Hey there! Welcome to our environmental capstone project! As students, we’re deeply invested in making a difference in our local community and beyond. Our team brings different skills and experiences but blend together through our passion for environmental conservation and restoration. We're excited to share our journey with you and invite you to learn more about our experience working with Whale Scout.

About Us

Kayla Truong

Kayla Kemmerling

Kayla is majoring in accounting and minoring in Restoration Ecology. After she graduates, she wants to use her skills in accounting to help out non-profits and environmental preservation/restoration groups locally. Currently, at the park, Kayle is learning how planting native wildflowers can be beneficial in newly planted areas along with developing ways to use willow stacks along the banks of the river!

Andrew is pursuing a major in Earth System Science and a minor in GIS. Natural systems have interested him his entire life and he has always enjoyed working outdoors, and has been working in ecological restoration for the past eight years along the major rivers of King County. He chose his major because he intends to pursue a career in the field, specifically in restoration management. Andrew has assisted Whale Scout by removing invasive plants and designing plant staging areas for the park!

Kayla is studying Earth System Science with minors in GIS and Data Analytics. Her career aspirations are social media marketing with an environmental/ sustainability group. Her goal is to combine her passions and make a meaningful narrative that can drive positive change in environmental and sustainability practices. Kayla is using her knowledge of GIS to collect data on newly planted trees and create a map to help understand how well they are doing and at what rate they're growing.

About Whale Scout

Whale Scout is a non-profit organization committed to helping restore habitat for salmon. Restoration of urban rivers and streams through the planting of native trees and shrubs in riparian zones has been a goal since Whale Scout started 2013. Whale Scout holds volunteer events throughout the year allowing anyone to come and join in planting native trees, removing invasive plants, and restoring salmon habitat. In addition to these events Whale Scout leads the public in land-based whale watching in hope to channel people’s interest and passion for whales into ground salmon habitat restoration projects protecting the primary food source of struggling orcas in Puget Sound.

Former Wayne Golf Course Restoration

The Former Wayne Golf Course Site is Located on the Sammamish River. The golf Course opened in 1931 and closed in 2017. Initially the land was proposed for development in 2014 but the city of Bothell and King County stepped in to buy the 89 acres of land in hope to restore and conserve the riparian zone along the river (Whale Scout). The Sammamish River is a major river in King County stretching from Lake Sammamish to Lake Washington. The river serves as habitat and is crucial for the native salmon populations as it connects the two largest lakes in the area. Unfortunately human modifications have altered the river significantly making much of it unsafe for salmon. By restoring the Former Wayne Golf Course Site the City of Bothell and King County hope to help salmon populations. Whale Scouts hope that this will help the Local endangered orcas who rely on the dwindling salmon populations for 90% of their diet.

Revegetation Planning

& Invasive Removal

One of our main objectives as a team was to restore a section of the golf course. This area was in the understory of large cottonwood trees with some existing smaller native trees and shrubs including bigleaf maple, snowberry, and osoberry. Along the edge of the understory is a stream that had been taken over by invasive blackberry and ivy. To restore the area we would have to remove harmful invasive species and replace them with native plant life. We were provide a list of plants in which we planned, and stagged them to be planted on the site taking account for the conditions that would be best suited. The hopes of this planting is that the conifers will provide future canopy as the existing large cottonwood and alders age out. Then additional native shrubs like nootka rose, black twinberry, and salmonberry will add diversity and future seed sources as they mature. Then on the bank of the stream sitka willow stakes will provide shade for both the stream and for the other small shrubs as they grow.

Invasive Removal

Blackberry Before & After

Holly Before & After

For the restoration of the understory and stream we had to plan strategies to remove the existing invasive holly, ivy, birdcherry and blackberry. Some holly trees were small enough to dig up while 5 large holly trees were cut down. A large portion of the groundcover had been taken over by ivy that was pulled and cleared for planting. But the ivy had also taken over the cottonwood trees. To remove the ivy was cut around the base of the trees with a hatchet. By doing so the rest of the ivy will slowly die off as its roots can no longer provide for the rest of the plant. The birdcherry trees were left in the understory for future plans with the King County Department of Noxious Weeds. Some possible strategies include girdling, which is the process in which you cut a ring of bark off from the base of the tree, treating them with herbicide, or to cut them down with future monitoring. Then blackberry along the stream were cut and dug up all to be planted with native species.

