It was a pleasure to serve Connelly Creek with the Daredevil’s Club on Sunday. As the group arrived the sun was shining and our spirits were high. The Connelly Creek restoration project at Happy Valley Park has been developing slowly but surely. The Mentors were delighted to share with the Explorers that just a little ways down Connelly Creek, at its confluence with Padden Creek, restoration under the City of Bellingham has been moving faster than we can keep up with.
Mentors explained to the group that in 1997 the Padden Creek Alliance was formed, which includes the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bellingham Parks Department, and local citizen groups. These groups work together to restore the creek, provide better flood control, and allow salmon to move more freely through it. In 1997 a tunnel running about 2,300 feet from 17th to 22nd street underneath Old Fairhaven Parkway was identified as a major roadblock for salmon. In the past, fish have been stacked at the end of the narrow tunnel while trying to return to their spawning grounds. Just this summer the city began the Padden Creek Daylight Project, which will take out the tunnel and build a bridge under old Fairhaven Parkway, restoring the natural flow to Padden Creek. For more information on the project please see the link at the bottom of the blog.
The group was excited salmon were finally running in Connelly Creek again. Connelly Creek is part of the Padden Creek Watershed; which is home to Chinook, Chum, Coho, Steelhead, and resident trout. As we headed out to our service sight we crossed over Connelly Creek using a make shift bridge made of plywood. Just as the last Explorer was crossing a woman name Linda came down to check out the action. She informed us that she had seen salmon in the creek two days ago. This was the call to action that we needed, our creek was living and breathing again! We thanked her for the info and headed to the patch of blackberry that we had worked on the previous year. Before we could get there, we noticed a pile of backpacks lying in the chest high Reed Canary Grass. The Daredevil’s Club instantly knew what was going on, it was an ambush! The Alevin Explorers came out of the woodworks in every direction. We were glad they weren’t a hungry pack of wolves because our owl eyes and deer ears were not working very well. Matt Fogarty was the last to emerge from the brush almost catching an Explorer by the ankles.
Together the groups walked over to the tools where we snacked and had a multi-group meeting while looking at our work from last year. The Explorers were shocked to find that the large patch of blackberry they had removed in the spring had grown back over the mulch. Mentors encouraged the group that their work was not in vain. It was vey important to recognize in this situation that Slow is Fast and Fast is Slow. Our goal for the day would be to remove the roots of those Himalayan Blackberries; it is the only way to truly get rid of them. We also discussed our motto Tool vs. a Weapon. As our skills deepen and we start to work with pitch forks, shears, loppers, machetes, hatchets, and saws we must step up to the challenge and responsibility that these tools come with.
After our meeting the Daredevil’s Club set out across a large field to play a game called Mouth, Ears, and Body before we started digging blackberries. It is a game where Explorers get together in groups of three and line up single file at the designated starting line. The first team member blindfolds himself and is only allowed to move by listening to directions from the second team member. The second team member turns around and faces the exact opposite way of the starting line and is only allowed to call directions without gesturing or looking. The third member faces the second team member who is only allowed to give hand signals to direct their voice. When everyone was in position Mentors scattered paper cups all over the field so that only the third player knew where they were. The teams all experienced some frustration in the beginning but soon got all three different members working and functioning as a well-oiled team.
Mentors called the group into a circle and discussed how this game was a great model of our service projects. Within the Connelly Creek restoration project there are many different organizations collaborating and bringing in different skills, resources, and connections. We all work together with a common goal in mind and sometimes it can be a frustrating, slow process but in the end we can accomplish the goal with quality and integrity.
The group walked back over to where the Alevin were digging out blackberry roots and joined in the fun. It was great to see the two groups meld together so fluidly. Triumphantly the Explorers would pull root balls out of the soil, holding their trophies up high as they worked in groups of three to dig them out. The Explorers set up different stations; one for cutting and pilling the blackberry, one for digging the roots and a third for making a square boarder to keep the blackberry at bay. After about an hour of focused work we moved down to the creek. Earlier in the day Matt had identified a plug in the creek caused by debris piling against a Willow Tree root that spanned the creek. We all worked together to shovel out the sludge and cut the roots allowing the creek to flow again. Once we were good and covered with mud we said goodbye to the Alevin and headed back to the blackberry bramble. We focused our tools and efforts for another hour and really got some tremendous work done.
Our day of service revealed that there are many the powers in coming together as a community and engaging in an active relationship with the land. When we work side by side we are afforded the opportunity to engage in many powerful conversations and experiences with our peers while rejoicing in the act of giving to all members of our community. As we learn from Connelly Creek we can begin to build conviction and start to advocate for the health of all of the land that is around us. Once we feel and define our connection and dependence on the land we can begin to develop an ethic for it. We ended our day talking about a man named Aldo Leopold. He to had a patch of land that he took care of for forty years. Aldo Leopold once said, “Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort to understand and preserve this capacity.” This statement sums up the relationship the Explorers are cultivating with Connelly Creek. We gave thanks and ended our day snacking on apples in the sun, what a glorious day! 
Please visit the Daredevil’s Club photo gallery for more pictures of the day.
Click here for more information from the City of Bellingham. Once you have clicked the link and are on the COB webpage click on Presentation of 60% design for a presentation and slideshow about the Padden Creek Daylight Project.
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