It’s a bit mind-boggling to think that a single, tiny fragment
of genetic material determines whether a Chinook salmon chooses to
return to its home stream in the spring or the fall.
I’ve been following the scientific discoveries about spring
chinook since 2017, when Mike Miller’s lab at the University of
California, Davis, published research
findings showing the location of this “early-migration gene” on
chromosome 28.
In a story published this week in the Encyclopedia
of Puget Sound, I wrote about some of the latest discoveries
surrounding spring Chinook. I also thought it worthwhile to
describe the importance of these fish to the ecosystem and to the
native people of the Puget Sound region.
Up until the past two years, I never gave much thought to spring
Chinook, nor apparently have most people, including many
biologists. These are the salmon that often struggle to reach the
upper reaches of the rivers when the streams are swollen with
spring snowmelt. Much of these upper spawning grounds have been
destroyed by human activity, and more than half the spring chinook
runs in Puget Sound have gone extinct.
The more I learned about spring Chinook the more fascinated I
became. The southern resident killer whales used to arrive in Puget
Sound in April or May to feast on spring Chinook from Canada’s
Fraser River, but those salmon runs have declined along with many
fall runs of chinook. The result is a major change in behavior and
migration patterns by the whales.
Spring Chinook were at one time an important food for bears
coming out of hibernation, for eagles who had scavenged for food
through the winter, and for native people who looked forward to
fresh fish after a season of dried foods.
As I researched this story, I learned about the history of
spring Chinook in the Skokomish River of southern Hood Canal and
how a once-plentiful fish became extinct. I was pleased to describe
the success of current efforts to create a new run of spring
Chinook with the help of a hatchery in the North Fork of the
Skokomish, where adult spawners are showing up nearly a century
after the fish disappeared.
Spring Chinook in Salmon River,
California
Photo: Peter Bohler, via UC Davis
Genetics is a fascinating field, and advances are coming rapidly
in the studies of many species, including humans. The idea that a
single gene can completely change the migration timing of a Chinook
by four months raises many scientific and legal questions —
including whether spring Chinook should get their own protection
under the Endangered Species Act. As things stand now, Chinook
salmon in Puget Sound — both spring and fall together — are listed
as threatened under the ESA. But that could change as things shake
out with the ESA in Oregon and California.
Ongoing genetic studies — including those involving various
salmon species — are causing biologists and legal experts to
re-examine the criteria for listing populations as threatened or
endangered, as they teeter on the edge of extinction. No matter
what the extinction risk is judged to be, spring Chinook are now
recognized as something very special.
More than $20 million in ecosystem-restoration projects along
the Skokomish River in Southern Hood Canal could be under
construction within two years, thanks to special funding approved
by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Meanwhile, Washington state’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board
announced this morning that it would provide $18 million for salmon
restoration projects statewide — including a portion of the funding
needed to purchase nearly 300 acres near the mouth of Big Beef
Creek in Kitsap County.
Skokomish watershed (click to
enlarge)
Map: Army Corps of Engineers
The Army Corps of Engineers has secured $13.6 million in federal
funds for restoration on 277 acres in the Skokomish River
watershed. Included in the work are levee removals, wetland
restoration and installation of large-woody debris, said Mike
Anderson, chairman of the Skokomish Watershed Action Team, known as
SWAT. About $7 million in state matching funds is moving toward
approval in the next Legislative session.
“We’re really happy and a little surprised,” Mike said. “We’d
just gotten the design funding through the Corps earlier this year,
and we were sort of expecting that we would get into the Corps’
2020 budget for construction.”
The Corps chose Skokomish for some nationwide nondiscretionary
funding to move the entire project to construction, he added,
attributing the extra funding to ongoing cooperation among the
various parties involved.
Projects approved for funding
(click to enlarge)
Graphic: Army Corps of Engineers
Approval of the federal funds marks the culmination of many
years of planning by members of the SWAT — including the Corps,
Mason County, the Skokomish Tribe, state and federal agencies,
nongovernment organizations and area residents, said Joseph Pavel,
natural resources director for the Skokomish Tribe.
