The Ebright Creek Restoration Project restored the health of important spawning habitat for Lake Sammamish Kokanee salmon. Traditionally abundant in Lake Sammamish, these Kokanee have fallen so that returns can be in single-digits, and only 2 spawning streams remain.

This project enhanced 1.6 acres along 600 linear feet along both sides of Ebright Creek. Formerly an extensive blackberry thicket, Mid Sound and partners removed the invasives and planted 2,369 native plants in the floodplain.

The project was implemented as a true partnership effort. Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group worked closely with the Snoqualmie Tribe of Indians, the Bellevue/Issaquah Chapter of Trout Unlimited, members of the Kokanee Work Group, and assistance from Sound Salmon Solutions. Major funding was provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. A private donor helped pay for plants, and community volunteers from the neighborhood donated over 289 hours of planting and mulching to ensure that it was a success.

Before the project — blackberries so thick you couldn’t even see the creek

Volunteers helped install the plants and mulch

Kids got into the act of mulching