Duwamish River Restoration Planting at Codiga Park

The Sound Stewards via Earthcorps and now Green Tukwila have transformed the former Codiga Dairy Farm property into valuable Duwamish River habitat, particularly for juvenile salmon. The constructed inlet in particular–with overhanding plants that provide shade and insects (food)–offers nourishing habitat for young salmon. Additionally, this portion of the river represents the upper reaches of the tidal influence and hosts a rich salt–freshwater transition zone for young salmon to adapt to their new life.

For this event, we planted native species along the riverfront within striking distance of high tide–indeed, the bottoms of planting holes were often puddles, which is okay with most plants adapted to riverbank life. The second half of the work party consisted of digging out invasive tansy that doesn’t belong within the balance of this ecosystem.

We also enjoyed a visit from Avery who travels to stewardship events and other haunts along the Duwamish in his trusty canoe equipped with everything from seating buckets and a stove to storage and a boombox. His tales of animal encounters along the River were a real pleasure. We look forward to continuing our long-time relationship with Codiga park.

Duwamish River Planting at Codiga Park

Codiga Park is a fun place to experience the Duwamish River because you can either get right up close in the mud next to it, or you can venture up the hill and view it bending around the park. The osprey pole is often in use, which is very fun to see.

The park has many human and natural assets to enjoy. From the website:

"This area was once a dairy farm owned by Codiga family, like so many farms that supplied Seattle its local food. The red barn designed picnic shelter is in honor of the farming history of the site. . In 2005, the City of Tukwila and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers partnered to excavate the center of the property, creating a side channel that offers young salmon a chance to rest, forage for food and avoid predators in a more natural wetland habitat.”

We will return for more planting and stewardship!

Duwamish River Restoration Work.

The Duwamish River is always an enjoyable visit. Working at Codiga Park in Tukwila with EarthCorps' Sound Stewards delighted us with a variety of tasks right along the river bank. With a nice large group overall, we split into teams. One group worked with the water at their heels, driving live willow stakes into the shoreline, where we enjoyed seeing the thriving progress of our previous year's stakes growing. Another group planted natives while another dug out noxious blackberry, reed canary grass and also Japanese knotweed / Polygonum cuspidatum, which must be thrown away in the trash it is so virulent.

Yet another group performed a brand new task for Squad- netting young trees so as to avoid beaver damage! Everyone had a good look at the interesting chewing marks and pile of chips. We kept our eye on the oft-used osprey platform, perhaps the next time we return we will be treated with a glimpse. This former dairy-farm was donated to the City of Tukwila for recreation and restoration, it gives you a nice up-close view of Seattle's River and includes a covered picnic area as well.

On the River Again at Codiga Park, Another Former Farm.

The is just something magical about working alongside the Duwamish River (AKA Green River). The hardworking park Stewards & EarthCorps crew leaders walked us back to the site we planted natives last fall, including live willow stakes, so the kids could check-up on them.  Luckily the beaver hasn't done much damage yet.  We have a number of native willow species and at least two were evident (more pics below), with some still showing off pussies- which are the male catkin-flowers in bud, all furry to protect them from cold.

On the way to our work destination along the river, we hiked past some Conium maculatum / poison hemlock (see below for pics of the blotchy purple stem base for ID) which is a common and dangerous noxious weed.  Our work was weeding out blackberry from established native plantings- a delight to see them large and thriving.  Codiga Park is a former farm and a neat spot for the public to access the Duwamish River, go on out and enjoy it!

Native strawberry flower.

 Conium maculatum / poison hemlock showing telltale purple blotchy stem base, though it still can be tough to ID from other carrot-family species such as cow-parsnip & Queen Anne's lace.

 Conium maculatum / poison hemlock

River Work: Hammering Willow Stakes, Planting With a View & Flagging.

The kids absolutely loved swinging heavy metal mallets to drive steel stakes into the river mud.  They pounded and pounded to create shaft-holes for the live willow stakes that will grow rapidly to fill in the Duwamish with much-needed shrub cover- if the beavers don't mow them down first.  Fortunately we 'planted' a good batch with the Puget Sound Stewards from EarthCorps, to make up for it.

Also fun was flagging the hillside of natives we planted in the sparkling rain, particularly gorgeous covered in drops was the noxious but furry Verbascum thapsus / mullein, which is very satisfying to pop out and chuck on the compost pile.  Codiga Park was bequeathed as a restoration site by the former owners of a dairy farmstead whom still live adjacent.  We had a wide view of the riverbed from the top of the hill and the kids felt like they owned the park, running along secret back trails, discovering views, a scurrying mouse & bird's nest fungus.  Across the river, we could see a native planting we worked on previously, very satisfying indeed.

Noxious Verbascum thapsus / mullein where it belongs.

Noxious but furry Verbascum thapsus / mullein.

Native Cornus sericea / red osier dogwood.