“The water and salmon are central to the life, culture, and
well-being of the Skokomish community, and we are pleased and
encouraged to be taking this next great step in the restoration,
recovery, protection and management of the salmon resources we
depend upon,” Pavel said in a
prepared statement.
Specific projects to be funded by the Army Corps of Engineers
with distances measured upstream from the estuary on Hood
Canal:
Confluence levee removal: This levee was built
with old cars at the confluence where the North Fork flows into the
mainstem of the Skokomish. Some 5,000 feet of the levee would be
removed. A small channel would be created to allow water from the
mainstem to flow into the North Fork and return at the existing
confluence. Large woody debris would help direct water into the
channel. Estimated cost: $7.5 million.
Wetland restoration at river mile 9: The
existing levee would be breached in four locations, and a new levee
would be built some 200 to 300 feet farther away. The levee would
allow for minor over-topping but would not increase the flood risk.
Estimated cost: $2.4 million.
Wetland restoration near Grange: Larger
breeches are planned for the levee near the Grange hall at river
mile 7.5 to 8 . A new levee, up to 10 feet tall and 2,900 feet
long, would be constructed 1,200 feet farther back with no increase
in flood risk. Estimated cost $3.3 million.
Side channel connection near Highway 101: An
old remnant channel between river mile 4 and 5.6 would be restored
to take water from the mainstem at high flows. Woody debris would
help define the inlet and outlet to the channel, which would become
a ponded wetland at low flows. Estimated cost: $3.1 million.
Large woody debris: Upstream of the confluence
with the North Fork, large woody debris would be installed. Large
clusters of trees with root wads, as well as some single trees,
would be placed between river mile 9 and 11. Estimated cost: $3.2
million.
State matching funds would be provided through grants, including
the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund and Floodplains by
Design Fund, which depend on legislative appropriations, along with
the Salmon Recovery Fund.
Another major project in the Skokomish Valley is a bridge and
culverts where floodwaters often cover the West Skokomish Valley
Road. The $1.2 million project is designed to reconnect wetlands on
opposite sides of the road. Much of that needed funding has been
secured through the Federal Lands Access Program. The project will
be in an area where salmon can be seen swimming across the road
during high flows.
As announced by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the purchase
of 297 acres on Big Beef Creek near Seabeck — including the
University of Washington’s Big Beef Creek Research Station — will
protect the important salmon stream and could provide public
recreation in the future, according to Mendy Harlow, executive
director of the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, which will
take ownership of the property owned by the UW.
Big Beef Creek Research Station
is part of 297 acres to be purchased from the University of
Washington by Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group.
Photo: Brandon Palmer
The site includes a fish trap operated by the Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as research facilities used
for salmon spawning and rearing studies.
“We would like to continue the research there,” Mendy told me.
“We’re going to be pulling together multiple agencies and other
fish organizations to see if we have the capacity to keep a
facility like that.”
The goal will be to balance ecosystem restoration with the
potential of future research and salmon-enhancement efforts, she
said. It is possible that trails or other recreation facilities
could become part of a long-term plan.
The $430,000 provided by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board is a
relatively small, yet important, part of the $4.3 million needed to
acquire the property, she said. That total amount includes surveys,
studies and appraisals as well as the cost of the property.
The project was awarded $980,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Program. Other funding could
come from the state’s Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund
and Washington Wildlife and Recreation Fund.
The $18 million in statewide salmon funding will go to 95
projects in 30 of the state’s 39 counties. Money will be used for
improving salmon migration in streams, restoring stream channels
and vegetation, improving estuaries and preserving intact habitat.
About 75 percent of the projects will benefit Chinook salmon, the
primary prey for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales.
For details, download the document
(PDF 393 kb) that lists the projects by county.
“This funding helps protect one of our most beloved legacies,”
Gov. Jay Inslee said in a news
release. “Together we’re taking a step forward for salmon, and
in turn dwindling Southern Resident orca whales, while also looking
back to ensure we’re preserving historic tribal cultural traditions
and upholding promises made more than a century ago.”
OK, I’ll admit that I used this line once in a story many years
ago when I first observed the Skokomish River overflowing its
banks. I was amazed at the number of chum salmon swimming through
farm fields and across pavement in the Skokomish Valley as they
tried to get back to their spawning grounds.