Native Ground Cover Seeds

Another activity we did was spread native seeds in two different areas to test their growth under different conditions. These seeds contained a mix of 17 native flowering plants and 3 native grass species, aimed at supporting local pollinators. The seeds were blended with topsoil in a wheelbarrow before being spread in the designated areas. In one area previously planted by Whale Scout, we manually removed foot-long sections of turf grass and applied a small mixture of the seeds onto the exposed soil. We hope that these native plants will be able to compete with the turf grass and determine the feasibility of such plantings in the future. In comparison, the other area had no turf grass to compete with, instead it was covered with mulch and buried cardboard. This may present challenges in the future, as it might struggle to grow. The goal was to examine the seeds’ performance without competition from grass and their tolerance to shade and the presence of cardboard beneath them. Several weeks later, both areas showed significant sprouting and growth, indicating promising outcomes for the native seeds in different conditions.

Water Monitoring

The water testing site is located at the end of the stream that runs through the restoration site and where a culvert opens up at. This culvert runs along the golf course collecting groundwater and runoff from the old golf course as well as State Route 522. This is the last accessible location before the water enters another pipe that directly discharges into the Sammamish River. The quality of water at this location impacts water quality of the Sammamish River thus making it important to manage.

January 24, 2024 9:25am, Raining 8°C,

Physical Chemical Monitoring Test Kit

February 2, 2024 11:30am, Sunny

with rain previous night 11°C,

February 14, 2024 11:30am, Cloudy 8.9°C,

February 22, 2024 11:30am, Sunny 14°C,

Averages

Analysis

Dissolved oxygen is one of the most important indicators of water quality. It is essential for the survival of fish and other aquatic organisms. When dissolved oxygen becomes too low, aquatic organisms cannot survive. Fish require dissolved oxygen levels of 5-6 ppm. The creek is small and is a collection of some runoff and mainly groundwater seepage. The average Dissolved oxygen level in the creek was 4.59ppm. This is low but also expected due to the water being at the surface for a short period of time. The dissolved oxygen levels coming from the culvert pipe was 7.65ppm and then right before the water entered the culvert to the river the dissolved oxygen averaged 8.2ppm. So, in this short distance the dissolved oxygen levels almost double from the creek to the start of the culvert that goes directly to the river. This means that in terms of dissolved oxygen the water entering the river is at a safe level for aquatic life.

The pH level of the water is important to plant and animal life. PH affects most chemical and biological processes in water and is a large factor limiting species distributions in aquatic habitats. There are different pH ranges that are optimal for different species, with most aquatic organisms flourishing between pH 6.5 and 8.0. PH is a measure of how acidic or basic water is with 7 being neutral. pHs of less than 7 indicate acidity, whereas a pH of greater than 7 indicates a basic. At all three sites pH levels average within a safe zone. It averages 7.6 in the creek, 6.98 in the culvert, and 7.1 in the water hole right before entering the culvert that discharges into the river.

Turbidity is the measurement of the clarity of water. Materials that cause water to be turbid include clay, silt, very tiny inorganic and organic matter, algae, dissolved colored organic compounds, and plankton and other microscopic organisms. Particles also allow for other pollutants, notably metals and bacteria to attach to particles suspended in the water and thus can be used as an indicator of potential pollution in a water body. An aquatic ecosystem requires a certain amount of turbidity to develop but typically the greater the amount of turbidity, the poorer the water quality. Turbidity levels in the creek are a little high. This is most likely due to the growth of iron bacteria. Although iron bacteria is a natural process, it has caused the turbidity in the water to increase. The turbidity of the other water coming from the culvert and in the water hole could be better but overall, it is not terrible.

