Graffiti covers the eastern side of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County Cascade Unit on Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Again, Boys and Girls Club tagged with suspected gang signs in Everett

Residents on Cascade Drive say their neighborhood has been the scene of excessive graffiti and sometimes gunfire in the past year.

A man pauses to look out over the flooding along Old Snohomish Monroe Road on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Why are Snohomish County rivers susceptible to flooding?

The short answer: Geography. Our proximity to Puget Sound and the mountains makes our rivers sensitive to big storms.

Henry King sits on a bench he often spent time on between the Boulevard Park and Taylor Dock boardwalks in Bellingham, Washington. (Photo courtesy of Bellingham Police Department)
Marysville man accused of killing ‘kind, gentle’ homeless Bellingham man

After a nine-month investigation, police arrested Elijah Belmont Wednesday in the death of Henry King in Boulevard Park.

Traffic moves along Mukilteo Speedway in front of Olympic Middle School on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Automated traffic speed cameras get the green light in Mukilteo

Cameras will be at three sites on Mukilteo Speedway for school and park safety, not at red lights.

Brenda Stonecipher, left, and Mary Fosse
Everett council president backs down from ban on holding 2 offices

On Wednesday, over 20 speakers showed up to support City Council member Mary Fosse’s ability to serve in the state Legislature.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.