Despite extensive work in the Skokomish River estuary, the
waters still back up and fish still swim across roads during heavy
rains and floods.
I was not the first to bend the old joke to ask, “Why did the
salmon cross the road?” And I was definitely not the last, as two
new videos went viral the past few days, resulting in news reports
across the country. Hundreds of thousands of people must have been
surprised to see Puget Sound salmon skittering across the pavement
in a most unnatural way.
Five major Puget Sound projects have been given the provisional
go-ahead by Congress in a massive public works bill signed
yesterday by President Obama.
It seems like the needed federal authorization for a $20-million
restoration effort in the Skokomish River watershed has been a long
time coming. This project follows an extensive, many-years study of
the watershed by the Army Corps of Engineers, which winnowed down a
long list of possible projects to five. See
Water Ways, April 28, 2016, for details.
In contrast, while the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem
Restoration Project (PSNRP) also involved an extensive and lengthy
study, the final selection and submission to Congress of three
nearshore projects came rather quickly. In fact, the Puget Sound
package was a last-minute addition to the Water Resources
Development Act, thanks to the efforts of U.S. Reps. Rick Larson,
D-Lake Stevens, and Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, along with Sens.
Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
Mike Anderson, chairman of the Skokomish Watershed Action Team,
and Thom Johnson, a leading expert in the recovery of Hood Canal
summer chum salmon, have been named recipients of this year’s Hood
Canal Environmental Awards.
Other recipients of the awards, which are sponsored by Hood
Canal Coordinating Council, are Shore Friendly Mason and Shore
Friendly Kitsap, two programs that actively enlist waterfront
property owners in the protection and restoration of their
shorelines.
Hood Canal // Photo:
Dale Ireland
I learned this afternoon that the awards ceremony on Nov. 4 will
be dedicated to Rich Geiger, the longtime district engineer for
Mason Conservation District. Rich, who died unexpectedly on Sept.
22, held the “technical vision” for the restoration of the
Skokomish River watershed, according to Mike Anderson. (See
Water Ways, Oct. 8.)
It is hard to imagine the restoration of the Skokomish River
ecosystem without the involvement of Rich Geiger, a longtime
engineer for Mason Conservation District. Rich had a way of
explaining technical aspects of environmental restoration, and he
was a tremendous help to me through the years.
Rich Geiger, engineer for Mason
Conservation District who died Sept. 22, explains the dynamics of
the Skokomish River in this 2009 file photo. // Photo:
Kitsap Sun
Rich, who was 59 years old, died unexpectedly two weeks ago.
I got to know Rich in 2008 and 2009 while working on a series of
stories about the Skokomish River. My research involved interviews
with members of the Skokomish Tribe, farmers, loggers and longtime
residents of the area. For the final story, I talked to Rich about
what was wrong with the river and what needed to be done to reduce
the flooding and restore the ecosystem. He taught me a lot about
river dynamics.
The Skokomish, if you didn’t know, is the largest river in Hood
Canal, and it exerts a great influence on the long, narrow waterway
with its amazing diversity of habitat.
“Something has bothered me about this river for a long time,”
Rich said, as quoted in my story for the
Kitsap Sun. “I have been doing a great deal of reading about
river systems and sediment transport,” he continued. “To boil it
down, the sediment is too heavy to be moved by the depths we think
are there in the Skokomish.”
Fast and deep water contains the force to move larger rocks, he
told me. Somehow the river was able to move large gravel out of the
mountains, but it never made it all the way to Hood Canal. Digging
into the gravel bars, Rich found layers of fine sediment wedged
between layers of larger rock — evidence that the energy of the
river had changed suddenly at various times.
Rich collaborated with engineers from the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation, U.S. Geological Survey and Army Corps of Engineers.
Eventually, they came to understand the river well enough to
develop a plan for restoration. Throughout the process, Rich was
willing to take time to help me understand every aspect of the
restoration alternatives. I will always be grateful for his
expertise and patience.
in January 2014, the plan was completed and accepted by ranking
officials in the Army Corps of Engineers. I called Rich for his
reaction to the important milestone.
