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The Abiotic Template:

Climate: Floodplain vegetation--Coordinates: 47.7601° N, 122.2054° W temperate oceanic climate, with cool summers and cool (but not cold) winters. Winter sees much more rainfall than summer and winters in Bothell (much like the rest of the PNW) are very cloudy and overcast. Summers are drier and cool to warm. The proper temperature and comfortable environment attract animals to build their families here. 

•Geology & Landforms: The North Creek Wetland is one of the largest and most complex floodplain restorations ever undertaken in the Pacific Northwest. It is a bold attempt to restore highly altered pastureland to a sustainable, functioning floodplain ecosystem within an urbanizing watershed. The project is unique in the degree to which fundamental theories of ecosystem and restoration ecology were utilized in the design and are being employed in the management of the site. 

on a 127-acre site containing the floodplain of a moderate sized stream (North Creek) and a hillside created by glacial deposition over 15,000 years ago. North Creek is a salmon-bearing stream, containing viable populations of a number of salmon species despite being the central stream in one of the most rapidly urbanizing watersheds of the central Puget Sound region. The portion of North Creek that runs through the campus is just upstream from its junction with the Sammamish River near the north end of Lake Washington.Complex marsh; Mixed marsh-forest wetland environment. Very fine sands. There are floodplain vegetations to consist the forest. The main vegetations are western redcedar, black cottonwood, Douglas-fir, big leaf maple, and red alder.

• Soils: The soils are complex, mixed with organic deposits (mucks, peats), lake sediments, marsh sediments, volcanic ash, and floodplain alluvium. These conditions were changed by the water level of Lake Washington. When the water level was at the highest position, there was an extremely large shallow, including the contemporary Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington.  Diatomaceous layers in the soil profile indicate standing water for long periods of time. However, it appears that most of the time, the site supported a complex marsh to mixed marsh-forested wetland environment. Historical floodplain sediments are mostly well-sorted medium to very fine sands. Lake and marsh environments accumulated organic soils, mostly mucks, and a variety of fine grained, mostly silt, mineral sediments. Peat deposits up to ten or more feet deep exist on northern portions of the restoration site.

• Hydrology: Surface water flowed into "Squawk Slough" Diatomaceous layers in the soil profile indicate standing water for long periods of time. The characteristics of hydrology were influenced by interaction of runoff from the North Creek watershed and the natural fluctuations in water levels of Lake Washington that affected the slough.

Sustainable stormwater management is a cornerstone of our sustainable campus, as our campus includes the North Creek stream channel and the 58 acre restored wetlands that serve as vital stormwater infrastructure to keep this stream healthy. Upstream of the wetlands, the campus has multiple bioswales and a robust system of stormwater management infrastructure (catch basins, conveyance, oil-water separator vaults, etc.) that follows LID principles..