Groundswell NW recently completed the Salmon Bay Natural Area East Expansion in Ballard along the estuary of the Greater Lake Washington/Cedar River Watershed.

The project, located immediately west of the 34th Avenue Northwest adjacent to The Canal restaurant, offers a rare estuary habitat that is essential for juvenile salmon as they make their way through the Ballard Locks and acclimate to salt water.

The Salmon Bay Natural Area is a small part of a collective effort to preserve critical environments in the life cycle of Puget Sound salmon.

As the juvenile salmon make their way through the Locks, disoriented by the abrupt transition to salt water and vulnerable to predators, an area of refuge and adjustment to the new environment is essential for their survival, Groundswell NW's Elizabeth Dunigan said in a press release.

Restoration of The Canal slope enhances this refuge by giving salmon a better chance of surviving and gaining the body weight needed to thrive in the open ocean, Dunigan said.

Sixty feet of the watershed is restored by creating marine habitat with overhanging vegetation that attracts insects for young salmon and provides cover and security as salmon migrate.

The project features native mycelium strain cloned from a nearby park to stabilize the steep slope and augment soil quality.

Mycelium, the thread-like underground hyphea of fungus, is vital for ecosystem health for its role in breaking down dead organic material and increasing nutrient and water efficiency of native plants, Dunigan said.

The native strain of mycelium was spread on the slope to knit the soil in place and prevent soil washouts until the native plants establish.

Straw, woody debris and live staked wattles were introduced with mushroom mycelium that will slowly spread through the organic material.

Over time the mycelium network will steer the course of ecosystem recovery by replenishing nutrients in the soil needed for the native plants, attract native insects and provide a structural overlay that holds the soil together, Dunigan said.

Groundswell NW is working with the Seattle artist Marvin Oliver to further support the salmon life cycle theme at the Salmon Bay Natural Area by installing a welcome figure sculpture that will be oriented to face the migrating salmon.

The sculpture will be installed by late April.

Groundswell NW will celebrate this gift with a dedication ceremony from 10 a.m. to noon on May 1.