“We are very glad to be at this point, because we are talking
about a physical project moving forward and not just more
planning,” he told me. “We asked the Corps to produce a single
integrated restoration plan, and they did.” To review a brief
summary of the plan, see
Water Ways Jan. 26, 2014.
The final plan by the Army Corps of Engineers became
incorporated into the Water Resources
Development Act, including $19 million proposed for the
Skokomish project. The bill was approved, first by the U.S. Senate
and then by the House. A few details still need to be worked out,
but after years and years of planning, the Skokomish project became
virtually assured of funding just a week after Rich died.
Mike Anderson, chairman of the Skokomish Watershed Action Team,
said Rich had always been the “brains of the collaborative.”
“Rich was the holder of the technical vision of the watershed
restoration,” Mike noted. “He understood how all the different
parts of the watershed — from the mountains down to the estuary and
beyond — work together.
“When we started out, he acknowledged that he did not know what
the answers would be for the valley. One of his great achievements
was getting the GI (general investigation) completed and the …
support for authorization. He felt rightly proud of completing that
difficult study.”
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer introduced a statement into the
Congressional Record (PDF 9.3 mb) on the last day the House was
in session. It includes this observation:
“Mr. Speaker, Richard was not only an environmental advocate and
steward, he was also a leader in the community. He excelled at
fostering collaboration and consensus among diverse community
stakeholders, including private landowners, businesses, Native
American Tribes, and local, state, and federal agencies, to achieve
common goals.”
Rich was born April 12, 1957, and graduated from Billings Senior
High School. He attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, where he
became an ROTC Cadet and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil
engineering. After graduation, he served as a lieutenant in the
Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and advanced to rank of major.
In 1994, he took a job with Mason County Public Works
Department, where he held a variety of engineering positions. In
2001, he joined the Mason Conservation District as district
engineer.
The family has suggested that memorials be made to the
Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, a non-profit
organization committed to alleviating the suffering caused by
mental illness. The foundation awards grants aimed at making
advances and breakthroughs in scientific research.
Through the years, I’ve written a lot about the Skokomish River,
which begins in the Olympic Mountains and flows into the south end
of Hood Canal. The wide, productive estuary might be described as
the elbow of this long, narrow waterway that bends up toward
Belfair.
I’ve heard it said that Puget Sound cannot be restored to health
without a healthy Hood Canal, and Hood Canal cannot be restored to
health without a healthy Skokomish River. Whether that is true
remains to be seen, but I have no doubt that the Skokomish River
watershed is coming out of a dark period of abuse with hope of
becoming one of the most productive streams in the region.
Much of the credit for the transformation goes to a group of men
and women from a variety of agencies, occupations and ways of life
who came together with an understanding of the historic value of
the Skokomish River and a vision for what the river could become
again. This was the Skokomish Watershed Action Team, or SWAT, which
celebrated its 10th anniversary last year.
To be sure, it was basically loads of money that began to
transform the abused Skokomish River watershed to a much more
productive system. But the people in charge of the federal, state,
local and private dollars were able to see the Skokomish as a
worthy cause, thanks to the groundwork laid by the SWAT.
Disappointments have been few, as one project after another brings
this long lost river back to life.
Yes, I have written a lot about the Skokomish River, its history
and its future. That’s why I was glad to see the 10-year update to
the Skokomish Watershed
Action Plan (download, PDF 113 mb). The document contains an
extensive account of the projects completed and the milestones
passed through the years. Whether you are intimately involved in
the watershed or just want to know what the heck I’m talking about,
take a look at the report released this week.
Logjam soon after installation
in 2010.
Photo: U.S. Forest Service
Since 2005, nearly 50 restoration projects were completed — from
removal of old logging roads high in the mountains to the
re-establishment of tidal channels in the lower estuary. Salmon are
being reintroduced to the North Fork of the Skokomish River,
including the dammed-up Lake Cushman, thanks to a legal settlement
between Tacoma and the Skokomish Tribe.
Later, a deep pool forms behind
the jam.
Photo: U.S. Forest Service
About 12 miles upstream in the South Fork of the Skokomish, a
series of 30 logjams were installed and almost immediately began to
restore the channel to a more natural habitat for fish and other
aquatic creatures. This area was part of a four-mile stretch that
was heavily logged in the 1950s for a reservoir that never
happened.
