By CHERYL KLINKER

Earth Day provides an opportunity to take a step back to look at the health of a natural ecosystem right in Lake Cityıs own backyard: the Thornton Creek Watershed.

While progress has been made since the Thornton Creek Alliance and other groups started restoration efforts as early as 1993, there is still much that can be done. In fact, it almost seems we have taken a step backward in some cases.

Significant progress has been made on various park sites to reclaim habitat from invasive plants such as blackberry and Japanese knotweed, and replace them with native plants and woody debris.

At the same time, groves of trees are coming down to be replaced with new structures and parking lots such as the planned construction at the former Weight Watchers site on Lake City Way at NE 98th Street.

In the last year, three species of salmon were spotted in Thornton Creek: Coho, Sockeye and Chinook, but many died before getting a chance to spawn.

Recent monitoring of water quality by the Institute for Environmental Health shows that reduction of human fecal coliforms. In other words, leaky sewers have been drastically reduced. However, bird coliforms are high, possibly indicating overly large flocks of geese and crows are having an impact.

What is even more alarming and more harmful are the levels of chemicals found in the stream. Studies by USGS in 1995 and 1998 found high levels of an herbicide called 2, 4-D and a pesticide called diazinon. The Department of Ecology found diazinon at .077 ug/L while the recommended concentration should be .009 ug/L or lower.

The Washington Toxics Coalition has collected more recent data for Thornton Creek showing that the pesticides carbaryl, prometon and chloryrifos are at levels exceeding safe levels for aquatic life.

Recent installation of detention ponds with another getting underway at Jackson Golf Course are helping to reduce some of the sudden high flows, but still the levels of sediment are suffocating fish and burying fish eggs.

In just the first three years of the construction of Meadowbrook Pond, sediment washed down from the rest of the watershed needed to be dredged to reclaim water storage capacity.

Construction crews in the Thornton Creek Watershed area still leave piles of soil uncovered, donıt put up erosion fences, leave catch basins without ³bibs² to catch contaminants, dump paint into drains or the creek itself, and replace good organic soils with crushed concrete-like materials.

All of this indicates an ecosystem out of balance and in trouble. Yet the creek and its inhabitants endure as a testimony to the adaptability of nature, but for how long?

It is not too late to create a sustainable environment in Lake City and surrounding neighborhoods. Many small acts by all of us will help.

Here are a few ideas: report violations by construction crews, dispose safely all oils and paints, plant native shrubs and trees in our backyards, use organic or manual alternatives to weed killers and pesticides, use cisterns to capture storm water runoff for use on our gardens, get involved with local environmental groups, and write the City Council to get a watershed plan adopted for the Thornton Creek Watershed.

Contact me at 367-4635 if you are interested in joining a local group of activists known as the Thornton Creek Alliance, which is trying to restore some balance in the Thornton Creek Watershed.