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They planted slough sedge, red alder, salmonberry, and other trees and plants as part of a $250,000 estuary restoration project on Eld Inlet.
“It’s our home,” said volunteer Zexia Wei, 34, of Lacey. “We should take care of our home.”
Just a few months ago, the city-owned Allison Springs property featured roads, culverts, concrete fish ponds and an old hatchery building.
During the 1950s, it was a U-catch trout farm; later it was a state-run fish hatchery, said Laurence Reeves, a conservation projects manager with the Capitol Land Trust.
The neighboring property, which is owned by the Capitol Land Trust and known as the Randall Preserve, is a former private residence that featured several buildings.
The City of Olympia and the Capitol Land Trust worked together to apply for grant funding to remove the human-made structures and help restore both properties to their natural state.
Now that the fresh springs on the property can mix with salt water, the area is expected to attract juvenile salmon, Reeves said. And the intertidal plants that are being placed by volunteers will give the salmon a place to rest and feed, he said.
“It’s important that they have these little nooks and crannies that they can hide in,” he added.
The work was supported by grants, in-kind support, and a collaboration of about 10 organizations including the Capitol Land Trust, the City of Olympia, Stream Team, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group and People for Puget Sound.
Lisa Pemberton: 360-754-5433
lpemberton@theolympian.com
