The Hylebos Creek Off-Channel site, formerly known as the Jordan property, was acquired and annexed by the City of Fife, in cooperation with the Commencement Bay Natural Resources Trustees. The site includes 15.3 acres and is bounded on the west and southwest by Hylebos Creek, on the south by private property and 8th Street, on the east by a bluff, and on the north by the property line extending east from the end of 4th Street. The site was partially forested with a wetland area bordering Hylebos Creek, and an access road running north/south between the creek and the bluff.
The Trustees were responsible for the design, construction, and adaptive management of a stream restoration project, which includes a nature trail. The City of Fife is responsible for operating and maintaining the site after completion of the project. The project is intended to create off-channel habitat for juvenile salmonids adjacent to the Hylebos Creek.
Activities that took place at the site prior to construction included a Phase I Site Assessment; digging test pits to characterize soil conditions; installing piezometers and surface water transducers to monitor groundwater and surface water elevations; evaluating wetland conditions in relation to an adjacent site; and sampling soils and wood debris.
Construction was completed in the fall of 2005. A backwater channel that connects to Hylebos Creek via five inlets was constructed at the site. Pools and islands were created to add complexity to the habitat provided by the backwater channel. Native vegetation was planted at the newly constructed site in the winter and spring of 2006.