Plant willow stakes to hold Swan Creek's bare banks

Stretches of Swan Creek's banks are bare and slumping, sending sediment downstream into salmon water in the Puyallup system. Live willow stakes are the classic low-tech fix: cut, drive, and let them root into a living bank. The park stewardship program identifies the stretches; the work needs hands. Standard: Salmon-Safe urban standards + Metro Parks Tacoma restoration protocols; SDG 14 (Life Below Water). Proof: photos of the staked bank stretch from both directions with stake count Method (Salmon-Safe urban standards + Metro Parks Tacoma restoration protocols; SDG 14 (Life Below Water).): 1. Coordinate with the park stewardship contact to confirm the approved bank stretch and stake source. 2. Cut live willow stakes to length, keeping them moist until planting. 3. Drive stakes into the moist bank at the marked spacing, buds up, two-thirds of each stake below ground. 4. Water the stakes in if the bank is dry and flag the planted stretch. 5. Photograph the planted bank from upstream and downstream, GPS-tagged and dated. Done when: photos of the staked bank stretch from both directions with stake count

Where

Approved bank stretch, Swan Creek Park, Tacoma, WA 98404

Pay

$360 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

photos of the staked bank stretch from both directions with stake count

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-09-18

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 30–180 minutes. Method of record: Salmon-Safe urban creek/riparian bank stewardship — litter removal, hand-pulled invasive control, native riparian planting, and live-stake bank stabilization on the DRY BANK ONLY (never entering the creek channel). Salmon-Safe Inc. certification practice + King County/Adopt-A-Stream streamside restoration protocol. SDG 14 / 15.1 / 6.6. assess->clear/plant/stabilize->verify

Bring

• grabber tool + trash bags (litter removal)
• hand pruners/loppers + heavy gloves (invasive removal)
• trowel/shovel + native plant stock + mulch (riparian planting)
• mallet + dormant willow/native stake cuttings (bank stabilization)
• camera + GPS

Steps

1. 1. ASSESS: photograph the bank section as found (litter, invasive cover, bare/eroding soil) and confirm the work stays entirely on dry ground above the water line.
2. 2. Clear litter and debris by hand/grabber tool, and hand-pull or cut invasive vegetation at the root, bagging any seeded/fruiting material for off-site disposal.
3. 3. Plant native riparian species (or drive live willow/native stakes for bank stabilization where erosion is active) at proper spacing, forming a watering basin and mulching each plant.
4. 4. Deep-water each new planting from the bank with a hose or watering can, never entering the channel.
5. 5. VERIFY: photograph the finished bank section from matching vantage, log species/count/bag totals, and confirm no work crossed the water line.

If it does not match the plan

• Bank slope or water level makes dry-ground footing unsafe -> STOP, document only, do not proceed.
• Invasive removal requires herbicide to be effective -> route to a licensed applicator; hand-pulling only for this posting.
• A section shows active slope failure or exposed utility -> stop and report instead of digging/staking.

What counts as done

• Before/after photo pairs of the worked bank section
• Species/count or bag-count log for the specific practice performed
• Photo confirmation that no tool, stake, or foot crossed the water line
• Any hazardous or unknown item (drum, needle) documented, not collected

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.