There is no single magic pill for improving the health of Cougar Creek and its fish populations.
Like most urban and suburban creeks, ours has been “nickled and dimed” into its present less-than-ideal situation. Here, the creek passes through a culvert (pipe) that fish can barely negotiate. Over there, a parking lot has been built on top of what was once a marshy meadow that fed clean water into the creek. Behind streamside condos, invasive non-native plants such as lamium and English ivy have escaped their gardens and are heading down the streambanks, displacing the native plants whose chemistry and associated insect species are essential to creek health. And so on ….
That’s why our streamkeeper projects are many and varied – some large, others small, some dramatic, others barely noticeable, some fun, others tedious … all helping, to “nickle and dime” the creek back to good health. In addition to the Creek Enhancement projects described here, check out our Rain gardens and Tips for home and garden.
