Gee Creek Watershed Restoration Project
The Gee Creek Watershed Restoration Project
History
State of the Watershed
The Work in Progress
How You Affect the Watershed
What Can You Do?
Links
Photo Gallery
The Gee Creek Watershed Restoration Project
The Gee Creek Watershed Restoration project is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and WSU Clark County Extension in cooperation with the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, the Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, the City of Ridgefield, and individual citizens. Partners work to maintain and enhance water quality and habitat conditions in Gee Creek and the surrounding watershed landscape by:
- Working independently and jointly with agencies, organizations, and individuals to identify, prioritize and develop watershed restoration projects;
- Executing on-the-ground restoration, including tree plantings, invasive plant control, water quality monitoring, field assessments, and school education projects;
- Educating Gee Creek Watershed residents about watersheds and best management practices to protect surface and ground waters and habitat conditions.
 Gee Creek after entering the Carty Unit, Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, spring 2006. |
History
Modern Gee Creek restoration began in 1991 when the Greater Clark County Rotary Club initiated annual stream planting projects with volunteers, landowners, and Ridgefield High School students. In 1994, the Clark Conservation District, collaborating with other public agencies and stream experts, formed the community-based Gee Creek Enhancement Committee. Meetings were organized and restoration project goals were developed and carried out, including: tree plantings, livestock fencing, interpretive displays and signs, stream assessments, fish surveys, and educational outreach on watershed best management practices. Since 2001, dedicated community volunteers and partners have continued restoration work on Gee Creek.
In the spring of 2006, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and WSU Clark County Extension initiated a joint effort to provide new funding to support and expand watershed enhancement efforts in partnership with the Gee Creek Enhancement Committee, Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership, the City of Ridgefield, area schools, and local residents. Federal, state, and county agencies are providing advice and assistance. Additional funding sources are being sought to sustain watershed restoration work in the years ahead.
Gee Creek Watershed Restoration Background Report
Gee Creek Watershed Map
State of the Watershed
Gee Creek flows 10 miles from the hills along Interstate 5, through the City of Ridgefield and into a series of lakes on the Columbia River Floodplain and drains a watershed of 12,000 acres. Abrams Park in Ridgefield is a popular access point for Gee Creek. The lowest segment of Gee Creek meanders for 3 miles through the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. The upper portion of the watershed is currently rural-residential, but is bisected by I-5 and associated industrial development while the lower portion flows through the rapidly expanding City of Ridgefield. Recent data shows Gee Creek has poor stream health, most likely due to runoff from agricultural, developed, and residential areas. Over the past 160 years, the entire length of the creek has been subject to the combined effects of farming and urbanization. Accelerating growth will continue to change conditions in the watershed.
Clark County Clean Water Program’s Stream Health Report 2004 re Gee Creek
Clark County Stream Health Report Overview
West Slope Map
An assessment of nearby Whipple Creek – a watershed similar to Gee Creek
The Work in Progress
Through the current initiative, information and resources will be shared through the community-based Gee Creek Enhancement Committee, made up of partners who share a mutual interest in watershed enhancement. On-the-ground habitat restoration projects will be expanded. Watershed assessments and action plans will help focus long-term restoration efforts where they are most needed. Monitoring will be continued to measure success and help guide future work. More education and information outreach will encourage watershed best management practices for new development, households, farms, businesses, and local government as a regular part of life for a healthy Gee Creek community.
Watershed restoration takes time, but with renewed effort, the Gee Creek community will be able to realize the full benefits of enhancement efforts in the years and generations that follow.
Current Restoration Goals for Gee Creek are to1:
- Limit further degradation as land uses grow and change
- Provide outreach and education to reduce erosion and sediment runoff
- Find and remove pollutants such as fecal bacteria that limit recreational use
- Keep and restore existing forest along streams
- Improve instream habitat
- Encourage best stormwater management technology and practices, including new construction and low impact development
- Encourage agriculture and backyard best management practices to reduce nutrients and toxics
- Plant trees along streamsides
- Control invasive plants to protect native habitats and plantings
1(Adapted from Clark County Stream Health, 2004, Clark County Public Works Clean Water Program
Restoration Projects for the Gee Creek Watershed include:
- Coordinate efforts with community partners through the Gee Creek Enhancement Committee working group.