Once the logjams were in place, the area began to store massive
loads of sediment, which always created problems as they washed
downstream into the lower river. The river’s characteristic problem
of spreading out and slowing down was reversed, as width-to-depth
ratios decreased and the average depth in the middle of the river
increased by two feet. The number of pools deeper than five feet
doubled from three to six, and the piles of wood grew larger by
capturing logs floating downstream.
The new report also lays out plans for the watershed in the
coming years, including projects identified in a major study by the
Army Corps of Engineers. A Corps proposal to fund $20 million in
restoration projects is now before Congress, as I described in
Water Ways in April and June. Other projects have been proposed
for separate funding, as outlined in the new report.
More than 20 years of removing and reconstructing old logging
roads in the Skokomish River watershed has finally paid off with
measurable improvement to water quality and habitat, according to
experts with Olympic National Forest where millions of dollars have
been spent on restoration.
In a U.S. Forest Service
project nicknamed “the Big Dig,” contract crews removed nearly 100
vertical feet of road in the South Fork of the Skokomish watershed
to remove an eight-foot culvert.
Photo: Kitsap Sun, Steve Zugschwerdt
The U.S. Forest Service this week declared that the upper South
Fork of the Skokomish is now a “properly functioning” watershed,
and the major road-restoration projects are complete.
After writing for years about horrendous problems with sediment
washing out of the upper watershed, this news comes as a nice
surprise. I’ve been hearing experts talk about water-quality
improvements, but this new declaration is a major milestone in the
restoration of the entire Skokomish River ecosystem.
“This is a proud and historic occasion for the Forest Service
and our many partners who have worked very hard for over two
decades to restore this once badly degraded watershed,” Reta
Laford, supervisor for Olympic National Forest, said in a
news release.
In 2012, Olympic National Forest designated the upper and middle
South Fork Skokomish sub-watersheds as “priority watersheds.“
Forest Service officials pushed forward with action plans
containing a list of restoration projects designed to put the
watersheds on a path to ecological health.
Completion of the key restoration projects in the upper South
Fork allowed for the new designation as a “properly functioning”
watershed. This marks the first time that any watershed in Olympic
National Forest has been upgraded due to completion of all
essential restoration projects. Watershed conditions and aquatic
habitat will continue to improve as natural processes roll on.
Restoration in the South Fork actually began in the early 1990s,
when the Forest Service acknowledged that the region was
criss-crossed by a damaging network of logging roads. At nearly
four miles of road for every fourone square mile of forest, it
was one of the densest tangles of roads in any national forest.
In 1994, the Forest Service designated the South Fork Skokomish
as a “key watershed” in the Northwest Forest Plan, which called for
major cutbacks in logging and received support from President Bill
Clinton. Between the early 1990s and 2005, Olympic National Forest
completed $10.6 million in restoration work, including $7.9 million
for road decommissioning, road stabilization and drainage
improvements.
In 2005, the Skokomish Watershed Action Team (SWAT) was formed
among a coalition of more than 20 government agencies,
environmental organizations and business groups with diverse
interests. The SWAT developed a unified front for promoting
restoration projects and seeking funds. Members agreed that the
focus on roads should begin with the upstream segments, later
moving downstream, while other work was coordinated on the estuary
near Hood Canal. Much of the lower area was owned or acquired by
the Skokomish Tribe, a critical partner in the SWAT.
Between 2006 and 2015, the Forest Service continued with $13.2
million in restoration projects in the South Fork, including $10.9
million on road problems. In all, 91 miles of roads were
decommissioned, closed or converted to trails, and 85 miles of
roads were stabilized or improved with new culverts and drainage
features.
Much of the road restoration work was funded by Congress through
the Forest Service’s Legacy Roads and Trails Program. Former U.S.
Rep. Norm Dicks was instrumental in creating that program, and
congressional support has continued under the leadership of Norm’s
successor, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, and U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and
Maria Cantwell.