Vegetation Analysis

We used ArcGIS, a geographic information system software, to analyze plant growth and environmental factors affecting mortality rate in the fence and pilot areas. Data was organized by measurement date, plant species, ID, height, width, elevation, mortality rate, longitude, and latitude. We also gathered information on surrounding pipes, wetlands, and rivers, as well as coordinates from the fallen tree and culvert. After importing data, plants were color-coded by species and height. Spatial analysis techniques revealed patterns and relationships in the dataset. Our findings underscore the importance of GIS mapping for planning and identifying intervention areas in restoration sites.

Fenced Area

Pilot Area

Plants closer to the fallen tree demonstrated shorter height measurements, possibly due to reduced sunlight, nutrients, and space obstructed by the tree. In comparison, plants positioned in the middle of the pilot, away from the river buffer, experienced optimal growth conditions, due to sunlight exposure and better access to nutrients and moisture.

Plants closer to the understory demonstrated the most significant growth, proven by their taller height measurements. At the same time, those in the wetland buffer (middle) showed smaller measurements. The proximity to the understory likely shielded plants from harsh environmental conditions, and also provided moisture and nutrients. In comparison, plants in the wetland buffer could have faced increased competition for resources and challenges (more clusters in those areas) resulting in delayed growth.

Soil Testing & Analysis

In this soil survey, primary regions include KPB (Western KPB Region), PU1 (West PU Region), and PU2 (Eastern PU Region) and areas of interest AB(1-4), WAB(1-2), RA(1-2).

*GPS coordinates will be provided through the datasheet*

The pH level of soil is a measure of its acidity or alkalinity, with values running from acidic (below 7) to alkaline (above 7). The soil pH levels across all soil groups were consistently acidic, potentially impacting nutrient availability, microbial activity, and plant growth. Despite this acidity, bulk density values were generally healthy, ensuring adequate aeration, water infiltration, and root penetration. None of the soil regions exhibited unhealthy bulk density values, indicating favorable conditions for root development and overall plant health. Although soil structure varied, with some areas being more compacted than others, these variations were deemed typical given site conditions and not concerning.

The park's organic matter levels ranged from 5-13%, indicating healthy soil conditions overall. The outlier average in the KPB region (>12%) is a result of accumulated material that was taken from samples that were fully saturated with water and dead material; these abnormalities represent the behaviors and drainage in the region, where there is significant variability in the drainage of the park. This accumulation is likely due to the clay bedding and permeability of the sand-loam soil in the KPB region. Lower organic matter in abnormal regions suggests increased disturbance levels in these areas, highlighting the importance of soil management and restoration efforts.

Overall Assessment of Soil Health

Overall, the soil health assessment revealed fair conditions, indicating a need for amendments and rehabilitation in areas affected by disturbances. While some soil conditions may limit plant growth, ongoing aeration, amendments, and replanting of native species will enhance soil health metrics and alter chemical composition and properties. Through remediation efforts focused on native species, healthy junior forest soils can be generated over time with proper assistance and management.

KPB

The KPB shows fairly healthy upland sandy loam soils with healthy bulk density, pH, and organic matter values. These promising soil characteristics suggest minimal barriers to restoration efforts due to the soil's physical or chemical properties.

PU Regions (WAB, Restoration Areas, PU1, PU2)

The alignment of the soils with USDA Puget Series A2 Horizon Classification, coupled with high magnesium content and low sulfate and nitrate levels, poses challenges for plant nutrient uptake and exacerbates soil saturation, leading to reduced soil oxygen availability (Pezeshki, DeLaune, 2012). Additionally, the PU region soils demonstrates higher acidity levels compared to the estimated baseline (USDA, 2000). The combination of continued saturation, elevated magnesium levels, low nitrate content, moderate acidity, flooding, and the proliferation of iron-oxidizing bacteria in streams and groundwater shows evidence for the presence of redoximorphic features, contributing to the intriguing soil chemistry observed in the area.

