When strong partnerships and sound science come together, the path to healthier watersheds becomes possible. Between 2016–2018, Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) partnered with the Bainbridge Island Land Trust (BILT) and other local partners to take a deep, science-based look at Springbrook Creek, a 1,000-acre watershed on Bainbridge Island. The creek supports salmon and coastal cutthroat trout and is identified as critical habitat for threatened Puget Sound steelhead.
Figure 1: Barnabee Farms bank armoring (left) and culvert (right) that will be removed and replaced as part of the Barnabee Farms fish passage project, one of the 20 restoration projects identified during the 2016–2018 assessment.
The goal of this multi-year assessment was simple yet powerful: identify factors limiting the ecological health of the watershed to determine where to focus restoration and protection efforts. As a result of this assessment, the project team identified and prioritized 20 specific restoration projects to protect and restore the long-term ecological health of the watershed.
Since then, the project team has been turning those plans into action. In 2023, WFC and BILT removed a failing barrier culvert in the headwaters of the watershed and replaced it with a footbridge, restoring stream flow and fish passage beneath a hiking trail on a 23-acre property conserved by the land trust. Now, WFC and BILT are working together again to tackle the next priority: the Barnabee Farms fish passage project, located just upstream from the tidally influenced section of the creek.
Figure 2: Bainbridge Island Land Trust, Barnabee Farms landowner, and our project engineer meet to discuss the Barnabee Farms fish passage project.
The upcoming project will replace another partial barrier culvert with a new bridge, allowing vehicles and horses to safely cross the creek while opening up 3.4 miles of upstream spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead. The project is currently in the design and permitting phase with construction slated to begin in summer 2026.
Figure 3: Click the arrows and drag your cursor left or right to see the existing and proposed conditions superimposed at Barnabee Farms.
Science-based watershed restoration planning is essential to effectively recover impaired watersheds—and strong partnerships are key to making it happen. The Springbrook Creek work is a classic example of research driving science-based rationale for where to invest restoration and protection resources within a watershed.
By grounding restoration action in sound science, communities can invest resources where they matter most—and achieve measurable progress toward healthier ecosystems. Wild Fish Conservancy is proud to continue working with BILT and other project partners, putting science into action to restore Springbrook Creek and protect its ecological future.
Featured Image: Staff from Wild Fish Conservancy, Bainbridge Island Land Trust, and City of Bainbridge Island standing in Springbrook Creek.
