New Sand Habitat Attracting More Life near Elwha River
With thousands of cubic yards of sediment forming new beaches at the mouth of the Elwha River, marine life that’s been missing for decades is showing up again. Before the…
Tribe, USGS diving for sediment in Elwha River delta and Strait
The dramatic sediment plume forming at the mouth of the Elwha River the past year has tribal and federal scuba divers looking for changes to the marine habitat. The plume…
Elwha River Restoration: Sediment plume forming at the mouth of the Elwha River
The latest dramatic changes in the Elwha River include the highly anticipated sediment plume forming at the river mouth. The Seattle Times' Lynda Mapes has been blogging about the sediment…
Sauk-Suiattle Tribe looks at effects of sediment on spawning habitat
The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe is working with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to study sediment on the Sauk, Suiattle and White Chuck rivers. Sediment is a concern in this watershed because…
KUOW: Measuring sediment and salmon egg nests in the Elwha River
Here is the latest video report from KUOW and EarthFix on the progress of the restoration efforts of the Elwha River. This report explores how scientists are taking sediment samples from…
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to measure sediment from river dams during removal
As the Elwha River’s two fish-blocking dams come down, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will monitor how a portion of 20 million cubic yards of built-up sediment will affect the…
Puyallup Herald: Salmon in Puyallup watershed hurt by flooding
The Puyallup Herald features research by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians on salmon productivity in the Puyallup watershed: Scientists with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians are looking at the impact…
Squaxin Island Tribe responds to dioxin in Oakland Bay
From the Squaxin Island Tribe’s blog this morning:
Preliminary data released today by the state Department of Ecology has identified dioxin in sediment throughout Oakland Bay.
Outside of Shelton Harbor, the dioxin is distributed uniformly with an average concentration of 35 parts per trillion (ppt or pg/g). “At first glance, the distribution pattern suggests the dioxin may be a historical legacy,” said John Konovsky, the tribe’s environmental program manager.
(more…)
North Kitsap Herald: Creek Clean Up for Salmon, Trout
The North Kitsap Herald reported on a community effort to clean up a Poulsbo stream that is a home for coho, but was severely damaged by last fall's storms, as…
Coho return to Upper Skagit reservation
The Skagit Valley Herald:
For the first time in 50 years, the coho salmon have returned to the Upper Skagit Reservation.
To get them there, crews had to tear out a series of stacked culverts and remove 300 dump-truck loads of sediment that blocked the cohos’ path upstream.
The tribe and Skagit County also worked together to restore a lower section of Red Creek and one of its tributaries, channeling the water into two streams. This makes it easier for the 6- to 8-pound fish that had been forced to swim across a flooded field to reach the creek to spawn.