Salmon Habitat Restoration

Read more about the article Suquamish Tribe’s Doe Kag Wats estuary: Keeping good wood, removing bad wood

Suquamish Tribe’s Doe Kag Wats estuary: Keeping good wood, removing bad wood

The Suquamish Tribe’s Doe Kag Wats estuary is the site of a large woody debris removal experiment this summer.

”Our hypothesis is that by removing the excess amount of the milled and treated logs that have washed into the estuary, the native marsh vegetation will be restored, as well as insect species, many of which are important to both healthy and recovering salmon populations,” said Tom Ostrom, the tribe’s salmon recovery coordinator and project manager.

The project is two-fold: First, the tribe and the state Department of Natural Resources removed the remaining creosote pilings from the estuary. These toxic pilings have been pushed into the estuary by storms and tides for decades. (more…)

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Tulalip partners on estuary restoration nearing completion

Qwuloolt estuary_2Completion is in sight for the Qwuloolt project, one of the largest estuary restorations in the country.

Restoring tidal flow to the 400-acre estuary is a partnership among the Tulalip Tribes, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the city of Marysville, as well as other local, state and federal agencies. Planning for the $11 million project dates back 20 years and involves funding from multiple sources.

“Sometimes it takes a long time to get things done,” said Tulalip Tribes board member Glen Gobin. “None of this could have happened without everyone working together. Most of us will not see the benefits in our lifetime, but our children and grandchildren will see it.” (more…)

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Healing of Hyas Creek From 1951 Fire Gets a Boost From Cooperative Effort

"There are only two anadromous fish-bearing tributaries in that portion of the South Fork Calawah drainage and Hyas Creek is one of them," said Phil DeCillis, fisheries biologist for USFS. "It had the least amount of wood per mile of the streams we surveyed, so it was important to get more in there. The tributaries are important refuge areas for fish."

Continue ReadingHealing of Hyas Creek From 1951 Fire Gets a Boost From Cooperative Effort

Scientists receive $900,000 federal grant

Greg Hood of SRSC is among a group of scientists receiving a grant to devise a computer model of the Skagit River Delta and Skagit and Padilla bays if the oceans rise.

The Skagit Valley Herald:

Rising ocean levels could change change approaches to restoration of salt marshes and the Skagit River estuary that the threatened Chinook and other salmon species need to thrive.

Three Western Washington scientists — Greg Hood, John Rybczyk and Tarang Khangaonkar — will build a computer model to predict what could happen to the Skagit River Delta and Skagit and Padilla bays if the oceans rise. Scientists say the model will help them make decisions about where to best to restore salmon habitat restoration and what might happen if dikes are removed.

(more…)

Continue ReadingScientists receive $900,000 federal grant