How Did We Get Here?
Aerial imagery from 1942 shows Gold Creek Valley in a mostly intact state, but by 1954, clear-cut logging had occurred along the banks of much of Gold Creek. The removal of the bank stabilizing trees caused the creek to over-widen, and the transport of logs down the creek stripped it of nearly all instream habitat.
Making Progress
For decades, these conditions put the Bull trout population in Gold creek in a steady decline, and all that resource extraction from Gold Creek Valley left a future that was looking very bleak for this Gold Creek Bull Trout population. In 2012, things started looking up for Gold Creek fish when Kittitas Conservation Trust and partners began developing the Gold Creek Valley Restoration Project. KCT and partners have been working diligently for the last 13 years to study the unique hydrology of this valley, develop restoration designs, and to secure restoration funding. In the last 2 years, KCT finalized restoration designs and secured over 13.4 million dollars to implement 2.5 miles of instream restoration, and to start the long process of healing the gravel mining scars by filling in the pits that remain.
How Did We Get Here?
Aerial imagery from 1942 shows Gold Creek Valley in a mostly intact state, but by 1954, clear-cut logging had occurred along the banks of much of Gold Creek. The removal of the bank stabilizing trees caused the creek to over-widen, and the transport of logs down the creek stripped it of nearly all instream habitat.
Gravel mining for the construction of I-90 has left a 27 acre, 60 foot deep scar that siphons ground water away from Gold Creek. As the overly wide and habitat-poor creek dries up, adult Bull Trout are blocked from upstream migration and are unable to access their spawning grounds. Fish that remain in the stream as it dries are left stranded and vulnerable to predation, with little chance of survival.
Making Progress
For decades, these conditions put the Bull trout population in Gold creek in a steady decline, and all that resource extraction from Gold Creek Valley left a future that was looking very bleak for this Gold Creek Bull Trout population. In 2012, things started looking up for Gold Creek fish when Kittitas Conservation Trust and partners began developing the Gold Creek Valley Restoration Project. KCT and partners have been working diligently for the last 13 years to study the unique hydrology of this valley, develop restoration designs, and to secure restoration funding. In the last 2 years, KCT finalized restoration designs and secured over 13.4 million dollars to implement 2.5 miles of instream restoration, and to start the long process of healing the gravel mining scars by filling in the pits that remain.
This project will create much needed fish habitat by installing 141 log jams, and adding over 1.4 miles of side channels that will provide slow water refuge for juvenile fish and flood protection for the local community. Filling in 30 acres of gravel mining scars will stop the siphoning of ground water, and allow for the restoration of 47 acres of lost riparian and wetland habitat.
Jumping Hurdles
While there have been, and continue to be some big hurdles, KCT isn’t giving up! Through careful planning, KCT staff and grant managers are working to ensure that restoration actions in the most degraded mile of Gold Creek (river mile 1-2) will not be delayed. KCT staff will continue applying for additional funding and will expand the restoration footprint as funding allows. This project will STILL begin in the summer of 2026, as without significant and immediate action, this population of Bull Trout will be lost forever.
