ARLINGTON Some new farmers in town are working to restore a creek that runs along the edge of their property.
Laura Denovan and Dante Carrasco are raising alpacas on their farm on the east edge of town. Their house sits on a couple of acres of upland inside the city limits of Arlington, but their farmland is down below on the flood plain behind Eagle Creek Elementary, the namesake of their creek.
It all started three years ago, when we gathered for Thanksgiving at our daughters new home, said Lauras mother, Barbara Denovan.
We went for a walk before dinner and saw salmon in the creek, she said.
The creek was completely choked off by grass, said Rory Denovan, Lauras brother.
The fish were flopping in the field. The climbed up Burn Hill and saw coho in the stream, realizing the streams potential.
They saw the fish up on the hill and were amazed that they could make it through such a tangled mess of grass. They decided then to help the salmon. The whole family rallied to the cause. Rory and his wife, Becca Fong, started doing research about creek restoration and fish habitat and have created a Web site to provide information to anyone who wants it.
They met the city of Arlingtons natural resource manager, Bill Blake, and they are all started working together to make Eagle Creek alive again.
The creek runs off the north side of Burn Hill flowing under Tveit Road toward the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River, Blake said, adding that Laura and Dantes farm is one property over from the school district-owned property which is adjacent to the former Graafstra (Country Charm) farm.
In the process of transforming the historical dairy farm into a large city park, the city won a grant to plant trees along the river on the Graafstra farm. They are negotiating a price to acquire the lowlands while the uplands will be developed into a village concept development called Haller Point, a project of Noel Higa, of Ronin Northwest.
Blake got a grant from the National Fish & Wildlife Federation to help restore the creek. The citys code manager, Marc Hayes and Tim Cross, of Public Works, operated the equipment excavating the channel and Glen Rengen of East Valley Sand and Gravel, donated logs and root balls.
We paid him with grant money to haul in the logs that he donated, Blake said.
Then the family started building a fence along the creek at a work party Sept. 15 and they have announced another work party Oct. 13. The Eagle Creek Restoration Workshop is from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday,
Oct. 13. There will be information as well as work going on. The workshop includes hands-on time working at the project site, as well as a visit to previously restored sites nearby. The free workshop is designed for landowners, teachers, fishermen and all who are interested in learning more about habitat restoration. Wear sturdy clothes and shoes. Snacks will be provided.
Well discuss the basics of the creek ecosystem, the history of the area, how the project got started and its importance to the community, said Fong, who is taking charge of communications for the project.
While Laura is in charge of the alpacas on the farm, her husband Dante still has a day job as consultant for Microsoft. Denovan said she is thankful to Blake for his assistance with the creek.
Bill has been really helpful, Laura Denovan said. Hes so upbeat and cheerful. It was his idea to put the stumps in upside down to create a place for osprey to nest.
Directions will be provided upon registration. To register, e-mail to info@restorationresource.info.