Ellis Creek
in Thurston County & City of Olympia, Washington State

Ellis Creek flows for approximately one and one-half miles. Starting behind blueberry fields approx 3/4 mile north of 36th Ave NE (approx. 1/8 mile E. of Gull Harbor Rd) southward for approximately one mile, then turns south and flows though a culvert under Gull Harbor Rd just north of Ames Rd, then into Priest Point Park (as it crosses into the City of Olympia) and for the next  0.4 mile through the park, through the final culvert under East Bay Drive, and into the waters of Ellis Cove in Budd Inlet of south Puget Sound.. The culverts under Gull Harbor Rd and East Bay Drive have been evaluated by several agencies and determined to be serious impediments to the passage of spawing salmon.

Spawning salmon have been recently found in the stretch of creek between these 2 culverts (see link  below). Although the draft of the City of Olympia's Aquatic Habitat Evaluation & Management Report (1999) states that Ellis Creek has not been determined to be a fish bearing stream,  it does recognize that with culvert replacement the stream has fish bearing potential.

Any documentation or information regarding fish or other aquatic wildlife in the Ellis Creek Basin can be forwarded to me via email at:

gregf@efn.org