Boise Creek Community Project : King Conservation District

Boise Creek Community Project

About Boise Creek

Boise Creek, which runs southeast of Enumclaw from the Cascade foothills to the White River, is a significant spawning stream for salmon and cutthroat trout. Property owners in the area share concerns about flooding, drainage, salmon recovery, invasive weeds, soil health, and degraded water quality.

To address these concerns, King Conservation District and Pierce Conservation District are collaborating on the Boise Creek Community Project. Funded by a generous grant from The Russell Family Foundation and a WRIA 10 grant, the project will provide expanded services to Enumclaw area landowners.

How King County’s Science and Technical Support staff are working in South King County to help improve water quality in Boise Creek:

Boise Creek Fecal Coliform TMDL Work from King County DNRP

Community Events and Activities

The Boise Creek Community Project team members included Liz Clark and Nikki Wolf. Our team was available to talk to local groups and school classes and private meetings with community members. They also shared information about resources and services available to area residents. Contact Liz Clark about potential future collaboration. Find out more about the Stream Steward program here.

Past events have included:

Boise Creek Boer Goats Farm Tour – August 29, 2013
Pasture Walk – September 13, 2013
Stream Steward Training – October 12, 2013
Stream Restoration Planting Event – November 16, 2013
Holiday Gathering – December 10, 2013
January Movie Screening – Ingredients – January 29, 2014
KCD Educational Presentation at the Enumclaw Senior Center – February 26, 2014
Resource Fair – March 29, 2014
Knotweed Workshop – July 2014
Enumclaw Street Fair – July 25-27, 2014
Stream Steward Training – December 16, 2014
Well and Septic Class – August 26, 2014
Farm Tour: Forest, Fish and Family – September 24, 2014
Farm Walk: Tilth Producers of WA and Enumclaw Sustainable Farmers Network – October 6, 2014
Stream Steward Training – October 28, 2014
Stream Steward Training with Enumclaw High School Students – December 4, 2014
White River Hatchery Tour: All About Salmon – December 13, 2014
Stream Steward Training – December 16, 2014
Native Trees of Western Washington Booksigning with Kevin Zobrist – January 17, 2015 at The Sequel Books, Enumclaw, WA

Knotweed Resources

Please find out more about knotweed by visiting these links:

King County Invasive knotweed control videos – King County Noxious Weeds
Knotweed control projects in King County – King County Noxious Weeds
Invasive Knotweed Brochure – King County Department of Water, Land and Resources (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Knotweed Factsheet – King County Department of Water, Land and Resources
Knotweed Information Card (Acrobat PDF)
Japanese Knotweed – Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board

Boise Creek Knotweed Survey Map

Background Information About Boise Creek

Here are some fact sheets and files to help community members in the Boise Creek Watershed gain a better understanding of the project:

Detailed watershed map links (internal and/or external)

Boise Creek Basin Map – King County DNR (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Lower Boise Creek Channel Restoration Project – 2011
Middle Boise – Evans Restoration Project – 2013
White River Watershed Map – WRIA 10 (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

Water quality study links to external sites

Boise Creek Bacterial Source Tracking Study – 2012
Boise Creek Bacterial Source Tracking Study – 2011
Summary of Findings (Adobe Acrobat PDF)
Boise Creek Rapid Rural Reconnaissance Report – 2013
Chapter 1 containing a detailed contour map (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

White River Watershed

Boise Creek is prime salmon spawning habitat. Some wonderful video examples can be seen here:

Fall 2013 Salmon Run on Boise Creek This was recorded October 29 at the Lower Boise Creek Restoration Site during the fall salmon run. American Dipper Birds enjoy the logs across the creek in this recently restored area.

Chinook salmon spawning in Boise Creek
This video was filmed on September 25th, 2012, at the Lower Boise Creek Restoration Project site, near the confluence of Boise Creek with the White River, Washington.

Steelhead spawning in Boise Creek
This video was filmed May 15th, 2013 at the Lower Boise Creek Restoration Project site, near the confluence of Boise Creek with the White River, Washington.

Pink salmon do battle in Boise Creek
This video was filmed September 9th, 2013 at the Lower Boise Creek Restoration Project site, near the confluence of Boise Creek with the White River, Washington.

Here are some guides for identifying salmon in the Boise Creek Watershed:
Meet the Salmon in Your Neighborhood – Salmon identification guide from Pierce County

Boise Creek Community Project