- Maintain and expand streamside tree plantings on the Gee Greek portion of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, City of Ridgefield and private lands to shade creek waters and provide habitat.
- Identify and recognize important stream reaches and forest buffer areas for protection
- Conduct comprehensive field assessments and map watershed features, including those needing improvement.
- Provide outreach and education to reduce runoff impacts from households, farms, businesses, industries, and new construction, including information on stormwater management best practices, the latest technologies, and sediment control.
- Control invasive plants especially knotweed, blackberry and ivy to protect native habitats and new restoration plantings.
- Monitor stream conditions and water quality to measure stream health
- Restore stream habitat – habitat assessments, instream structures, erosion control, livestock fencing, trash removal, etc.
- Conduct long-term planning with a Watershed Assessment and Watershed Action Plan under the advice of technical experts.
How You Affect the Watershed
The region or area of land draining into a particular body of water comprises a watershed. All of us live in a watershed. Any time it rains, any time you water your lawn, or wash your car, the water soaks into the ground or runs off into the streams and rivers of your watershed. Any materials used or spilled on the ground or pavement are carried into streams with runoff or into the ground water, including pollutants such as eroding soil, excess fertilizer, animal wastes, septic or sewer leakage, oil and gas, and other compounds we handle or discharge every day. In developed areas, the storm drain in your street carries collected surface runoff into the stormwater system which eventually is emptied through a pipe into the nearest body of water, like Gee Creek, Lake River or the Columbia River.
In a healthy watershed, native vegetation, soil, and wetlands absorb rain and snow that falls within the watershed, slowing the flow of water as it travels through the watershed, removing sediment and some pollutants, and allowing water to percolate into the ground. The groundwater in turn helps supply streams at a steady rate with cool water.
(Adapted in part from Raindrops to Refuges, Tualitin River Watershed)
What Can You Do?
Learn: You can learn about the latest best management practices for your home, business or acreage (especially sediment/erosion control), low impact development, streamside restoration, and the latest stormwater management technologies available for your community.
Things we can do to protect our lakes and streams
Watershed Stewards: What Can You Do?
Watersheds
Small Acreage Program
Contacts for Water-Related Issues (contacts for pollution problems or questions)
Volunteer: For a calendar of volunteer events please check http://clark.wsu.edu/calendar/index.asp.
Help improve water quality and habitat conditions on Gee Creek by planting trees on the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Planting dates include the Saturdays listed below and in the 2007/2008 season planting flier. Volunteers meet at the Carty Unit entrance of the Refuge at 28908 NW Main Avenue in Ridgefield, Washington.
Planting dates from 9am to 12pm:
November 17th
December 8th
February 9th
February 16th
March 15th
For information about the next volunteer event or answer any questions, contact the Restoration Technician at 360-887-3883 x 18 (must let it ring 9 times). For immediate questions or directions on the planting date, call 360-624-4430 or email josie_finley@fws.gov.
To volunteer to monitor water quality conditions in Gee Creek contact the Clark County Water Resources Program at: http://www.clark.wa.gov/water-resources/monitoring/stream-monitoring.html#sample
For more information on Gee Creek Watershed Restoration, please contact:
Lynn Cornelius
Gee Creek Watershed Coordinator
WSU Clark County Extension
C/o Ridgefield NWR Complex
P.O.Box 457
Ridgefield, WA 98642
360-887-4106 ext.24 lynn_cornelius@fws.gov
Links
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership
City of Ridgefield
Photo Gallery
 Overview of the Gee Creek watershed looking NW |
 Lower Gee Creek, August 2006 |
 Volunteers plant trees along Gee Creek on the Carty Unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, November, 2006. |