The Hilltop Meadow in May 2026
Top of the hill to you! That’s a hint… yes, we are at Hilltop. So what watershed are we in? Well, technically, we’re in 2 watersheds!
Hilltop sits at the top of the Murden Creek, aka Daxwkw’d sáxwb’s watershed to the east (check out our May post on this watershed) and the Issei Creek watershed to the west. Issei Creek watershed’s highest point is hilltop, from which it slopes down into the Grand Forest. It traverses much of the Grand Forest before it crosses under Miller Road, emptying into the head of Fletcher Bay north of the entry from Springbrook Creek. Springbrook and Issei form the two major freshwater contributions to Fletcher Bay.
Jerry Elfendahl reports in Streams of Bainbridge Island that the Issei (meaning “first generation” in Japanese) watershed contained farms, gardens, a Buddhist Church and a school. The footprint of former human use can be seen in the series of ponds, some with protruding pipe infrastructure, at the base of hilltop where it enters the forest. The stream also runs through Bainbridge Gardens at its mouth, which has been present on the Island since the 1930s.
Coho salmon found in Issei Creek during Wild Fish Conservancy water typing surveys
Issei Creek is a salmon stream. Although some significant invasive species issues and barriers reduce its potential use by salmonids, both cutthroat trout and coho have been found in the lower portions of this stream.
Hilltop is managed by the park district and is held under a conservation easement by the land trust for its conservation values, including pollinators, wildlife habitat and recreation. If you’ve been on the Island a while, you might remember that this meadow used to be a veritable scotch broom forest- through the dedicated efforts of Land Trust and Park District volunteers, and student conservation corps, this property has undergone a beautiful transformation to an open meadow habitat enjoyed by people and wildlife alike- truly a stewardship success story!