Auburn Mitigation Site: Forested & Emergent Wetlands — Restoration Walks 2013

The Auburn Mitigation Site is an 80-acre wetland restoration project in the Green River floodplain, created by the Port of Seattle to offset natural resource impacts from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's third runway construction. The site features forested, scrub-shrub, and emergent wetlands that provide 40 acre-feet of floodplain storage, while keeping waterfowl habitat away from the airport to reduce bird-strike hazards to aircraft. As of 2013, the Port was in Year 6 of a 15-year monitoring program, with most communities successfully maturing and meeting performance standards after targeted removal of invasive species such as reed canary grass and cattail.

Notes

Brochure for the Society for Ecological Restoration Northwest Chapter Restoration Walks 2013 event at the Auburn Mitigation Site in the Green River floodplain, King County, Washington, led by Chipper Maney on October 12, 2013. The Port Of Seattle created this 80-acre wetland complex — including Oregon ash/sedge, Black Cottonwood/willow, Red Alder/salmonberry, willow/dogwood, Western Red Cedar, sedge/rush, bulrush/smartweed, and open water communities — to mitigate natural resource impacts from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s third runway construction. The site provides 40–45 acre-feet of Green River floodplain storage, replacing historically agricultural land previously dominated by reed canary grass and blackberry. The Port is in Year 6 of a 15-year monitoring program; invasive cattail and reed canary grass were managed through cut-and-spray removal and mechanical control.

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