Saving Bellevue’s Watersheds for Wildlife
Written by Claire Waltman
Claire Waltman
The City of Bellevue is currently updating their 20-year Watershed Management Plan. Recognizing that the watersheds have been significantly degraded, the city is developing a plan to “improve the health of our streams for people and wildlife.” Over the last two years, a detailed analysis has been made of all 80 miles of streams within the City of Bellevue. For this analysis, four watershed areas were designated: Kelsey Creek Watershed, Coal Creek Watershed, Lake Sammamish Watershed, and Small Lake Washington Watershed.
Reports of the current status each of these watersheds will be published independently by the city. These reports will detail current status, previous improvements, and challenges for further restoration. Currently, the Coal Creek Watershed Assessment Report is the only one available. Not surprisingly, Coal Creek which was designated a priority habitat by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife has a better maintained riparian corridor than other streams within Bellevue. With its headwaters in Cougar Mountain and significant tree canopy along much of its course, this stream likely has the best potential for wildlife and return of salmon though there has been significant degradation from I-405 to its mouth on Lake Washington.
Importantly, the next stage for the city is eliciting community input to determine priorities of residents for recreation and/or wildlife habitat. The city will weigh heavily these preferences in determining future restoration/management options. To this end, the city is asking for input through a simple on-line survey. The survey does let you indicate whether you are a citizen of Bellevue or not, so nonresidents can also participate. Please take a moment to complete the survey. Your input may determine the outcome for watersheds in Bellevue for the next 20 years.
More information about the planning process, the Coal Creek Assessment Report, and the survey can be found at: