Restaurant Owner Restores Stream To Make It Habitable For Salmon, Sees 'Amazing' Results

October 29, 2022

A restaurant owner in Kirkland, Washington, noticed a lack of fish in the stream outside her business, so she stepped up to make the necessary changes.

The impact was instant.

Holly Smith (left) / Credit: King5.com

Holly Smith is the chef and owner of the Italian restaurant Café Juanita.

For 22 years, the restaurant has sat along a bend in Juanita Creek, which is part of the Cedar Lake watershed. She said in all that time, she's only seen one fish swim through the stream.

Credit: King5.com

She decided to fix that.

Smith partnered with the King Conservation District and nonprofit Adopt-a-Stream to pull out invasive plants and create a habitat where fish could thrive.

They put in large wooded debris to help the salmon habitat and protect the bank.

Credit: King5.com

"The moment that Adopt-a-Stream left, they left in the morning on a Thursday, we came out and there were 15 to 20 fish lined up. I was like 'This is not real, someone had stocked the stream for me'," Smith told KING5 News.

Credit: King5.com

The project totaled about $100,000 but the team was able to find grants to cover the costs.