Overview:
This project includes cleanup, restoration and enhancement of what is officially known as the Cemetery Wetland Pond and Wetland Regional Stormwater Facility roughly at the corner of SE 128th St and 164th Ave SE. We like “BOG” better. ; )
These efforts include work at the Bog itself, but also continue downstream where the outlet of the Bog flows into Tributary 291. We have taken AdoptARoad responsibilities for SE 164th Ave from SE 128th St all the way to SR 900. And we have been monitoring the beaver activity along Trib 291 all the way down to ball fields at Coalfield Park. We hope to establish a cooperative stewardship program for Coalfield Park with the neighbors and users of that park. Our commitment to these projects has been formalized in what we understand to a first-of-its-kind Memorandum of Understanding between CARE, SWAN (Stewardship of Wetland Areas by Neighbors – a CARE subcommittee), King County and the Four Creeks Unincorporated Area Council. You can read about it here: King County News Release
History:
September 2008 – 164th Ave SE Ditch Maintenance
Coop with King County Department of Transportation to dredge the ditches on 164th Ave SE just north of the intersection with 128th Ave SE. This area (in front of the gas station and the shopping map) has flooded almost every winter for years. DOT crews pulled out about 2 feet deep of silt and mud. During the winter of 2008/2009 we have had none of the flooding that we have come to expect. The engineers tell us that they think that extra holding/flowthrough capacity is what has made the difference.
September 27, 2008 – Bog Clean Up
We spent a Saturday morning working under the supervision of King County Ecologist Paul Adler, and with Friends of the Trail and a crew of volunteers to pull out 4 tons of trash that had been had been dumped at the Bog for decades. We pulled out a car, 3 refrigerators, a boat, a trailer and many pickup truck loads of household garbage. Doofer’s Bar & Grill provided a tasty lunch and we had a great time! Check some photos from the event: Bog Work Day September 27 2008
November 1, 2008 – Replanting along the Cleaned 164th Ave SE Ditch
Once again under the supervision of King County Ecologist Paul Adler, we spent a damp Saturday morning working with a crew from the Washington Conservation Corp and a wonderful crew of local volunteers, we planted over 200 plants along the ditch. These plants will help stablize the side of the ditch to minimize the sedimentation that had filled it up in the first place. These plants will also provide habitat for the critters, help clean the runoff that flows into the ditch, down Tributary 291, into May Creek, Lake Washington and ultimately Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. Flying Pie Pizzeria provided a hearty spread and all our hungry workers
November, 2008 – More Garbage Removal at the Bog
Paul Adler and a crew from Washington Conservation Corp continued to work in November to haul out vast quantities of garbage from the Bog. They found another car(!) and with the help of a little track hoe, they disposed of many, many more truck loads. At the end of this effort, we had removed over 19 TONS of garbage. There is still a lot more. Over time we will remove the water heaters and who-knows-what-else from in the pond itself, and the decades worth of garbage that is still buried.
November 22, 2008 – Mud Day at the Bog! PLANTING!
Paul Adler did another fine job of leading the way to making our Bog ever better. And we were very grateful for the help once again of the Washington Conservation Corp who joined our biggest volunteer crew so far – including Cub Scout Troop – for one of the muddiest days ever! It was a slipping, sliding, squelching, splashing, simply stupendous day! We planted 775 trees and shrubs where we had pulled out piles of garbage and tangles of noxious blackberries. Doofer’s again feed us well, and we were done and packing up before the real downpour happened.
