Flood Control

Lummi Nation stomping out knotweed in Bells Creek

frank-bob-stomps-knotweedRestoring native vegetation along the North Fork Nooksack River, the Lummi Nation faces an unlikely adversary: nature.

The tribe has planted a streamside buffer near Bells Creek, where invasive knotweed, elk and beavers threaten the survival of the freshly planted trees.

Last year, Lummi Natural Resources placed large pieces of wood in Bells Creek to create protected pools for spawning coho salmon, steelhead and bull trout. A history of removing wood and straightening the channel for flood control had left the creek devoid of quality salmon habitat.

The next step was to plant trees in the 2-acre buffer along the creek near its confluence with the North Fork Nooksack River and within 17 acres of existing hardwood stands nearby. Whatcom Land Trust owns the property. (more…)

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EPA grants $2 million to tribes for Puget Sound projects

NWIFC Chairman Billy Frank Jr. and Executive Director Mike Grayum discuss the Hansen Creek restoration project with Lauren Rich, environmental planner for the Upper Skagit TribeA number of news outlets reported on this week’s announcement of $2 million in EPA grants to tribes in support of the Puget Sound Partnership.

KING 5 News:

More than a century ago, Native American tribes watched settlers dam, dike and straighten the area’s streams and rivers.

Today the federal EPA gave those same tribes millions of dollars to undo some of those changes.

During a ceremony at a 140-acre site near the Upper Skagit Indian Reservation near Sedro-Woolley, the EPA handed over $2 million to 19 tribes to fund several restoration projects. The money will be used at that site to remove dikes and other obstacles from Hansen Creek, a major tributary of the Skagit River.

(more…)

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