City Proclaims Hylebos Day to Celebrate Wetlands and Watershed

Earth has its own day in April. Thanks to a proclamation from the Federal Way City Council, the forests, wetlands and stream habitat of the Hylebos Creek Watershed now have their own day in May. At its April 15th meeting, the council declared the first Saturday of each May to be Hylebos Day in Federal Way, a day to celebrate and enjoy the West Hylebos Wetlands and Hylebos Creek.

“The Hylebos is a much loved natural resource in the city,” said Federal Way Mayor Jack Dovey. “The West Hylebos Wetlands draws tens of thousands of visitors a year and more than a thousand people have participated in volunteer efforts to improve Hylebos Creek habitat. Hylebos Day is a fitting way for the city to acknowledge the importance of this resource”

The first annual Hylebos Day will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony and “grand re-opening” of the West Hylebos Wetlands. The 120-acre wetlands preserve was closed for 7 months during boardwalk re-construction. The city and the Friends of the Hylebos will hold a public boardwalk open house from 3 to 5 p.m. on that day.

“Sometimes Federal Way is seen by non-residents as one of those so-called soulless suburbs without a sense of place,” said Friends of the Hylebos Executive Director Chris Carrel, a lifelong Federal Way resident. “The Hylebos is one of the places where people feel that sense of belonging and experience a real emotional connection to the landscape. In some ways it’s the heart and soul of the city. The Hylebos deserves its own special day.”

The proclamation comes at a fitting time for the nonprofit group, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Founded in 1983 by neighbors who wanted to preserve the West Hylebos Wetlands from development, the group has grown to include a restoration program that has planted more than 80,000 native trees and shrubs, and the Hylebos Creek Conservation Initiative, a comprehensive watershed conservation strategy.

The Initiative seeks to preserve and restore 745 acres and 10 miles of Hylebos Creek over the next 20 years. The group and its partners, which include the City of Federal Way, have successfully preserved more than 425 acres of forest, stream and wetland habitat. Working together, Federal Way and the Friends have preserved more than 100 acres of Hylebos Creek habitat in that past eight years.

“The city’s proclamation embodies the commitment that this city government and the community have for the Hylebos,” said Friends of the Hylebos President Bob Roegner, who noted that open space preservation was a key issue in the city’s 1990 incorporation. “Healthy streams, wetlands and forests are an important element of quality of life and our community is working hard to create a healthy Hylebos.”

In addition to habitat conservation, Federal Way has invested millions in improving the West Hylebos Wetlands, rebuilding the park’s boardwalk and in and in protecting the wetlands and Hylebos Creek from stormwater.