The EPA today announced nearly $2 million in grants to 19 tribes for “on-the-ground” projects to protect and preserve water quality and salmon habitat in the Puget Sound region. The grants support the Puget Sound Partnership’s 2020 Action Agenda.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission made the grant announcement on the banks of Hansen Creek where the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe showcased just one of the 19 habitat restoration projects. The Upper Skagit Tribe received $105,000 to help restore 140 acres of habitat around the Creek, a tributary to the Skagit River near the Tribe’s reservation.

“Salmon habitat has suffered centuries of abuse,” said Billy Frank Jr., Chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. “With the help of these EPA grants, the tribes are undoing that damage one step at a time. We all have to work together to get Puget Sound healthy again.”

The full press release is here, including descriptions of all the grants.