December 2007

On The Long Haul With Judy Pickens

Judy Pickens of Seattle’s Fauntleroy neighborhood joined People For Puget Sound at its very beginning in 1991.

As the founder of the Fauntleroy Watershed Council, Judy has fought over the last 20 years for the health of the creek that flows through her backyard. She’s brought together neighbors, public servants and politicians to restore the creek and get salmon to return. 

What’s the key to her success?  “Take on what you can see,” she recommends. 

She started in her own backyard, preserving and restoring the creek beginning in 1989 when local teachers knocked on her door to ask if they could release salmon from their class science experiment in her backyard.

She organized the Fauntleroy Watershed Council in 2001, and the Council has spurred volunteer fish counters, class field trips and dedication of city and county funds to the creek’s restoration.

The creek runs only a few steps from her back door. “You could never build a house this close to the creek today,” she says, “so we do what we can . . . to preserve it, you know?” 

Woody debris has been placed in the creek by EarthCorps volunteers to allow riffles and pools to form, key components to salmon migration.  A natural looking fish ladder was recently installed to help the fish through the culvert, and in August, the canalized mouth was restored to its winding, woody natural state.  All in all, it’s a much more salmon-friendly watershed.

Judy’s humble demeanor and cheerful spirit make her efforts seem easy, but it’s clear she’s in it for the long haul both at Fauntleroy Creek and Puget Sound.

“Ambivalence and lack of coordination and partnership” head her list of the biggest threats to Puget Sound.  She has high hopes for the new Puget Sound Partnership.  With a high potential for “science and savvy to come together,” she believes we have real chance to make a difference by 2020.

--Written by Jamie Wine

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