Mike Trent: A new bridge over Clear Creek
Mike Trent still lives and tends the farm along Clear Creek his grandad bought in 1928. The original culvert that was installed where the road crosses the creek over half a century ago was failing, but it wasn’t obvious to the average Joe. Salmon SuperHwy partners met with Mike and not only showed him the fish passage and safety issues with the old culvert, they invited him to be a member of the board representing other landowners like himself. And with that Mike began helping with the planning of the new bridge over Clear Creek along with numerous other SSH projects and stream-side replanting.
Mike’s experience with the planning and construction on and around his farm made him a firm believer in SSH restoration projects. Since then he has become a board member of the Nestucca, Neskowin & Sand Lake Watershed Council to continue his support of watershed improvements.
General Landowner Benefits: Increased property value; secure and resilient access to property; ease of improvement to property without landowner effort; improved fish habitat; reduced flooding; restoration of waterway health reminiscent of times past; a sense of community with SSH partners.
Do you have a waterway on your land that could benefit from a Salmon SuperHwy project? Visit our contact page and get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
“When I was a kid, there was a lot of fish in these creeks. There was even fish in this creek right here [Clear Creek]. And they’re just not there anymore. But they’re coming back. Like one guy from DSL told me, if you build it, they’ll come. If you fix it up (which we did), they’ll come back. And they’re slowly, slowly coming back. ”
BEFORE: The undersized and unstable culvert at Jenck Road was the only remaining fish passage barrier, and also a local hazard during high water and King Tide events.
DURING: Local SSH partners worked collaboratively creating a seamless plan from start to finish, keeping the project on time and budget, and the nearby landowner happy.
AFTER: The new 52’ bridge allows unimpeded fish passage, and ample capacity to pass high flows and debris during storm events.
