Miller and Walker Creeks Stewardship Page

We all can be good stewards of Miller and Walker Creeks! Whether you live right next to the streams or a mile away, your actions can help improve water quality and reduce stormwater in the creeks and beyond.  Remember --  

Stewardship Resources for Watershed Residents 
This Web site provides resources to help watershed residents be good stewards:

• Tips on How You Can Help Miller/Walker Creeks: Start Being a Better Steward Today
• Adult Salmon Monitoring Program - 
  • Sign up to volunteer in 2012 - attend the training on October 4, and start counting salmon the next week
  • See the results from the Community Salmon Investigation (CSI) teams who researched adult fish returns and investigated "pre-spawn mortality" in our streams in 2010 and 2011; view the presentation of the 2010 salmon survey results shown at Burien City Hall on January 26, 2011 (Adobe Acrobat, 11 MB)
• Volunteer Calendar: Get Dirty for Clean Water and Healthy Habitat
• Stream Blog: Observations from the Stream Bank 
  • 2012 Stream Blog - Spring stewardship at Walker Preserve
  • 2010 Stream Blog - January outplanting of young coho salmon, spring stewardship, Salmon in the Classroom, spring and summer stewardship, storm drain marking, Miller Creek restoration "test plot" at sewer plant, CSI: Highline experiences, autumn Arbor Lake stewardship, December flood damage, winter Walker wetland stewardship
  • 2009 Stream Blog - "Sound Citizen" sampling for kitchen spices, photos of outplanting of young coho salmon, fighting ivy one tree at a time, spring volunteer events, SeaTac Airport stream tour, otter and beaver sightings, unusual stream flows in Walker Creek in July-September, restoration project construction in August, debris jam removal in September, October tree plantings, adult fish observations in the fall, coho pre-spawn mortality
  • 2008 Stream Blog - photos of outplanting of young coho salmon, volunteer event photos, photos and observations from summer stream survey, Fox Creek litter cleanup, adult fish sightings including links to video footage 
  • 2007 Stream Blog - photos of major stream flooding 
• Miller Creek Photo Tour
• Walker Creek Photo Tour
• Miller and Walker Creeks Basin Plan:
  Recommendations to Improve the Streams
• Maps
  • Aerial photo of combined Miller and Walker Creek basins, showing vegetation, lakes, streams, streets, buildings, and city boundaries (Adobe Acrobat)  
  • Map of combined Miller Creek and Walker Creek basins, showing lakes, streams, streets, and city boundaries (Adobe Acrobat)
  • Aerial photo of Miller Creek basin only, showing vegetation, lakes, streams, streets, buildings, and city boundaries (Adobe Acrobat)
  • Map of Miller Creek basin only, showing lakes, streams, streets, and city boundaries (Adobe Acrobat)
  • Aerial photo of Walker Creek basin only, showing vegetation, lakes, streams, streets, buildings, and city boundaries (Adobe Acrobat)
  • Map of Walker Creek basin only, showing lakes, streams, streets, and city boundaries (Adobe Acrobat)
  • Other maps from the City of Burien (external link)
• Monitoring Info: How Are Miller/Walker Creeks Doing?
  • Community Salmon Investigation
  • Chronicle of Miller/Walker Creek events affecting stream ecology and fish populations (Adobe Acrobat)
  • Miller Creek - Fish/Habitat Relationships: Measures, Analysis and Report (Adobe Acrobat)

Why Good Stewardship Matters
Whether you live near or far from Miller and Walker Creeks, good stewardship of our land and water carries multiple benefits:

• Healthier home and yard for children and pets
• Cleaner water in our streams and at Puget Sound beaches
• Less flooding and erosion
• Healthy urban forests and green spaces

Basin Steward Available to Help
Elissa Ostergaard is the basin steward.  The basin steward can help you:

• Volunteer to help plant trees and control invasive weeds
• Improve your streamside property with natural yard care and use of native plants
• Arrange a presentation for your school, community group, or faith community
• Report fish sightings or non-emergency problems with the creeks

Establishing a basin steward to be a single point of contact for activities and information related to the basin was recommended in the Miller and Walker Creeks Basin Plan.

Stewardship of the Miller/Walker Creeks basin is jointly funded by the City of Burien, City of Normandy Park, City of SeaTac, King County, and the Port of Seattle. On behalf of the partners, this page is proudly hosted by King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks - Water and Land Resources Division.