Sharon and Lee Stearns were out strolling the Clear Creek Trail on Oct. 1 hoping to see some wildlife.
They are quick to clarify they don’t consider themselves “bird fanatics,” but there is something that makes them want to not only spot the feathered creatures, but know what they are seeing.
“Nothing is more frustrating than seeing birds and not knowing what they are,” said Sharon Stearns, of Bainbridge Island.
The one sign on Clear Creek Trail that currently mentions birds doesn’t have a picture of one.
Located below the old homestead site, east of All Star Lanes and north of Costco in Silverdale, the sign instead has a picture of a Douglas fir tree. This will soon change as new interpretive bird signs will be installed along the trail.
A total of six signs will be installed along the trail, with the first few to be up early as November, said Jim Rodman, task force member of Clear Creek Trail.
“We’re just trying to make people aware of the great diversity of birds along the trail,” Rodman said. “It’s meant to bolster appreciation for this trail that’s in the middle of urban Silverdale.”
“It’ll be terrific to have the new signs,” said Sharon Stearns.
David Sorrell, of Bremerton, walked his dog Monday on the trail near the dog park. He agreed the signs would be a positive addition to the trail. Sorrell walks the trail nearly every day.
“I think it’d bring more people out,” Sorrell said.
Fay Linger, the education chairwoman of the Kitsap Audubon Society, created a list of more than 300 species that live in Kitsap County and nearly 90 of those call Clear Creek home.
A barrow’s goldeneye, which is a black duck, begins to make its appearance near Dyes Inlet in November, said Linger. The estuary at Dyes Inlet is the southern habitat along the trail and will have one of the six signs placed there. The entire trail extends just over five miles north.
“It doesn’t mean the birds are there exclusively, but are featured,” Linger said.
The signs will be distinguished by their blue background and will include eight birds per sign. Because commissioning an artist to illustrate the birds is costly, local photographers including Phil Best, former Kitsap County commissioner, are providing images for the signs, said Rodman.
Mary Earl, a Clear Creek Trail task force member since 1997, said discussions for the signs began a year ago. An Eagle Scout candidate plans to install the stands for the signs in the upcoming weeks. There are also talks about signs on salmon to be placed along the trail in the future. Currently signs that describe geology and the creek itself are posted on the trail, said Rodman.
“These are all just ways to educate people on the ecosystem we are trying to restore,” Earl said.
Each sign will identify a specific habitat and the birds that are possibly spotted in that area. A grant from the Kitsap Community Foundation awarded last spring will cover half the cost of the signs. The 2 feet by 3 feet signs are designed by a local volunteer and will be sent to a printer in Lynnwood costing around $130 each. A few new frames that cost more than $500 apiece will be purchased as well. Donations for the project have also been made by the Kitsap Audubon Society and the Birkenfeld Foundation.
