In 2018, FOGL received a large donation in memory of Taiga Brant Hinckley, and selected the floating wetland project to best represent Taiga’s interest in protecting lake water quality and wildlife habitat.  After obtaining support from Seattle Parks and Recreation and receiving a Hydraulic Project Approval permit from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), FOGL then applied for, and won, a $50,000 Seattle Neighborhoods Matching Fund grant in 2021. FOGL then assembled a project leadership team of a dozen highly qualified volunteers and selected Biomatrix Water in Scotland to finalize the design and supply the Taiga Wetlands.

Floating Wetlands Presentation

The Taiga Wetlands design consists of two, 650-square-feet islands that are permanently anchored west of Duck Island. The Duck Island location was selected over other locations because it provided the best habitat for native birds, which is our primary environmental objective. At this location, Taiga Wetlands will also function to sequester nutrients from the lake for uptake by the plants and, more importantly, the thick microbial biofilm growth on the plant roots, supporting a diverse macroinvertebrate community and fish habitat.

Taiga Wetlands were successfully installed  by a team of about 40 volunteers in 2022. It was an incredible accomplishment to transport, assemble, plant, launch, and anchor the two 680 square-foot floating wetlands in one day by volunteers who mostly had not done this nor even seen floating wetlands before. You can see them anchored west of Duck Island along with all the nesting ducks and resting great blue heron. More information here.

In March, 2025, we purchased a 6-gourd Purple Martin hotel and installed it onto a 14ft pole on one of the Taiga Wetlands.

You can view the live video stream by downloading the Reolink App,
entering the password PurpleMartine2025! and scanning the QR Code.