Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
In the spring, Waxwings catch insects above the stream and feed them to their young. In Fall and Winter, they eat primarily fruit.
Click on a lifeform below to learn more:
Visit via a desktop pc, with a larger screen, to fully explore our interactive visioning artwork.
Hover and select a lifeform, in the artwork above, to see how it interacts in a thriving ecosystem.
Then visit the site in person to see our vision coming to life!
(Here is the map)
Illustration by Gail Wong. Paid for by the Seattle Neighborhood Matching Fund.
Together, we can recreate a thriving stream full of native plants and lifeforms. Arboretum Creek can be a living legacy for our children: a shining example of humanity living in harmony with nature, and an ongoing educational opportunity easily available to all King County residents.
Our mission is to maximize the diversity of life in Arboretum Creek while rekindling the love affair between Seattle and Nature.
We seek to honor the The Coast Salish People, on whose land we live, by reconnecting these ancient flows and helping to restore native lifeforms in the Arboretum Creek ecosystem.
We can recreate a thriving stream full of native plants and lifeforms. Arboretum Creek can be a living legacy for our children: a shining example of humanity living in harmony with nature and an ongoing educational opportunity for generations of King County residents.
Our mission is to maximize the diversity of life in Arboretum Creek while rekindling the love affair between Seattle and Nature.
We seek to honor the Native Americans, whose land we live on, by reconnecting these ancient flows and helping to restore native lifeforms in the Arboretum Creek ecosystem.
We can recreate a thriving stream full of native plants and lifeforms. Arboretum Creek can be a living legacy for our children: a shining example of humanity living in harmony with nature and an ongoing educational opportunity for generations of King County residents.
Our mission is to maximize the diversity of life in Arboretum Creek while rekindling the love affair between Seattle and Nature.
We seek to honor the Native Americans, whose land we live on, by reconnecting these ancient flows and helping to restore native lifeforms in the Arboretum Creek ecosystem.
Five ways to heal
Add
Water
1
Reduce
Flooding
2
Add
Plants
3
Support
Fish
4
Share
& Enjoy
5
Our Headwaters Project will reunite the water from Alder & Alley Springs with Arboretum Creek which will provide 40,000 gallons per day of year-round flow. The two small springs, located uphill from the Japanese Garden ponds, are currently being routed in the King County Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO).
Adding this water to Arboretum Creek and removing it from the CSO,
while also intercepting and cleaning local flood waters, will help:
- Revitalize Arboretum Creek
- Reduce pollution in Montlake Cut
- Increase capacity in the King County Sewer
- Save money for King County Ratepayers, and
- Protect the Japanese Garden and 26th Ave. E. from flooding
Since 2017, FOAC King County funding has included multiple Council-Approved Waterworks Grants and a very significant KC Flood Control District Grant. With this support we have made excellent progress. Read the details at Latest News However, the bulk of our construction and maintenance remains unfunded. Further funding will be needed.
All relevant stakeholders have responded positively to this concept, including:
- Seattle Parks and Recreation*
- Arboretum Foundation*
- University of Washington Botanic Gardens*
- King County Wastewater Treatment Division
- Seattle Public Utility
- Seattle Department of Transportation
- Seattle Parks Foundation
*As part of the Arboretum's Master Plan Implementation Group these three organizations are primary stakeholders. All seven organizations are part of our FOAC Advisory Group.
After the 520 Bridge construction is complete the WSDOT has committed to returning their current staging area to the Washington Park Arboretum. As part of this project, they have also committed to bringing the lower portion of Arboretum Creek to the surface.
Currently, the creek falls into a culvert below the Wilcox pedestrian bridge and empties out just north of Lake Washington Blvd.
Once the stream is returned to the surface fish will be able to enter Arboretum Creek. As the fish swim upstream they will find a clean and healthy habitat that will flourish and attract a wide variety of creatures, hopefully including Herons, Kingfishers, and Pied-billed Grebes.
Hopefully, the habitat will be perfect to attract rainbow trout, and also young salmon - so they can feed and gain strength for their journey to the Pacific Ocean.
When native Fish enter Arboretum Creek it will be for the first time in nearly 100 years.
We find ourselves humbled and inspired by the ancient Native American concept of forest gardening. Scientists are re-discovering that by maximizing a variety of native plants, at multipe heights, Forest Gardens double the diversity of fauna, as compared to nearby forests, while sustainably producing food and medicinal plants.
We are also inspired by the keystone plant concept explained by Douglas Tallamy in This Video and in his book "Nature's Best Hope".
The following lists provide instant inspirations. Download a variety of native Keystone Plants or just the Top Ten PNW Keystone Trees & Shrubs
With guidance and help from the UW Botanic Gardens and Seattle Parks and Recreation, alongside critical funding from Rick and Anne Matsen, many of the new plants in our vision were initially planted in 2021. These plants will provide improved habitat for native life including fish, frogs, butterflies, birds, insects, etc.
Our work parties, on the first Wednesday morning of each month, are ongoing during Spring, Summer, and Fall. Get Involved
Our latest design for reconnecting Alder and Alley Springs with Arboretum Creek, will also help address flooding at three nearby locations: on 28th and Avenue near Helen St, in the Japanese Garden, and where Prospect St. turns into 28th Avenue.
This video, from the December 21st, 2020 flood, clearly demonstrates the need for flood water management. (In terms of total daily rainfall, there were even larger storms on December 20th, 2019 and January 12th, 2021.)
A vibrant creek in Seattle's most accessible park will create a sanctuary that will help to restore the hearts, souls, and bodies of all of Seattle's diverse citizens.
Free and easy access to this natural sanctuary will provide exposure (as do our free nature walks, educational work parties, and project tours) to the fundamental components of Pacific Northwest nature and a functional watershed. This is especially critical for those who have not had opportunities to interact with nature in the Pacific Northwest. If we want our PNW culture and values to continue, nature needs to be accessible for all. To help: