THORNTON CREEK

'Thornton Creek' is 18 miles (29 km) of urban creeks and tributaries from southeast Shoreline through northeast Seattle to Lake Washington. The creek is the largest watershed in Seattle, draining a 12 square mile region of relatively dense biodiversity for an urban setting,Brokaw home to fish, birds, amphibians, insects, beaver, coyote, and over 200,000 people.Dolan & True, p. 223 From west of Jackson Park Golf Course in Shoreline,Hodson from Sunny Walter-Pillings PondWalter in Licton Springs–North College Park,^[1] and north Northgate^[2] Thornton creek flows through Maple Leaf and Lake City including Meadowbrook and Matthews Beach neighborhoods, emptying into the lake at Matthews Beach Park.

Contents

Habitat and stewardship

Neighborhoods of the Thornton Creek watershed

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

Habitat and stewardship

The creek flows through Meadowbrook Pond, visited by migratory birds and an occasional transient beaver or coyote. Early in the 1900s the creek was a spawning ground for fish (at least five species of Pacific salmon and trout), as well as habitat for insects, amphibians, muskrats, bats, coyotes, and birds. The areas surrounding the creek were developed without regard for the importance of maintaining habitat and a riparian corridor; species diversity declined, and the creek became a typical, significantly degraded urban watershed. Storm water retention, sites restoration, an Environmental Learning Center adjacent to a school, and a fish ladder contributed to restoration and the return of native plants and wildlife.^[3]
For many decades much of the stream has run through culverts, notably under the car park of Northgate Mall. Building on gradual successes in restoration,^[4] activist neighbors initiated^[5] and have had some success working with the City of Seattle and developers toward daylighting parts of the buried creek.^[6] Organizations of citizens have cleaned up adjacent wetlands, educated the public about stream health and quality of neighborhood life, and rallied to bring more of the creek to daylight. Many restoration projects in Seattle have been in some way connected to or inspired by Thornton Creek.

Neighborhoods of the Thornton Creek watershed

★ Southeast neighborhoods of the city of Shoreline, north fork headwaters

★ Lake City neighborhoods

★
★ Olympic Hills

★
★ Victory Heights

★
★ Meadowbrook, confluence of forks

★
★ Matthews Beach

★ Northgate neighborhoods

★
★ Pinehurst

★
★ Licton Springs–North College Park, south fork headwaters

★
★ Maple Leaf

★
★ Northgate Mall

See also

★ Daylighting (streams)

★ Neighborhoods of Ravenna Creek

★ Stream

★ Water resources

References

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Bibliography

★ "North Seattle Community College Trail Siting"
Elise Bowditch, Teaching Assistant; Man Wang, Teaching Assistant; Matthew W. Wilson, Research Associate.

★ Parking lot to become park for Northgate Tom Boyer

★ "Grounds Department Wetland"

★ Nature in the city: Seattle, , Maria, Dolan, Mountaineers Books, 2003, ISBN 0-89886-879-3 (paperback)

★ "Restoration urged for Thornton Creek : Local News"
Was [1], NF.

★ "Thornton Creek Watershed"

★ "Licton Springs Neighborhood: Local Interest"

★ Thornton Creek may see daylight again Kathy Mulady

★ Otter and Spawning Salmon Sighted in Thornton Creek
Archive of ''The Seattle Press''.

★ "Seattle Parks - Matthews"
History excerpted from Morgan, Brandt. ''Enjoying Seattle's parks''. Seattle: Greenwood Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-933576-01-3

★ "Meadowbrook Pond"

★ "Thornton Creek"

★ "A Neighborhood History"

★ "Restoration Activities: A Few of Our Accomplishments"

★ "Sunny Walter's Washington Nature Weekends: Wildlife Viewing Locations - Greater Seattle Area"
Viewing locations only; the book has walks, hikes, wildlife, and natural wonders.
Walter excerpted from

★
★ Nature in the city: Seattle, , Maria, Dolan, Mountaineers Books, 2003, ISBN 0-89886-879-3 (paperback
"with additions by Sunny Walter and local Audubon chapters." See "Northeast Seattle" section, bullet points "Meadowbrook", "Paramount Park Open Space", "North Seattle Community College Wetlands", and "Sunny Walter -- Twin Ponds".

Further reading

★ "Thornton Creek Alliance"

★ "Homewaters Project"

★ "Thornton Creek Watershed", the Homewaters Project

★ Thornton Creek Watershed "Community Library"