A beautiful view of the lake from a stunning natural shoreline.
On a beautiful morning in early May, the city of Kirkland announced it would be the first Washington community to sign up as a Green Shores
for Homes (GSH) city. The announcement was made at the GSH-certified Bendich residence on Lake Washington, lush with native plants and featuring a small beach at the shoreline.
The Bendich property before the Green Shores for Homes makeover and after. The bulkhead was removed to create a more natural shoreline that is better for the environment and fish.
Green Shores for Homes, managed by Washington Sea Grant, is a voluntary, incentive-based program to encourage waterfront homeowners, contractors and governments to create sustainable (and salmon-friendly) shorelines for lake and marine shore properties. Often this involves leaving shorelines natural or removing bulkheads or other hard armoring materials. 
Improving lakeshore habitat for threatened Chinook salmon is a priority for salmon recovery in WRIA 8, the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish watershed. In addition to their recreational, scenic, and shoreline protection benefits, natural shorelines provide much-needed food and shelter for salmon migrating through Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington on their way to the ocean.
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Categories: Habitat, Lake Sammamish, Lake Washington, salmon, Stewardship
The Downstream Blog 