Background The West Hayden Island mitigation site was the result of an alleged inadvertent fill in 1996 of 1.19 acres of wetland on West Hayden Island. The 2.26 acre constructed wetland is adjacent to an existing emergent wetland and cottonwood forest on the north side of West Hayden Island.
Mitigation Plan The goal of the mitigation plan was to provide 0.21 acres of palustrine forested habitat and 1.79 acres of palustrine scrub-shrub habitat. Hydrology will be maintained in a natural state, without hydrologic manipulation for a minimum of two years prior to the site being determined successful. The performance standards include 60% coverage of planted woody species or naturally recruited native woody species by the seventh year following construction in the created and restored, palustrine scrub-shrub and palustrine forested portions of the mitigation site.
Status Construction of the site was completed in the spring of 2007. Maintenance activities include hand watering and weed control. The new wetland has already attracted a number of wildlife species including killdeer, mallards, American wigeon, willow flycatcher, tree swallow, Bullock’s oriole and black-tailed deer. Vegetation monitoring will begin during the summer of 2008.