Seattle-based nonprofit news organization Crosscut awarded the late Billy Frank Jr. the David Brewster Lifetime Achievement Award this morning during its 2014 Courage Awards ceremony.
Last week, Crosscut published a profile about Billy and his life’s work, interviewing tribal and environmental leaders and politicians. (more…)
The Jamestown S’Klallam, Nisqually and Stillaguamish tribes are participating in the SoundToxins monitoring program to provide early warning of harmful algal blooms (HAB) and outbreaks of bacteria that could sicken humans.
“We want to make sure shellfish are safe to consume, not just for tribal members, but for all seafood consumers,” said Sue Shotwell, shellfish farm manager for the Nisqually Tribe.
During the shellfish growing season from March to October, tribal natural resources staff sample seawater weekly at designated sites. Additional sites across Puget Sound are monitored for toxin-producing algae by various citizen beach watchers, shellfish farmers, educational institutions and state government agencies. The monitoring results are posted in an online database.
The SoundToxins program helps narrow down the places where shellfish should be sampled for toxins, which is more expensive and time-consuming than testing the water. (more…)
This year's annual paddle journey is underway this week in Neah Bay where the Makah Tribe is hosting the 86 canoes. Pictures from parts of the journey and landing in…
ALDER – Over 100 trees that have fallen into the reservoir behind Alder Dam will be put to use constructing engineered logjams to create salmon habitat on Ohop Creek.
“Trees that wash into the lake from the river and get stuck behind the dam need to be removed before they become a nuisance,” said David Troutt, natural resources manager for the Nisqually Tribe, which is spearheading the effort to gather the logs. “We’re just taking them out and putting them to good use.” Juvenile salmon find both food and shelter within logjams. The structures also slow the flow of the creek, easing adult salmon migration.
“We know logjams benefit salmon because we’ve been monitoring other restoration projects. We really see a difference in the section of river with logjams and those without,” Troutt said. “There are a lot more salmon around the logjams.”
(more…)
From the Olympian this morning, an article about using trees from behind Alder Lake dam to restore a stretch of salmon habitat: Logs and other woody debris delivered during winter…
A videographer produced a series of videos of the South Sound Science Symposium earlier this month. The symposium was hosted by the Squaxin Island Tribe and brought together scientiests from…
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.
King 5 came down to Nisqually yesterday and filed this report on the Nisqually Tribe’s habitat restoration efforts:
A small tree is struggling for a foothold in the Nisqually River Delta, and it’s not alone.
There are thousands of them growing up in protective white pipes, reclaiming the lands occupied by their ancestors more than a century ago.
“Some of the trees we have here are western red cedar, we have a Sitka spruce, a cottonwood, a red alder,” said James Slape of the Nisqually Fish Commission. (more…)
Kelly Stonum at the Nisqually Valley News reports on the Nisqually winter chum run and the annual event to celebrate habitat restoration in Roy:
Chum salmon didn’t disappoint the public for their premiere appearance at Roy City Park.
Several salmon were spotted at the street crossing, within walking distance from the park during the Roy Salmon Homecoming, Saturday, Jan. 24.
(more…)
Last week Sarah posted a message on OlyBlog shedding light on the travails that the Native American tribe faces as it fishes in the Nisqually River. I would highly recommend exploring some of the links that Sarah posted, but I’ll return to that later. While I am hesitant to put too much thought into what was perhaps simply a moronic and isolated occurrence, I do think there are some interesting issues that deserve a bit of attention.