Puget Creek Watershed Alliance is a grassroots group of neighbors and supporters working to address environmental, social, and economic concerns in our own community, backyards, and surrounding natural areas.
The Puget Creek watershed is a relatively protected drainage area in the Puget Ridge neighborhood south of the West Seattle Freeway bridge. Its headwaters start at Saniso Elementary School’s wooded wetland (1812 SW Myrtle, Seattle, WA 98106), and primarily enncompasses the 19th Ave SW ravine between 16th Ave SW and 21st Ave SW, from SW Myrtle going north past SW Dawson into Puget Park on its way to the Duwamish River near Kellogg Island. This portion of the river that is not dredged and straightened (the Duwamish Waterway) retains some the best salmon habitat remaining in the Lower Duwamish River near the Duwamish Tribe’s new Longhouse and Cultural Center. The creek should drain directly into this estuary, but rather is piped 1/4 mile from Puget Way SW & West Marginal Way SW, north past the Longhouse, then crossing West Marginal Way and draining into the river near SW Nevada Street. The watershed is in the vicinity of Seattle’s largest 500-acre (West Duwamish) greenbelt, Puget Park, Herring’s House Park, Port of Seattle’s T-107 Park, Seattle Chinese Garden, and South Seattle Community College. Note: we will upload a map as soon as possible.
Puget Creek Watershed Alliance was spearheaded in the early 1990′s by Noelle Congden along with many dedicated neighbors. PCWA lobbied for King County Greenspace monies and successfully preserved over 7 acres of greenspace, now an official (Seattle Parks) Puget Creek Natural Area at SW Brandon & 19th Ave SW, and a smaller 1/2 acre natural area north of the SW Graham staircase, east side of the ravine. This effectively stopped development in the ravine, though neighbors have on occasion stood in front of bulldozers to stop encroachment.
Puget Creek Watershed Alliance is affiliated with Sustainable West Seattle and its Stormwater Working Group (http://www.sustainablewestseattle.org/?s=stormwater). Sustainble West Seattle is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that considers lending its fiscal status to grant opportunities.
Acknowledgements: Beside Noelle Congden, many neighbors were instrumental in the early years: Katie Kauffman, Lisa Kauffman, John Reardon, Vicki Thomas, Frank Smith, and many more whose names I don’t know, but would like to include. After Noelle retired from advocacy, Karen Binkhorst wrote and received an Aquatic Habitat Matching Grant from Seattle Public Utilities and accomplished great restoration work in the Puget Creek ravine (19th SW) south of SW Holly Street. Steve Richmond, current author and momentary momentum of PCWA called a neighborhood meeting in January 2008 for a history of the Duwamish estuary presented by Port of Seattle ecologist George Blomberg. All neighbors mentioned have actively restored portions of their own backyards to native vegetation, including wonderful efforts by Bill Galloway (plus Graham St hillclimb), Kathy Wilmering, Carol Farnham, Stu Henessey, Carol Richmond, and Kim Kuykendall. Kim has volunteered to steward the Puget Creek Natural Area park on SW Graham and continues Bill’s work in the hillclimb. Please let us know of other efforts so we can mention it here.