With over 60 miles of open streams winding through Bellevue, you'll find plenty to get to know and explore. Although some streams are on private property, many are open to the public through our parks system. Healthy streams contain a variety of plants, insects, and animals. Although this diverse ecosystem is constantly active, at first you may not see much going on. Amphibians and aquatic insects often live under logs and rocks.
Fish are hard to spot because they hide from predators behind vegetation or under stream banks.
Mammals may come to a stream only after dark. Polluted stormwater runoff, especially sediment, can upset the balance of this ecologic cycle. As a result, salmon and other sensitive species can die, upsetting the stream's stability. You don't need to be a scientist to tell if a stream in your neighborhood is healthy. Too much sediment can clog fish gills, smother salmon eggs, and make it hard for fish to see prey.