Revitalizing habitat and minimizing impact
Good environmental stewardship means looking beyond the drainage pipe to consider how
urban, industrial and agricultural activity affects entire watersheds. Schnitzer Steel is doing
our part to protect and restore these complex habitats that are so vital to clean drinking water,
native wildlife, irrigation and industry.
Restoring Hylebos Creek
Hylebos Creek in Tacoma, Washington was once a prime salmon habitat. Due to causes from loose agricultural practices to urbanization, the stream today cannot support the wide array of plants and wildlife that once thrived there. When Schnitzer Steel acquired our deep water terminal in Tacoma, we began exploring ways to help restore that important area as part of our commitment to natural resource habitat restoration. The Karileen Restoration Project on the West Branch of Hylebos Creek, several miles from the terminal, is our latest contribution to the overall community effort. Watershed experts designed a plan to counteract the damage caused by development, grazing and invasive plants. The enhancements will be implemented throughout the 10-acre Karileen property, located in Federal Way, Washington.
The site includes several habitats, including wet pasture, forested wetland, upland pasture and upland forest habitats – a complex challenge for the restoration team.
The project site was chosen in consultation with Friends of the Hylebos for its habitat features and for its potential to enhance other restoration efforts. The Karileen property connects upstream restoration projects to high-quality salmon habitat downstream at the Gethsemane Cemetery.
"We are digging out invasive plants, deleveling and lowering the compacted soil adjacent to the creek, and even reintroducing woody debris and snags. We're working with the community to help re-create salmon spawning areas," says Jim Jakubiak, a Schnitzer Steel Environmental Administrator.
Native plants bring new life to Little Bear Creek
Two hundred years ago, the land abutting Little Bear Creek was dense with Sitka spruce trees and sword ferns, and supported thriving populations of chinook salmon, rainbow trout, heron, falcons and songbirds. More recently, the land in Woodinville, Washington has been used for a variety of commercial purposes with predictable results – the once lush vegetation has thinned and the salmon and songbirds have gone elsewhere.
Since purchasing this former industrial site in 2008, Schnitzer has launched a plan to both develop the site as a metals recycling facility, and protect and restore the fragile habitat.
During initial site development, a team of habitat biologists will remove non-native plants and replace them with native species like black cottonwood, Sitka spruce, Western red cedar and sword ferns. The thick canopy of native trees and shrubs is expected to persuade wildlife to return and will serve to cool the stream waters, which encourages salmon reproduction and survival.
Schnitzer Steel will install a state-of-the-art storm water collection, treatment and dispersal system as a critical portion of constructing the recycling facility. The goal is to approximate natural hydrologic conditions at the boundary of the developed area to promote habitat recovery in the nearby creek and wetlands.
"Our goal is to restore natural conditions and
provide an attractive habitat for native wildlife."
– Scott Sloan, NW Regional Environmental Manager, Metals Recycling Business
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