Lacey City Council approves partnership for Woodland Creek riparian restoration 

State conservation workers will be hired to speed up a restoration effort at a park in Lacey following struggles to control invasive plants. 

The Lacey City Council voted unanimously to authorize the city manager to sign an agreement with the Washington State Department of Ecology. The city council made the decision at a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The agreement calls for Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) workers to restore the riparian area in Woodland Creek Community Park. The park is located at 6729 Pacific Ave. SE. 

Woodland Creek is the primary salmon-bearing stream in Lacey, according to a city staff report. The agreement will cost the city up to $33,285 for 21 crew days through Sept. 30, 2027. Funding is available in the approved 2026 stormwater capital budget. 

Habitat restoration 

Restoration at the park has largely depended on community volunteers over time. However, Himalayan blackberry has regrown faster than volunteers using hand tools can remove it. The restoration plan also targets yellow flag iris and Scotch broom. 

Lacey Water Resources Specialist Ali Brown said WCC workers have power tools and experience in invasive plant removal. Work is scheduled to begin on Nov. 9, followed by native planting and mulching later in November. Volunteer planting, watering and weeding will continue through 2027. 

WCC workers will cut Himalayan blackberry and remove its root systems before native plants are added to exposed ground. Workers will provide the tools, knowledge and labor for blackberry-covered areas that mowing equipment cannot access.  

The restoration plan aims to improve habitat conditions and ecological function before city staff and volunteers assume future stewardship. 

"Once the Washington Conservation Corps crews are complete with the blackberry removal, follow-up work with volunteers will be much more realistic to tackle," Brown said. 

Creek hydrology 

Mayor Andy Ryder raised concerns about Lake Lois, which is downstream from the park, drying during summers.

Ryder recalled trout and salmon swimming up to the lake years ago. He asked whether staff could examine ways to improve water flow through Woodland Creek. 

Brown said native vegetation can help retain water through deeper root networks and healthier soils. She added the larger hydrology question requires additional research. 

Lacey Public Works Director Vince McGowan said the city monitors groundwater at its reclaimed water infiltration facility near the creek in the park. 

"The permit for that work, which is the permit for the Martin Way reclamation facility, is in process.," McGowan said.

He added staff will work with LOTT Clean Water Alliance and Department of Ecology to better understand hydrology in the area.