SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. — A popular recreation area near Snoqualmie Pass could soon be closed for up to a decade while some big changes are made as part of a restoration project.
The goal is to save a threatened fish species, but some locals are concerned about the impacts the project will have on their community.
Gold Creek Pond is a spot many people walk, picnic and snowshoe around on a trail that is just over 1 mile. The pond is known for its easy access and stunning views. But the Gold Creek Valley is not in its natural state.
“The Gold Creek Valley was this incredible old growth forest with a mountain stream meandering down through it,” said William Meyer, a biologist with the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Meyer said the wetland ecosystem that used to cover the area was disrupted by logging around the 1950s and was further disrupted in the 1970s when a gravel pit was dug into the ground when building Interstate 90. That gravel pit is now Gold Creek Pond.
These past actions are now causing a crisis for bull trout, a threatened species.
“We've come across large adult trout that are trying to migrate up to spawn and literally the bottom drops out of the creek and they die, ready to lay their eggs,” said Meyer.
Yakama Nation scientists said Gold Creek dries out and leaves the fish dead due to multiple factors, including the pond.
“Gold Creek Pond actually captures all the underground water and it creates that two mile stretch of dry riverbed,” said Todd Newsome, a Yakama Nation research scientist.
That’s why the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Yakama Nation partnered with the U.S. Forest Service to try to restore the ecosystem.
They plan to close the popular recreation area for up to 10 years in order to change the pond back into a wetland ecosystem.
“Filling that pond back up and creating the forested wetland that it was back in the 40s will bring the water table back up and restore the stream flow for migration and spawning and rearing for the bull trout,” said Meyer.
While several groups are part of the planning for this project, the people who live in Snoqualmie Pass said they have been left out.
They are concerned the construction period will cause traffic congestion, reduce parking, and lead to visitors trespassing to get to recreation areas.
“The folks that are going to suffer from that, it's not the national forest. The folks that are suffering are the locals in the town of Snoqualmie Pass,” said resident and Snoqualmie Pass Community Association President Josh McBride.
McBride said community members should have been a part of the planning process from the beginning to reduce potential collateral impacts to people who live there.
“What we can only interpret from their interaction with us, or lack thereof, is that they don't want to deal with this. They don't want to engage in those mitigation plans. They don't want to spend the money on them,” said McBride.
The Forest Service said in 2020 it got input during the scoping process and then in April of this year held a community meeting to inform residents about the plan.
“I asked about the impacts to public safety and I was told that they are not taking public comment on this meeting tonight and that somebody would reach back out to me,” said Chief Jay Wiseman with Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue.
Chief Wiseman said attempts to sit down in person with the forest service have been rejected.
“At one point a U.S. Forest Service employee actually told me that this project's going to happen, whether you like it or not,” said Wiseman.
Wiseman said they have not had to use Gold Pond as a firefighting resource in his 12 years as chief, but he sees it as a viable water source if there were a fire in that area, which is near a residential neighborhood.
“If we didn't have that water source, we would have to truck it in from somewhere else, which delays us getting water, which gives the fire potential to spread faster,” said Wiseman.
The Forest Service believes the fire district could create other water sources and use other water sources in the area.
“I would recommend building or buying some tanks in which they can hold water and have ready access to that water if needed for emergency response,” said Scott Robinson, the Cle Elum Forest Service district ranger.
When it comes to public comment, they said it’s virtual. Robinson said they received around 200 public comments online for the Gold Creek Valley Restoration Project.
“The way the public submits comments is through our online system, and that's how it was set up for this project,” said Robinson.
While some community members feel their input and alternate ideas have not been acknowledged, the forest service said it has read through the public comments and adjusted some plans as a result of public input, like now trying to allow some recreation during the restoration period.
“If there's a year where there is no construction and we feel like we can allow people in safely, we will have the opportunity to consider that,” said Patty Garvey-Darda, the U.S. Forest Service I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project liaison.
When asked about including mitigation plans to help any possible community impacts, the Forest Service said that is not the focus, but that they would try to educate and spread awareness to visitors.
“The purpose of this project is bull trout and really only bull trout,” said Garvey-Darda. “So, we're not focused on solving all the recreation problems, we're going to mitigate so that we have a better rec facility than we have today.”
While community members are still hoping to sit down with the Forest Service before a decision is made, the Forest Service feels people will be happy with the results when a new wetland recreation area opens for public use where Gold Creek Pond sits now.
The Forest Service said they plan to have boardwalks on parts of the wetland and educational resources for people who visit the restored ecosystem.
“It’s going to be really impressive,” said Garvey-Darda. “I think the public will be really happy.”
The Gold Creek Pond trail is one of the only ADA accessible trails in the area. When the planned restoration project is complete it will have ADA access, but the U.S. Forest Service said it likely will not during construction.
A decision on the project is expected in October and construction would start next year.