Taking a Walk on the Wild Side:
Restored salmon habitat at the City of Tukwila Duwamish Gardens
The Duwamish River historically supported healthy and productive salmon runs. However, it has undergone intense development that has created fish passage barriers, divided important habitat, altered the movement of water and reduced water quality- all of which have contributed to the decline of Puget Sound Chinook salmon, an iconic and now threatened species. In 2001, the Lower Duwamish Waterway was declared a Superfund site, meaning it is one of the nation’s most toxic areas, posing severe human health risks to the community, and in 2019 the Green-Duwamish River was listed by American Rivers as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers. Nevertheless, there is still a hopeful path forward. Within this industrialized waterway and river, there are pockets of restored, healthy nature that tell the story of salmon recovery success, taking us one-step closer to recovering salmon populations that have declined to 10% of their historic levels.
In the industrialized Duwamish valley, communities and the environment are both benefiting from over a decade of restoration efforts along the river. One such place is the Duwamish Gardens, where people can walk through the emerging forest, launch a kayak or enjoy a picnic on the lawn with a view of the river. In 2008, the City of Tukwila started on a nine-year journey to acquire land, design and implement the Duwamish Gardens habitat restoration project. The project was an effort by the City to meet salmon recovery goals in their watershed, an effort made possible with local, state and federal support including funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF). The Gardens are a place for young salmon to eat, grow and build strength before moving to the vast and wild waters of Puget Sound.
Mike Perfetti, Habitat Project Manager for the City of Tukwila, has been with the project since 2011. At the time, he was with Seattle-based landscape architecture firm, J.A. Brennan Associates, leading the consulting design team for Duwamish Gardens. He has devoted his career to creating and connecting people with the outdoors, and more so, reintroducing the essential elements of nature into our cities.
“I think sometimes people see a forested area, a passive park, or a very native, naturalistic landscape like the Duwamish Gardens and they might think that it is nature that hasn’t been developed.”
Looks can be deceiving however, because more than 1,600 tons of contaminated soils from the site’s past agricultural use, were removed from the site during construction. The planted northwest native vegetation works to cool the water to safe temperatures for salmon and provide nourishment to fish and other animals, and improve overall water quality. Healthy habitat is not only essential to environmental health, but also for community wellbeing, providing cleaner water and solace from the hustle and bustle of the city.
In an urban area, it’s surprising to find that you can follow the meandering trails at the Duwamish Gardens and read interpretive panels about the story of the site including the history of Coast Salish peoples, the life cycles of salmon and the benefits of rain gardens and plants. As you pause to reflect and enjoy the river and these new surroundings, you might notice a family of ducks, a heron hunting for lunch or a curious seal.
“The story of the landscape is rich, filled with volcanic eruptions that are both destructive and constructive, receding glaciers that sculpted our hills and troughs, mountain-building earthquakes, and the constant erosional forces of rain, waves and wind,” said, Perfetti. “The human history of this area is rich, as well; Duwamish Gardens is in the middle of a traditional cultural area of the Duwamish people who have been living off the river and the Sound for millennia.”
Scientists are already seeing signs of success at Duwamish Gardens. This is critical because there is little habitat providing rearing areas along the twelve miles of Duwamish River, which is contributing to their decline. During sampling in both 2018 and 2019, King County captured, significantly more juvenile Chinook salmon at Duwamish Gardens as compared with three adjacent non-restored control sites (C. Gregersen, King County, personal communication, December 4, 2019).
“Beginning in January and peaking March through May, is the appearance of schools of juvenile Chinook salmon,” said Perfetti. “It brings me hope that we can execute a plan to bring back salmon and orca and restore the association between people and the sea that makes Puget Sound so special.”
Adequate funding for salmon recovery work is critical. This project is successfully regaining key habitat benefits, and promoting salmon recovery. However, the watershed is still under threat from pollution and other human impacts. Continued support for federal grant programs like PCSRF will aid recovery progress benefiting people and salmon, by providing jobs in habitat restoration and reintroducing nature into our urban areas.
