Work resumes on Wiley Slough project in Skagit River delta
Crews have begun the next phase of construction on the Wiley Slough restoration project, which will return tidal flow to a former estuary in the Skagit River delta. The Skagit…
Cooperation Shows the Way
For years, Skagit County has been a battleground between fishermen and farmers. After a recent court victory the Swinomish Tribe is finding a way for the once warring sides to come together for the good of salmon habitat.
A few years back, the Swinomish Tribe sued Skagit County Dike District No. 22 for building tide gates without the permits they needed from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In September, a federal judge ruled that the district had violated both the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.
With the judge’s ruling on their side, the Swinomish Tribe took the issue out of the courtroom. Instead of forcing the district to pay federal fines, the tribe suggested that the two become partners in restoring 200 acres of estuary in the Skagit delta.
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Tidelands as a Classroom
Skokomish (June 6, 2008) – Since earthen dikes were breached last fall on the Skokomish tidelands, Alex Gouley has been a busy man.
The Skokomish Tribe’s habitat division manager has not only been working on the next phase to restore the 300-acre estuary back into a natural salt march area that is good for fish habitat, he’s also been teaching others about the importance of this effort.
Standing Up For Salmon
At the expense of the salmon recovery effort, recreational interests have delayed plans to restore crucial chinook habitat in Wiley Slough, in the South Fork of the Skagit River delta. Puget Sound chinook salmon are listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act. Restoration work was set to begin last summer to return tidal flow to a 157-acre parcel of land around Wiley Slough. Project partners, including the Skagit River System Cooperative and state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), identified the area as a priority for estuarine restoration in accordance with 2003 state legislation to restore public lands for salmon recovery before looking to private land. The parcel, also known as the Headquarters Unit of the Skagit Wildlife Area, was acquired by the state in 1962 through a land swap with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The estuary was converted for recreational use – and the salmon habitat destroyed – through dikes, drainage ditches, culverts and tide gates.
Skokomish Tribe to start dike removal process
The Olympian published a brief on the Skokomish Tribe's restoration effort to remove dikes from the Skokomish River delta, starting August 27. The removal of the structures is expected to…
P-I: Utilities to explore power in the tides
The Seattle P-I has a story about tidal power, quoting Daryl Williams, Tulalip Tribes’ environmental liaison:
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued three-year permits to the PUD and Tacoma Power to investigate eight sites in the Sound for possible installation of tidal generators. Precise mapping of tidal movements using underwater sonar will begin this summer.
Herald: Snohomish to study tidal power turbines
In today's Herald: The Snohomish County PUD learned Thursday that it can begin studying the placement of hundreds of underwater turbines in Western Washington waters. The decision from federal energy…