Key funding for restoration also has come from the Forest
Stewardship program, which uses receipts from commercial timber
thinning on forest lands. Other financial support — especially in
the lower watershed — has come from the state’s Salmon Recovery
Funding Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In 2009, I wrote a story for “Wilderness” magazine
about how these programs were bringing “green jobs” to the
region.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed an
in-depth study of the river’s ecosystem last year and is now
seeking funding from Congress for a series of projects in the
watershed. Check out
Water Ways, April 28, 2016.
To celebrate this milestone for Olympic National Forest, the
SWAT will recognize the work at its general meeting Friday at the
Skokomish Grange Hall, 2202 W. Skokomish Valley Road. The meeting
begins at 9 a.m., and the public is invited.
UPDATE: June 12, 2016
The Skokomish River ecosystem restoration project, as proposed by
the Army Corps of Engineers, remains on track. The
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 25
unanimously endorsed the Water Resources Development Act, which
would authorize the project. The legislation must still be approved
by the full House and Senate.
—–
After decades of in-depth studies and anxious waiting,
restoration of the Skokomish River ecosystem took a major step
forward today, when a committee of the U.S. Senate endorsed the
$20-million effort as part of a larger legislative package.
The Skokomish restoration was one of many projects that sailed
through the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee as it
passed a $9-billion authorization bill on a 19-1 vote. The bill
must still be approved by the full Senate and House, but supporters
of the Skokomish restoration were thrilled with the light at the
end of the tunnel.
Rich Geiger, project engineer for the Mason Conservation
District, has been shepherding the Skokomish effort for as long as
I can remember. I asked him how it feels to finally see some action
in Congress.
“It feels really really good,” he said slowly, emphasizing each
word.
The restoration program consists of five separate projects along
the Skokomish River. Although not designed for flood control, these
projects for improving ecological health are expected to reduce
flooding along one of the most frequently flooded rivers in the
state.
The restoration effort has received support from far and wide.
As Rich likes to point out, experts generally agree that Puget
Sound cannot be restored without restoring Hood Canal, and Hood
Canal cannot be restored without restoring the Skokomish River.
Sen. Patty Murray has been a strong advocate for the
project.
“The waters of Hood Canal and Puget Sound are essential to the
Washington state environment, economy, and our way of life,” the
senator said in an email, “so I am proud to fight for investments
in the restoration of the Skokomish River. This critical work will
restore habitat and wetlands and improve fish passage, which in
turn supports salmon recovery — all necessary to maintain our
precious natural resources.”
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, said improving the health
of the Skokomish River would be a boon for Mason County and the
entire region. He said he applauded the efforts of the Skokomish
Watershed Action Team, the Skokomish Tribe and area residents who
worked together to shape the restoration program.
“This project ensures we can better protect critical species
like salmon … while restoring more natural areas for folks to
explore,” Kilmer said in an email. “That will help bring more
visitors to recreate in this watershed while protecting it for
future generations.”
The $9-billion authorization bill, known as the
Water Resources Development Act of 2016 (PDF 4.1 mb), includes
money requested by the Army Corps of Engineers for water-related
projects across the country. In additional to restoration efforts,
the bill includes authorization of projects related to flood
control, dredging, drinking water emergencies, water treatment and
pipelines. For a summary of the bill see the
report to the committee (PDF 284 kb).
The bipartisan endorsement and near-unanimous support offers
hope that the needed money will be approved in a future
appropriations bill tied to the budget, Rich Geiger told me. He is
also optimistic that the 35-percent state/local match will be made
available through state grants or a legislative appropriation.
“Now that have an approved plan, we are coming to Washington
state with a funding request that is much larger than normal,”
Geiger said. “This is a little unprecedented.”
The federal share for the project would be about $13 million and
the state share nearly $7 million.
Some money has already been provided for engineering work, Rich
said. If things go well, the final designs can be ready for the
start of construction in October of 2019.
These four projects would come first:
Confluence levee removal: This levee was built
with old cars at the confluence where the North Fork flows into the
mainstem of the Skokomish. Some 5,000 feet of the levee would be
removed. A small channel would be created to allow water from the
mainstem to flow into the North Fork and return at the existing
confluence. Large woody debris would help direct water into the
channel. Estimated cost: $7.5 million.
