ISSAQUAH CREEK, LITTLE BEAR CREEK AND RAGING RIVER

KNOTWEED CONTROL AND REVEGETATION

Lisa Nelson Restoration Projects Manager

• Quick overview of our three basin-wide knotweed removal projects

• Summary of each project’s successes and challenges

• Outreach methods

Raging River • 2008

Issaquah Creek • 2008

Little Bear Creek • 2014

RAGING RIVER KNOTWEED REMOVAL CAMPAIGN

• Important Chinook spawning habitat

• Since 2008, Grants received total $230, 000 • King Conservation District

$140,000

• King County Flood Control District WRIA 7 Cooperative Watershed Management $90,000

2016 RAGING RIVER LANDOWNER PERMISSION • 128 parcels located

along creek • 116 private landowners • 12 DNR, King County

Parks • Permission for 70% of

these parcels

2016 RAGING RIVER TREATMENT

• 2008 survey revealed 32 acres infested • Today we see uniform plants, yet are only treating 6 acres the past two years • Using G&F

Contractors, doing whole river

RAGING RIVER NATIVE PLANT REVEGETATION

• Set deliverables for native plant installation – habitat improvement

• To date, installed approximately 7,000 native plants

RAGING RIVER KNOTWEED CAMPAIGN - SUCCESSES

• Became efficient through collaboration with King County Rivers, using G&F

• King County Parks treats own parcels

• Each year, gain more permissions

• 20% left of initial infested acres

RAGING RIVER KNOTWEED CAMPAIGN - CHALLENGES

• DNR lacks funding for knotweed control, yet these parcels or the most highly infested

• Remote community, less receptive to people on property

• One year, crew over-sprayed on handful of properties

• Some landowners do not want native plants installed

ISSAQUAH CREEK KNOTWEED REMOVAL CAMPAIGN

Issaquah Creek Tier 1, supports Chinook, Coho and Kokanee salmon as well as steelhead trout • Since 2008, Grants received total

$412,000 • Initial grant, DOE King County

administered, $50,000

• KCD, $70,000

• NFWF $20,000

• King County WRIA 8 CWM $100,000

• DOE– National Estuary Program (NEP) $172,000

2016 ISSAQUAH CREEK LANDOWNER PERMISSION

• 300 parcels located along creek

• 220 private • 100 DNR, King

County Parks, City of Issaquah

• Permission for 223

of these parcels – 75%

2016 ISSAQUAH CREEK TREATMENT

• Original acres from 2008 survey = 30

• 2016 acres

treated 5

PLANTING ISSAQUAH CREEK NATIVE PLANT REVEGETATION

8,400 plants installed on 20 parcels

ISSAQUAH CREEK KNOTWEED CAMPAIGN - SUCCESSES

• City of Issaquah acquisitions

• Partnership with King County Parks

• Landowner word of mouth

• Continuous new permissions

ISSAQUAH CREEK KNOTWEED CAMPAIGN - CHALLENGES

• Banks failing, still not interested in plants

• Coordinating with other entities when staff changes

• Public perception-salmon and bees

LITTLE BEAR CREEK KNOTWEED REMOVAL CAMPAIGN

Tier 2, Coho and Chinook Spawning habitat

• Since 2012, Grants

received total $55,000 • Two rounds King

County WRIA 8 CWM

2016 LITTLE BEAR CREEK LANDOWNER PERMISSION Only treating to King County border

• 32 parcels located along

creek • 10 private • 3 City of Woodinville,

WSDOT

• 20 businesses with absentee owners

• Permission for 24 of these

parcels = 75%

2016 LITTLE BEAR CREEK TREATMENT

• 6 acres of knotweed surveyed

• Treating about

3 acres each year

LITTLE BEAR CREEK NATIVE PLANT REVEGETATION

• 2016 first year of planting

• One landowner,

1,000 plants!

LITTLE BEAR CREEK KNOTWEED CAMPAIGN - SUCCESSES

• Great partnership with the City of Woodinville – Has opened the door to more restoration projects

• Growing successes with reaching absentee landowners

LITTLE BEAR CREEK KNOTWEED CAMPAIGN - CHALLENGES

• Absentee property owners

• Upstream properties in Snohomish County aren’t being treated

Greenway Staff places mailing label here

• Highlight negative effects of knotweed on property • Explains chemical is safe to spray over water and active ingredient only works on

plant cell growth.

Pre-placed return address Label with PIN

With information from the waiver, create treatment maps that illustrate permission type

Planting Brochure • Highlighting free of

charge and choosing plants

• Illustrate options to ease minds of blocking views while explaining “grade” of each option on habitat enhancement

Let’s talk about CONIFERS!

Choose your plants by flowers

Choose your plants by berries

Choose your plants by winter color

Questions?

Lisa Nelson Restoration Projects Manager