Successes

One significant success was our efficient clearing of the understory area and successful planting of trees and shrubs. Through lots of teamwork, we were able to tackle this area during fieldwork sessions and volunteer events, fostering lots of community engagement and participation. Implementing effective cutting and pulling techniques was important to us, and as a result, we were able to clear the area in a timely manner.

Additionally, our efforts to spread native wildflower seeds was a surprising success. With the seeds already sprouting, we showcased the potential for natural regeneration and biodiversity enhancement within this specific area.

Furthermore, we showed lots of community engagement and collaboration. As Whale Scout hosted multiple events that actively involved community members in the restoration process, these members were able to get hands-on experience and gain practical knowledge in this topic. As capstone members, we were able to facilitate these activities, and give a helping hand when it was needed, further strengthening community ties.

Challenges

One of the main hurdles we faced was navigating adverse physical conditions, such as persistent mud, frozen grounds, and inclement weather, which hindered our fieldwork activities some days. The frozen grounds made it hard to move equipment and materials across the site, increasing the time required to complete our tasks for the day. Cold weather in general made it difficult and uncomfortable for team members to work outdoors for extended periods of time.

Another challenge we encountered was coordinating schedules. With each member juggling busy schedules and commitments, finding mutually convenient times to meet on and offsite was a difficult task.

The last challenge was navigating the large scale of the restoration site, which presented its own set of challenges. Managing such a large area required lots of planning, resource allocation, and coordination among team members to ensure that individual and team projects were being completed effectively and efficiently.

Recommendations for Next Steps

Utilizing Machinery for Turf Grass Removal

One suggestion would be to find a machine that can help remove and control turf grass from narrow spaces between plantings. While placing cardboard beforehand has been shown to work, a lot of the site was planted without it and has issues with turf grass overtaking the young plants. Going forward, the grass is only going to get more difficult to deal with as it overtakes the mulch circles and crowds the native trees and shrubs.

Addressing Blackberry Encroachment

Another issue is the blackberry bushes around older trees and along the banks. To ensure the long-term success of our restoration project, we would recommend prioritizing the removal of blackberry in those areas. By clearing the invasive vegetation, it would make sure that we can create space for native plants to thrive and prevent any further degradation in the area.

Special thank you to Whitney, Rachael and all the other volunteers from Whale Scout for all of the help on our capstone project.

References

1. Native pollinator meadow seed mix 1 (for west of the cascades). Northwest Meadowscapes. [accessed 2024 Mar 8]. https://northwestmeadowscapes.com/products/native-pollinator-seed-mix-1?_pos=1&_sid=591fed562&_ss=r

2. Turbidity and water. Usgs.gov. [accessed 2024 Mar 8]. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/turbidity-and-water

3. USF Water Institute, School of Geosciences, University of South Florida. Learn more: Dissolved oxygen. Usf.edu. [accessed 2024 Mar 8]. https://sarasota.wateratlas.usf.edu/library/learn-more/learnmore.aspx?toolsection=lm_dissolvedox

4. Us Epa O. PH. 2015 [accessed 2024 Mar 8]. https://www.epa.gov/caddis/ph

5. Whale Scout. Whalescout.org. [accessed 2024 Mar 8]. https://www.whalescout.org/

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rgp-qkj1xEwEKq3_N6cO76iItvQm0_AKDA7IjGorEmU/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1I3mKp-MTYAetanIJiMW7cNLUjXsYsnsyuvWDfJnJw88/edit#gid=0

6. Official Series Description - PUGET Series. 2000. USDA NRCS

https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/P/PUGET.html.

7.Official Series Description- RAGNAR Series.2000. USDA NRCS

https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/R/RAGNAR.html#:~:text=Kitsap%20soils%20are%20a%20fine.

8. Pezeshki SR, DeLaune RD. 2012. Soil Oxidation-Reduction in Wetlands and Its Impact on Plant Functioning. Biology. 1(2):196–221. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/biology1020196.

9.Soil Health Educators Guide. 2023 Natural Resources Conservation Service. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/soils/soil-health/soil-health-educators-guide.