Stand for the Land. And the water.
In 2022, the Land Trust added a 10-acre expansion to the 13-acre Miller-Kirkman Preserve at North Fork Manzanita Creek. This property includes about 800-feet of fish-bearing stream used by coho salmon and a vibrant wetland complex covered in salmonberry, twinberry, sedges, and cattails. Our primary management goals for this property are to support high-functioning stream, wetland, and forest habitats. This will involve a significant restoration effort that starts with removing invasive species such as ivy, holly, and blackberries. We are also intending to plant hundreds of native plants to provide wetland and buffer enhancement, water shading for water temperature regulation, and forage and cover for wildlife.
Both Manzanita Creek and Mosquito Creek contain cutthroat trout and coho salmon spawning reaches. By protecting North Fork Manzanita Creek, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust aims to safeguard an Island treasure and help improve the vibrancy of the creek and surrounding watershed.
Climate Resiliency
North Fork Manzanita Creek holds regional significance for helping build resiliency to a changing climate. Its wetlands and mature conifer and deciduous forests act as a sponge to help protect groundwater, absorb carbon from the atmosphere, and control stormwater run-off.
Learn more about our Stand for the Land movement and how you can get involved!
Please note that the Preserve is not currently open to the public – access to the property is limited to Land Trust tours at this time.
Wetland Mitigation | Collaboration with Puget Sound Energy
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) will be working with the Land Trust to enhance the wetlands and buffers on North Fork Manzanita Creek Preserve. This restoration effort will serve as compensatory mitigation for PSE, offsetting the unavoidable impacts on wetlands associated with PSE’s planned construction activities within the Winslow Tap transmission line corridor.
After identifying the Land Trust as a trusted organization with a proven track record of success in land conservation and restoration on the Island, PSE approached us to determine a suitable mitigation opportunity. The Land Trust had recently acquired North Fork Manzanita Creek Preserve as part of our conservation strategy to expand existing conserved areas and connect wildlife and stream corridors. After extensive discussion, we concluded that enhancement of wetlands and buffers on this parcel was consistent with the Land Trust’s restoration and stewardship vision for the property, and would exceed compensatory mitigation requirements for PSE.
When permit approvals from the City of Bainbridge Island are received for the Winslow Tap rebuild, PSE will work with the Land Trust to implement the proposed enhancement of this property. PSE’s planned activities will provide valuable enhancement to degraded areas on a portion of the 10-acre site to ensure long-term conservation success.
What will the mitigation and restoration look like?
The proposed wetland and buffer enhancement activities on this preserve include invasive species removal and installation of over 10,000 native trees, shrubs and emergent plants covering over five acres of the property. The improvements are holistic and are designed to improve the ecological function of the entire site while satisfying PSE’s mitigation requirements. To ensure success for the long term, PSE will monitor the mitigation area relative to performance standards for a period of seven years. The enhanced areas will be more resilient to a changing climate, and will provide improved habitat for wildlife and aquatic species, including species diversity and shading for surface water that flows to North Fork Manzanita Creek.
