The Mowitch site, previously known as the Wasser/Winter site or Hylebos Estuary site, is at the junction of Hylebos Creek and the southeast end of the highly industrialized Hylebos Waterway on land owned by the Port of Tacoma. The site is approximately 2.3 acres in area and includes Hylebos Creek and an adjacent strip immediately northwest of the creek that is approximately 100 ft in width and 1,000 ft in length. The site is bounded on the south by the centerline of the Hylebos Creek; on the west by a railroad right-of-way adjacent to Marine View Drive; on the north by an 8-ft cedar fence; and on the west by the pier headline at the southeast end of the Upper Hylebos Waterway turning basin.
The elevation of the upland portion of the site is approximately 6 to 12 ft above mean sea level (msl) or 12 to 18 ft above mean lower low water (MLLW). The site includes the north half of Hylebos Creek, which prior to restoration passed through the site in a straight, deep, steep-banked channel. The site formerly sloped slightly toward the creek and the Hylebos Waterway and included a log ramp at its northwest end.
From June through October 2000, a restoration effort was conducted on behalf of the Trustees under the direction of NOAA. Three backwater pools with base elevations near mean low water (MLW) were sculpted from the existing upland buffer. The backwater areas are flooded twice each day. A secondary stream mouth was added at the location of the historical log ramp. The pools and adjacent terraces include horizontal logs as habitat features. In addition, the area between the pools was regraded to an elevation between mean high water (MHW) and mean higher high water (MHHW) (10.96 to 11.84 ft on an MLLW datum). A buffer of 25 ft next to the fence remained vegetated. Large woody debris was placed, and the upland areas of the site (elevation above 14 ft MLLW) were hydroseeded with a mix of native grasses and forbs. Volunteers planted native plants, shrubs, and trees in the fall of 2000 and spring of 2001.
Following initial monitoring, several hundred individual potted plants were installed in a replanting event initiated in November 2002. Organic-rich topsoil was placed around each of the new plants to improve the chances of successful plant establishment.