Spawning salmon return to creek after decades

By Robert Santos

SEATAC, Wash. -- It's no secret that salmon runs in the region are at an all-time low.

Things had been no different for a local creek where the the endangered species hadn't been seen for years until recently.

Port of Seattle bought a chunk of land near Sea-Tac Airport years ago as a part of its plan to build a third runway. Many conservationists feared construction would damage the wetlands and the creek. But port officials say their efforts to restore the area has paid off.

Nearly 60 years have passed since salmon have been spotted at Miller Creek near the airport, but now coho salmon are returning to spawn. Floodwaters from the recent storm helped give them a boost upstream.

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The salmon are spawning some 200 yards away from Sea-Tac's new runway. The port brought in enough dirt to fill trucks in a line from Seattle to Miami and back for that project. Environmental groups worried all the dredging would disturb the environment, but Feigin says not as far as he can tell.

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Crews chained in tree trunks to stabilize the banks and create spawning pools, and planted more than 150,000 native plants.