Green River Natural Resource Area

The Green River Natural Resource Area is in the northwestern portion of the Kent Valley and is bounded generally by the Green River to the west, South 212th Street to the north, 64th Avenue to the east, and the Puget Power pedestrian/bike trail to the south.

The project’s 304 acres provide habitat to an estimated 165 bird and 53 mammal species, and serves as a nesting, feeding, and brooding area for many species that use the Green River corridor as a travel route. The creation of a large emergent marsh/openwater wetland, in addition to increases in scrub-shrub, forested wetland, and improved upland habitats, is expected to increase the diversity of wildlife habitat, particularly for waterfowl.

Steep valley walls and a broad valley floor combine to create rich mosaics of plant communities that characterize the natural area. Mixed forest and deciduous upland forests cover much of the valley wall, with several forested and scrub-shrub wetlands nestled in the benches. Gallery cottonwood forests, deciduous forests, meadows (old pasture/agricultural fields), and forested, scrub-shrub, and emergent wetlands are common on the valley bottom. Native plant installation and invasive plant control enhancement efforts have occurred along with streambed restoration projects focused on improving salmonid habitat. Several of these wetlands form the headwaters of short tributaries to the Green River. The lower reaches of the wall-based streams in this area are utilized for spawning by coho and chum, and rearing by chinook, coho, chum and winter steelhead. Cutthroat trout have also been reported.

Visitors to Green River Natural Area engage in activities such as walking, bicycling, nature observation and horseback riding, as well as fishing and river running activities such as rafting, tubing and kayaking. The O'Grady public access point is 500 ft. N. of the intersection of SE 373rd ST and 188th Ave. SE, Auburn, and the Metzler public access point is via a gravel road on the south side of SE Green Valley Rd. 2mi. west of its intersection with 218th Ave. The other sections of the natural area have little use due to limited access. The site is managed for the protection of its ecological value. Public access that does not harm the ecological value of the site is accommodated. This attraction is located about 3.6 miles from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.