Photo: American Goldfinch by Gerald Plowman
By Martha Jordan (Pilchuck Audubon) and Jeremey Lucas (Eastside Audubon)
If you have not yet visited this diverse habitat area, now is a good time to go. This 456-acre unit is three miles north of the town of Carnation, is the largest unit within the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area and hosts the greatest diversity of habitats. There are two parking areas a mile apart accessed off Hwy 203. Both have informational kiosks with information on site use, restrictions, notices, and more. There are no restrooms. The eastern boundary is adjacent to the Snoqualmie Valley Trail. The Stillwater Unit is owned and managed by WDFW. The trail is owned and managed by King County Parks and Recreation Department.
Undeveloped river floodplains and their associated shrub and forested wetlands are increasingly rare in western Washington. WDFW ownership ensures their protection and wise management while offering the public various recreational opportunities.
History: Historically, agriculture was an important tool for habitat management of the Stillwater Unit. WDFW created a network of fields ranging in size from 20 to 40 acres, ringed with brushy drainages and hedgerows. During the 1980s, local larger scale agriculture collapsed. By the 1990s, fields were being overtaken by noxious weeds. Agriculture was returned to the unit in 2014 to help control weeds. As of 2019 there were 100 acres under agriculture leases. The long-term goal is to recover approximately 120 acres in crops that benefit wildlife, habitat, recreational opportunities, and the local agriculture economy. An additional major management goal of the Stillwater Unit is to identify and implement wetland enhancement projects. The goal of this work is to improve salmon rearing habitat, provide fish refuge from floods, and provide cold-water inputs for summer stream flows.
Stillwater Today: Stillwater Unit still consists of a mix of active farm fields, forest, and wetland habitats. Seasonal flooding is common and can inundate the entire unit especially in the rainy season. There is 8,500 feet of Snoqualmie River shoreline. The Unit has three oxbow lakes; two that are connected to Harris Creek during high flow events and one that is a separate drainage. Harris Creek runs through the center of the property for approximately 10,500 feet before emptying into the Snoqualmie River. There are two unnamed ephemeral drainages on the property. WDFW is planning the potential to restore wetland habitat and to remove fish passage barriers within the Unit.
Activities: This unit is popular for wildlife viewing, photography, and hiking the many trails that crisscross the unit. In the fall and early winter periods, hunting for waterfowl and pheasant is popular. This is a WDFW pheasant release area for hunters. There is an archery season for deer and elk. Dog training of hunting dogs is allowed within certain parts of the Unit. Only dogs in training or actually engaged with their owner in hunting are allowed to be off leash on this Unit. A large oxbow pond and various other large ponds provide for warmwater fishing including bass and bullhead. Some people enjoy swimming and picnicking along the river.
Special Habitats & Species: The unit is located in critical salmon priority habitats, particularly for chinook salmon and steelhead. Among a variety of wildlife species, this unit hosts bats, bear, cougar, deer, elk, Neotropical migrant birds, and resident passerine birds.
The Birds: This is an important site that provides habitat for a wide variety of birds. Pied-billed Grebes, Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, accipiters, Killdeer, woodpeckers (Downy, Hairy, Pileated, Northern Flickers, Red-breasted Sapsucker), wrens, blackbirds, some ducks, chickadees, and others are resident here. During spring and summer, warblers (Orange-crowned, MacGillivray's, Common Yellowthroats, Yellow-rumps, Nashville, Black-throated Gray, etc.), rails (Virginia and Sora), American Bittern, and sparrows can be quite common. Wintertime brings hundreds of geese (including Cackling, White-fronted, and an occasional Snow), many duck species (including Eurasian Wigeon), gulls, swans (mostly Trumpeter), Northern Shrikes, Peregrine Falcons, and occasionally, Rough-legged Hawks. Uncommon and rare sightings in the valley include Prairie Falcon, Harris's Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Tri-colored Blackbird, Lazuli Bunting, Vesper Sparrow, Western Grebe, Solitary Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Glaucous Gull, and a possible Alder Flycatcher.
Search for potential birding opportunities on or near a wildlife area unit by using eBird Northwest, a citizen science database portal that provides freely-shared bird lists at 'hotspots' and interactive maps plus other birding information updated daily.
The Snoqualmie Valley Trail: The trail has many hotspots for birders. Eastside Audubon website has more information on the trail and what you may find at this link.
A BIRDING WITH AWARENESS REMINDER:
BEFORE YOU GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE: Please remember to put your Discover Pass on your dashboard or hang it on the rearview mirror. You need a Discover Pass to park in any WDFW Wildlife Area parking lot or their boat access sites. They can be purchased anywhere WDFW licenses are sold and online.
Read what is posted on the reader boards/kiosks.
Note if there are other cars in the lot. Be aware that other activities may be happening on the unit such as hunting (big game, waterfowl and upland bird) during certain dates, hunt dog training, or a scheduled special activity. A reminder that during the fall these areas are pheasant release sites for hunting and special hours may apply on pheasant release days.
If you are out during hunting season it is suggested that you wear an orange or bright pink vest, so hunters can see you.
If you see a wildlife-related issue, including poaching, there are several ways you can report the issue:
Call 911 to report poaching in progress, a dangerous wildlife complaint, or an emergency.
Call 877-933-9847 for non-emergency poaching/violation reports.
Send an email to reportpoaching@dfw.wa.gov.
Send a text tip to 847411 (TIP411) by entering WDFWTIP, followed by a space, and then entering your report.
Use the online form to report a violation
And remember, please keep your dog on leash at all times while out enjoying your wildlife viewing. Our wildlife areas are not off-leash dog parks.
If you are able and willing, bring a garbage bag and either some collection device (like a stick) or gloves, please do so. Picking up the smaller items is appreciated, especially when out on the unit. The bigger items as well as most of the garbage piles dumped at the parking lots are picked up by volunteers associated with other groups, especially the hunting groups. I keep a hiking checklist and those items are always included in my run-through of everything I need.
REPORT garbage dumping, serious graffiti, damage to signs or kiosks, and damage to the parking lot by sending an email to the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area manager at brian.boehm@dfw.wa.gov. Or you can call Martha Jordan, a member of the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area Citizen’s Advisory Committee at 206-713-3684.
With some knowledge about the shared space, regulations, and what you can do to be part of the active stewardship community, you can not only help protect these areas for wildlife and future generations but have a great and safe time out there. Now, get out there and bird!