Country just around the corner at Evans Creek | New trailhead in Sammamish set to begin construction soon

Published 9:39 am Tuesday, November 20, 2012

When Kellye Hilde joined the city of Sammamish in 2009, Evans Creek Preserve remained mostly unchanged from its centuries as a homestead farm off Highway 202. It was inaccessible for dog-walkers, bird watchers and those looking to escape back into nature without venturing high into the Cascades and mostly unknown to Sammamish residents that lived just around the corner.

In the three years since, with the help of Washington Trails Association, the Adopt-A-Stream foundation and thousands of volunteer hours, the project is becoming a destination for outdoor enthusiasts in and around the community.

Hilde said the Evans Creek project, which was her first as a Park Project Director, has been a labor of love and a great source of pride given the amount of time and resources contributed.

“The majority of the park was built by volunteers,” she said. “It opened last year, but we have continued to work to build trails, do restoration and enhance critical areas.”

Hilde was back at the preserve last weekend with a host of volunteers and park commissioner Brad Conner, a Sammamish native who said the project piqued his interest in park development.

Conner has lived in Sammamish for 20 years, attending school and, “driving around my lowered Honda Civic,” before raising his own family on the Plateau. He was working from home when the Evans Creek project got underway and saw it as an ideal opportunity to foster his interest in building trails and creating infrastructure that enhances natural areas. While his experience was limited coming into the project, his passion made for a quick study and had Conner contributing in ways he hadn’t imagined.

“I enjoyed it, saw the progress and I got to drive construction equipment,” he said, adding that many fellow volunteers encouraged him to extend his efforts with the city of Sammamish. “I became a trail steward and now we’re here helping lead work parties.”

He was one of more than a dozen individuals on hand last weekend to enhance a buffer-zone built to border the creek and provide some insulation from the parking lot above. The group planted new foliage and removed invasive species along a stretch of the preserve that local Boy Scouts have also worked on. With a number of parties invested in the long-term viability and development of the preserve and a growing population coming to experience its ever-expanding trail system, Hilde and Conner said Evans Creek is a true diamond in the rough.

“The nice part about it is it’s an unknown,” Conner said. “You’re not going to see a ton of people, you’re more likely to see owls.”

Kim Dawson, a Sammamish resident for ten years who said she has been coming to the preserve since it opened last year, said she too has noticed increased traffic, but said it is still a serene setting for walking her two dogs, always on-leash per regulations.

The first phase of the project included the bridge over Evans Creek, upper parking lot, beginning of the trail system and a zero-utility restroom that uses a solar paneled vent to reduce the smell from waste. Unlike composting toilets, Hilde said the waterless restroom is not hampered by a constant odor and is emptied once every two years. The second phase, which is set to begin in 2013, will include a long sought after connection from the city of Sammamish directly to the preserve. Currently, patrons must travel down Highway 202 to access the parking lot and trails.

“What we’re finding is a lot of people outside Sammamish are the ones who visit the park,” she said, adding that the new trailhead will include a parking lot.

Aside from providing more parking for an area that continues to increase in popularity, the second phase will also serve as an expanded hiding area for the Evans Creek Preserve gnome, which regulars find and them re-hide along hiking paths in a game of hide-and-seek that has only enhanced the area’s appeal.

“I don’t even know where it started,” Hilde said. “But it’s getting people out there.”

Trees planted along the creek will soon provide an added layer to the habitat. JOSH SUMAN, ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER

The trail from the parking lot winds down a hill to the preserve below. JOSH SUMAN, ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER

Conner points to the buffer-zone from the parking lot area at Evans Creek Preserve. The project served as his original inspiration for becoming involved in trail work. JOSH SUMAN, ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER

Plants and tools sit in the shed at Evans Creek Preserve before being planted to replace the buffer put into place to shield the creek. JOSH SUMAN, ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER

Conner talks with volunteers as the group prepares to remove invasive species from the buffer-zone along the creek. JOSH SUMAN, ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER

An old bridge, which is now blocked from both sides, is visible through the rails of the new bridge over Evans Creek. JOSH SUMAN, ISSAQUAH-SAMMAMISH REPORTER

Contact and submissions: jsuman@bellevuereporter.com