KINGSTON — As the clock ticks closer to the end of 2006, many groups and organizations in the North End are looking toward their New Year’s resolutions. Stillwaters Environmental Center is no different, and it has mapped out three big projects that will help reshape selected ecosystems and bodies of water next year — literally.

“We’ve got a lot going on in 2007,” said Stillwaters administrative director, Naomi Maasberg. “We’ve got three big projects coming up, and one of the largest is replacing the culvert with a bridge at South Kingston Road.”

That replacement should help keep the slough healthy and improve the habitat of the beaches and general area, she said.

It’ll be a tricky replacement, she added. Plans are being laid out so it’s done in a way that won’t greatly disrupt the area’s environment or traffic flow.

The other two projects planned for the North End involve improving the health of local waterways, creeks, streams, and, as a result, the larger bays and Puget Sound, Maasberg said.

“We’re going to do a stream remeander and wetland restorative project on Carpenter Creek south of (State Route) 104,” she said. “Basically, we’ll be remaking the creek, giving it more curves, which will improve the creek’s ecosystem.”

The other half of that project is beefing up the wetland adjacent to Carpenter Creek, in essence turning it into a functioning habitat again. Part of the restoration includes adding different varieties of vegetation naturally found in areas like the Carpenter Creek wetland, Maasberg said. The plants should provide a better buffer for the wildlife living there, which will hopefully cause their numbers to grow, she said.

“Our last project will be in September (2007), and it is placing large woody debris in the salt marshes on the back of our property,” Maasberg said. “The marshes mostly look like grass fields, and the woody debris is going to create a better habitat for small critters and salmon that feed on the small critters. The woody debris will help replace the trees that were logged there about 60 years ago, creating more nesting and hiding places for wildlife.”

The process of that endeavor involves renting a helicopter and dropping logs and stumps into the salt marsh, she said. The helicopter will also be used for the same purpose at Gamble Creek Ravine and Anderson Creek in South Kitsap. The woody debris are being planned to drop on these different spots during one week toward the end of summer 2007.

“We were supposed to do it this past summer, but things kept coming up that postponed the project,” Maasberg said. “We finally decided to put it off until next year.”

With the beginning of 2007, Stillwaters is celebrating the conclusion of a year that saw many long-term undertakings completed. Such as the Carpenter Creek boardwalk, its opening dedication was held on Oct. 25, and heralded in a trail and viewing platform that had been in the works for about 10 years.

The center also celebrated one of its most successful auctions so far, which was held at the Port Gamble S’Klallam longhouse on Dec. 2 and brought in about $11,000.

“Just a lot of wonderful things have happened this year,” Maasberg said. “It’s been a really, really good year, a leaping ahead kind of year.”