Wetland restoration at river mile 9: The
existing levee would be breached in four locations, and a new levee
would be built some 200 to 300 feet farther away. The levee would
allow for minor over-topping but would not increase the flood risk.
Estimated cost: $2.4 million.
Wetland restoration near Grange: Larger
breeches are planned for the levee near the Grange hall at river
mile 7.5 to 8. A new levee, up to 10 feet tall and 2,900 feet long,
would be constructed 1,200 feet farther back with no increase in
flood risk. Locations are still under discussion. Estimate cost
$3.3 million.
Side channel connection near Highway 101: An
old remnant channel between river mile 4 and 5.6 would be restored
to take water from the mainstem at high flows. Woody debris would
help define the inlet and outlet to the channel, which would become
a ponded wetland at low flows. Estimated cost: $3.1 million.
The fifth project would be constructed over two years in
2020-21:
Large woody debris: Upstream of the confluence
with the North Fork, large woody debris would be installed. Large
clusters of trees with root wads, as well as some single trees,
would be placed between river mile 9 and 11, as measured from the
estuary in Hood Canal. Estimated cost: $3.2 million.
The original plan for the Skokomish, as developed in an early
report by the Army Corps of Engineers, called for more projects and
would have cost closer to $40 million.
Some of those other projects are being funded through other
programs, such as the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. For example,
the reconnection of a stagnant section of Weaver Creek to the
free-flowing Purdy Creek is scheduled for this summer using SRF
Board money.
In addition, numerous man-made logjams are being planned to
create salmon habitat, reduce sediment flows and stabilize the
stream channel. Also, preliminary designs and discussions are
underway to relocate Skokomish Valley Road, a main route into the
Olympic Mountains. Moving the road would allow for the removal of
levees, river bank restoration and a reconnection to about 60 acres
of floodplain.
It’s turning out to be a good Christmas for the Skokomish
watershed in southern Hood Canal, where numerous restoration
projects recently received a green light.
Restoring the Skokomish River ecosystem is often regarded as
essential to restoring Hood Canal to a healthy condition. Work over
the past 10 years has reduced sediment coming from the Olympic
Mountains, improved flow conditions in the river and restored tidal
mixing and native vegetation in the vast Skokomish estuary.
Continuing efforts — including a new
fish-passage facility in the North Fork of the Skokomish — are
contributing to an increase in species diversity and improved
salmon habitat.
The latest news involves future restoration efforts, including
an award of five grants totaling $1.4 million from the state’s
Salmon
Recovery Funding Board. In addition, top officials in the Army
Corps of Engineers have endorsed the long-awaited Skokomish River
Basin Ecosystem Restoration Plan, expected to cost about $20
million.
“We are making solid progress on all fronts,” said Mike Anderson
of The Wilderness Society who serves as coordinator of the
Skokomish Watershed Action Team. The action team, which celebrated
its 10th anniversary this year, includes representatives of
federal, state and local agencies, the Skokomish Tribe,
environmental groups, business interests and area residents.
It has been rewarding for me to watch the coordinated efforts —
from the U.S. Forest Service working high up in the Olympic
Mountains to the Skokomish Tribe and Mason Conservation District
working on the tidelands of Hood Canal. For a history of the
struggle, please read my 2009 series “Taming the Skokomish.”
Part 1, the people;
Part 2, farming;
Part 3, logging;
Part 4, the restoration.
When culverts fail, streams can
become inundated with sediment. The Forest Service has been
removing unneeded roads in the Skokomish watershed for 20
years.
Photo: Kitsap Sun
On a related note, the Forest Service recently announced that it
has completed its effort to remove unneeded logging roads and make
sure they no longer contribute sediment to nearby streams and the
Skokomish River. In all, more than 200 miles of roads have been
decommissioned over the past 20 years.
The Forest Service is now moving ahead with “vegetation
management” on some 4,500 acres of timberland in the Lower North
Fork and Lower South Fork of the Skokomish River. The project
involves commercial timber harvest and restoration treatments in an
effort to accelerate the return to old-growth conditions. See
Vegetation Management Project.
A
Dec. 14 letter (PDF 818 kb) from the Army’s chief of engineers
moves the Skokomish restoration project one step closer to
congressional approval.
