Modern Streambank Protection and Landscaping Techniques

McAleer Creek
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Do you have a stream in your back yard?

Lake Forest Park Environmental Quality Commission is sponsoring a free workshop on “Modern Streambank Management for Homeowners,” in partnership with Lake Forest Park Stewardship Foundation and StreamKeepers of Lake Forest Park.  

People with streambank property are especially welcome to attend, and all others with an interest in healthy streams are also invited.  People from neighboring cities are more than welcome to attend.

Many traditional techniques of streambank landscaping cause problems for streamside property owners including flood damage to their retaining walls, and erosion of their property.  In addition, old fashioned landscaping can cause landowners to unknowingly harm salmon populations, even though they want to help.  

Streambank property owners are also presently subjected to problems caused by their neighbor’s landscaping including: increased erosive energy from upstream retaining walls; increased flooding caused by downstream constrictions of the channel; and lack of enjoyable wildlife caused by minimal streamside vegetation.  

The workshops will help streamside landowners understand how they can minimize damage to their own property, avoid damaging their neighbors’ property, and help the region’s efforts to restore salmon.  

The workshops will start with information on stream ecology and watershed science, and progress to improved landscaping and streambank protection techniques.

There will be two identical classroom workshops, so people can choose a time that works best for them.  In addition there will be a Saturday afternoon field trip to view several types of streambank structures, to generate ideas about how streambanks at home can be improved. 

• 1st classroom workshop: Thursday May 31 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. 

              OR

• 2nd classroom workshop: Saturday June 9th from 10:00 AM to Noon.

Field trip: Saturday June 9th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. 

Participants from either workshop will be welcome on the field trip.

The workshops will be held in the Council Chambers at the Lake Forest Park City Hall, and the field trip will depart from City Hall. 

The workshops will be taught by Tom Murdoch, Executive Director of Adopt-A-Stream Foundation.  Tom is one of the founders of Adopt-A-Stream; he has decades of experience in developing concepts and techniques for stream restoration.  He also has extensive teaching experience in aquatic ecology, and vast experience coordinating volunteer stream enhancement workers.