Podcast: What’s Up Bainbridge
Schel-Chelb Watershed Walk Sept 14 from 2-4 pm


Whats Up on Bainbridge IslandLooking for a Sunday afternoon adventure?  Come explore the Schel-Chelb Estuary in the Pleasant Beach Watershed on Sunday, September 14, from 2-4pm with volunteers from the Bainbridge Island Watershed Council.

Schel-Chelb Estuary
Schel-Chelb Estuary

In this episode, Bainbridge Island Watershed Council chair Deb Rudnick talks with BCB host Diane Landry about the Council’s plans for the Sunday walk.

You might ask, what is a watershed? All water runs downhill and eventually ends up in some body of water. The area of land that sheds water all to the same place is called a watershed. For example, the whole west coast of the United States lies in the Pacific Ocean Watershed.

On a smaller scale, everyone on Bainbridge lives in the Puget Sound Watershed. And, on our island, there are actually twelve different watersheds, including Fletcher Bay, Eagle Harbor, and more.  For more about Bainbridge watersheds, visit http://www.ci.bainbridge-isl.wa.us/DocumentCenter/View/497

Pleasant Beach Watershed
Pleasant Beach Watershed

The Schel-Chelb Estuary is a pool of fresh and saltwater in the Pleasant Beach Watershed, and is located approximately 100 meters west of Lynwood Center on Point White Drive. This man-made sanctuary was created in 1997 as a mitigation project to compensate for tidal wetland filling at the Wyckoff Superfund site.

Habitat restoration included installing a bottomless box culvert under the road to improve tidal connectivity and salmon passage. In 2003, the Open Space Commission purchased the land to the east and established the Camas East Loop trail.

Fish culvert under Point White Drive
Fish culvert under Point White Drive

As with last year’s walk, which featured the Murden Cove Watershed and drew 30 curious visitors, this year’s one-mile route will highlight beach and stream aquatic life, invasive and native plants, rain gardens and stormwater runoff, and estuary functions.

Volunteer guides from various science fields will be posted at different stations along the route. Show up at the Sunday Lynwood Farmers’ Market lot any time between 2 and 4 pm, and complete the walk within that timeframe. Participants are encouraged to bike down, but parking is available in the Lynwood Center lots or on the street. Visit www.biwatershedcouncil.org for more information.

Credits: BCB host: Diane Landry; BCB studio tech: Joanna Pyle; audio editor: Tim Bird; “What’s Up” music splash: Tim Bird; BCB ferry music: Dogfish Bay Studios; Podcast art: artopia creative.