VIEWFINDER: Providing a Better Salmon Habitat Along Mackey Creek

Nearly 70 volunteers spent Saturday morning planting trees and willow stakes along the shores of Mackey Creek at in Redmond.

The effort was jointly sponsored by the City of Redmond and the Adopt a Stream Foundation. Volunteers removed invasive species and planted an estimated 50 trees and 2,000 live willow stakes. 

Event organizers said the plants will provide shade for migrating Coho salmon that travel through Mackey Creek on their way to Bear Creek, a major spawning area.

"The really big factor for fish is temperature," said Peter Holte, a program administrator with the city's public works department. "The warmer the water, the less oxygen there is."

The Earth Day planting is an annual event, Holte said. Last year's planting took place at Westside Park.

For more information, check out the video that is attached to this article.