“The recommended plan provides restoration on a total of 277
acres in the study area and provides substantial benefits to
nationally significant resources,” states the letter from Lt. Gen.
Thomas Bostick. “In addition, the removal of the levee at the
confluence of the North and South Forks of the Skokomish River
provides significant benefits for upstream fish passage to an
approximate additional 40 miles of habitat in the South Fork
Skokomish River that is periodically inaccessible due to the lack
of water in the river channel adjacent to the confluence.”
Although the project names have been modified to stress
ecosystem functions, I reported on all five in
Water Ways a year ago:
Car body levee removal: This levee was built
with old cars at the confluence where the North Fork flows into the
mainstem of the Skokomish. Some 5,000 feet of the levee would be
removed. A small channel would be created to allow water from the
mainstem to flow into the North Fork and return at the existing
confluence. Large woody debris would help direct water into the
channel. Estimated cost: $7.5 million.
Large woody debris: Upstream of the confluence
with the North Fork, large woody debris would be installed. Large
clusters of trees with root wads, as well as some single trees,
would be placed between river mile 9 and 11, as measured from the
estuary in Hood Canal. Estimated cost: $3.2 million.
Setback levee at river mile 9: The existing
levee would be breached in four locations, and a new levee would be
built some 200 to 300 feet farther away. The levee would allow for
minor over-topping but would not increase the flood risk. Estimated
cost: $2.4 million.
Grange levee: Larger breeches are planned for
the levee near the Grange hall at river mile 7.5 to 8, compared to
the levee at river mile 9. A new levee, up to 10 feet tall and
2,900 feet long, would be constructed 1,200 feet farther back with
no increase in flood risk. Locations are still under discussion.
Estimate cost $3.3 million.
Side channel connection near Highway 101: An
old remnant channel between river mile 4 and 5.6 would be restored
to take water from the mainstem at high flows. Woody debris would
help define the inlet and outlet to the channel, which would become
a ponded wetland at low flows. Estimated cost: $3.1 million.
If approved by Congress, the federal government would pay 65
percent of the cost, with 35 percent coming from state and local
governments.
The ecosystem investigation by the Army Corps of Engineers also
identified other worthy projects that did not qualify for funding
through the Corps. Some of those projects are being funneled
through other state and federal programs. Projects recently
approved by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board:
Weaver Creek
Reconnecting Weaver Creek, $200,000: A new
750-foot channel will connect a stagnant portion of Weaver Creek to
the free-flowing Purdy Creek, and about 25 logs will be installed.
In addition to improved flows, the project will boost oxygen levels
in the stream. The sponsor, Mason Conservation District, will
contribute $153,000 from a separate federal grant.
South Fork Logjams, $225,000: Twenty-two
man-made logjams will be added to the Holman Flats area in the
South Fork of the Skokomish River to create salmon habitat, reduce
sediment flows and stabilize the stream channel. This area was once
cleared for a reservoir that was never built, resulting in excess
sediment that destroys salmon spawning beds. The sponsor, Mason
Conservation District, will contribute $469,000 from a separate
state grant.
Logjam priorities in Upper South Fork,
$305,000: Mason Conservation District will study a 12-mile stretch
of the Upper South Fork of the Skokomish to develop a prioritized
list of the best places to install future logjams. Logjams are
designed to improve fish habitat, reduce sediment movement and
stabilize stream banks. The conservation district will contribute
$54,000 and labor.
Logjam designs for Skokomish, $265,000: Mason
Conservation District will work with landowners to select a design
for logjams on a 1.6-mile stretch of the Skokomish River that lacks
shoreline structure. The conservation district will contribute
$47,000 in donations of equipment.
Concepts for moving Skokomish Valley Road,
$363,000: Moving the road away from the South Fork of the Skokomish
River would allow for the removal of levees, restoration of the
river banks and reconnection of the river to about 60 acres of
floodplain. This project would investigate possible locations for a
new road as well as the possible addition of a meander to the river
channel and the removal or relocation of a bridge over Vance Creek.
The sponsor, Mason Conservation District, will contribute $64,000
from a separate federal grant.
