Farmers

Eight new podcasts about the Nisqually

A group of Evergreen Students recently completed a series of podcasts about the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s role in natural resources management. Emily Gwinn, Jennifer Johnson, and Joe Nance completed the podcast below on the restoration of the Nisqually River estuary.

From their write-up:

“Nisqually Estuary” reviews the Nisqually Delta restoration projects just north of I-5, in the Nisqually National Wildlife Reserve (formerly the Brown Farm), and the tribally-owned Braget Farm Site on the east bank of the Nisqually River. It focuses on dike removal and the effects that it will have on the estuary and its species. It also examines the cooperative relationship between local farmers and the Nisqually Tribe to protect the estuary from development.

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Qwuloolt estuary restoration on schedule

The Everett Herald reports that the Tulalip Tribes’ project to restore the Qwuloolt estuary is on track:

The work will continue through next summer, and by 2010, when the rains come, Qwuloolt will flood. Already, crews have extended creekbeds to historic routes. They plan to remove four tide gates and about 3,000 feet of levee. That portion of the plan alone will cost about $3 million.

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Farms and fish can live together

The Skagit Valley Herald editorializes on a plan to streamline permits for tide gate repairs:

The reality is that the tidegates impede salmon trying to navigate the labyrinth of delta sloughs, streamlets and marshes in their way between upriver spawning grounds and the ocean.

Furthermore, large segments of the estuarine habitat that fish need to strengthen themselves before heading out to sea have been diked and drained over the past several decades for farming.

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Streamside buffer tax unlikely to go to Skagit voters

The Skagit Valley Herald (subscription required) reports that the county commissioners do not plan to put a tax increase to pay for streamside buffers on the August ballot:

Skagit County’s plan to pay farmers for streamside buffers is unlikely to go to the voters in August, Skagit County commissioners said Friday.

A voter-approved tax increase had been a key component of the Salmon Heritage Program when it was unveiled last month. But after Tuesday’s apparent failure of four local school district bonds, the commissioners now say they don’t believe voters would support the measure.

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Skagit streamside buffer plans rejected before

The Skagit Valley Herald (subscription required) offered a brief history on Sunday of the 11-year “saga of streamside buffers.”

Skagit County’s proposed Salmon Heritage Program is merely the latest attempt to resolve a dispute that has pitted farmers against fish advocates and has reached the state Supreme Court. It incorporates many elements from previous plans, including the target of bringing just 80 percent of the eligible land — rather than 100 percent — into the program.

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The Herald runs story on elk relocation

The Everett Herald ran a story Sunday about a recent elk relocation from Acme, Whatcom County:

Tribes from around the region want to move about 45 cows, bulls and calves before the state, pressured by complaints from farmers, lets hunters cull the herd.

“The tribes would like to give all these animals a chance,” Stillaguamish Tribe Chairman Shawn Yannity said.

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Continue ReadingThe Herald runs story on elk relocation