What's New in the Snoqualmie Watershed
Snoqualmie Watershed Forum

In this edition...

New restoration video! Every Mile Counts: The Haberzetle Dam Removal

Just south of Carnation near Griffin Creek, an earth dam has been removed to improve fish passage at the Haberzetle Dam Restoration Site. This impoundment created a pond that was historically used to irrigate fields and equestrian areas. Downstream of the pond was a culvert and 4 foot drop, which was impassable by fish. As the pond is no longer used by the current landowners, Tulalip Tribes and partners invested in removing this barrier and restoring the site, which will provide excellent fish habitat.

An exciting new video showcases this work.

grass, wood, creek
Photo: The Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources Department recently removed a large fish barrier at the Haberzetle Dam Restoration Site, near Carnation, WA.
parking lot, people, trees
Compass True North students and volunteers hard at work

Compass True North students and volunteers remove 1,580 lbs. of garbage along the South Fork Snoqualmie River

Fourth and fifth grade students in Compass Outdoor Adventures’ True North Program hosted their first-annual River Clean-Up event in early November. The True North students planned and organized this event with the goal of bringing community members together to help preserve our watershed in support of the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Land Movement.

With a turnout of almost 40 volunteers, 1,580 pounds of garbage and hazardous waste was removed from the river's edge for proper disposal! Read a full write-up of the event here.

This event was made possible with support from WA State Parks, Three Rivers Chapter of Trout Unlimited and King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

New Citizen-Science tool helps track flooding in real-time

floodzilla logo in orange

How high is the water near you? The Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance (SVPA) has developed a citizen-science tool called Floodzilla to make it easier to track water levels in real-time, and also to collect data to gain insight on how flooding is changing. This new tool shows real-time flood elevations at various locations throughout the lower Snoqualmie Valley. During flood events, the gages are updating every 15 minutes.

This data is helping teams to better predict road closures and flood events. For instance, here’s an excerpt from a current Floodzilla subscriber about the everyday significance of the tool: “I have a horse in Fall City on land that floods. Floodzilla is critical to know if I have to evacuate my horse in a flood event, and to plan the days to know if flooding is possible or not in upcoming days, (i.e. leaving the area or not).”

he SVPA also hopes to establish new gage sites in the coming winter months to improve flood maps even further. Have an idea for where a new gage should go? The SVPA welcomes community feedback. Want to join the next Floodzilla event? Follow the SVPA on Facebook

To use Floodzilla, visit https://floodzilla.com/ and create a free user account.

or more information, contact the Floodzilla Technician, Lisa Kysar at lisa@svpa.us. Learn more about the tool on the SVPA website. 

Volunteers plant 100 trees and shrubs to support a healthy forest canopy along the Snoqualmie River

trees, people
North Bend residents and volunteers come together to plant trees.

On Friday, October 29, 2021, community volunteers, members of Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and North Bend Boy Scout Troop 466, North Bend Mayor Rob McFarland and Councilmember Mary Miller came together for another successful Arbor Day event.  Altogether, they planted over 100 trees at the event. The restoration project is located adjacent to the South Fork Snoqualmie River near the City of North Bend’s Wastewater Treatment Plant and is being led by the City and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. Riparian trees are critical for water temperature regulation, act like a safety valve in the watershed by slowing water flows and reducing the size of a flood, and ultimately provide woody debris that creates pools and rearing habitat for salmon downstream.

Snoqualmie River's three forks reaches well above Phase 2 over Thanksgiving holiday weekend

The Middle Fork Snoqualmie River© North Bend Escapes

The threshold for a Phase 2 flood event at the Snoqualmie River three forks gage is 12,000 cubic feet per second (CFS). On 11/27, Snoqualmie River’s three forks flowed at 14,070 CFS due to heavy rainfall in the region. King County offers free access to Flood Alerts, and customers can customize their alerts for potential flooding for any King County river system. Visit King County’s Flood warning webpage to learn more or, call (206) 296-8200 or (800) 945-9263. Interpreter assistance in multiple languages is available.

Events and Conferences

Upper Snoqualmie Cooperative Weed Management Area
The Upper Snoqualmie Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) aims to maximize benefits from the control of priority invasive plant species impacting the Upper Snoqualmie watershed. The CWMA offers opportunities for collaboration among partner groups at these meetings. Partners include the Snoqualmie Tribe, federal and state and county agencies, municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and private companies. If you are interested in attending, please contact Tricia MacLaren (Tricia.MacLaren@kingcounty.gov) to be added to the email list to receive meeting notices.

The next meeting of the Upper Snoqualmie CWMA will be on March 8, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

2022 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (virtual event)

water, trees, sky, clouds

Early Bird Registration for the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (SSEC) is open! SSEC will be held from April 26-28, 2022. The presentations and discussions that occur at the SSEC are a platform to build shared policies, practices and procedures necessary to guide future actions for protecting and restoring the Salish Sea and its watersheds. Early Bird Registration closes on January 31, 2022. Regular Registration will close on April 20, 2022. Visit the Conference’s website for more details.

Tale from Two Rivers: Learn How to Share Your Perspective Through Digital Storytelling
There’s a unique opportunity to capture individual perspectives from people living in the Stillaguamish and Snohomish River Basins. Do you know of a voice that needs to be heard? Learn how to share your perspective through digital storytelling. Participants will learn how to draft and create their story through digital storytelling and produce a two-to-three-minute video. No experience is necessary! All training will be provided. See the Sustainable Lands Strategy website for dates and details.

Funding Opportunities

King County Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program
Each year, the King County Flood Control District (FCD) allocates a portion of its capital budget to fund implementation of Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) Forum priority activities via the Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program (CWM). The FCD has approved $1,990,000 to fund watershed restoration and protection projects in the Snoqualmie & South Fork Skykomish Watersheds in the 2022 grant round.  Project Sponsors interested in requesting funds from CWM should submit a Notice of Intent to Apply by January 24, 2022, following the direction provided in each respective Request for Proposals (RFP):

Snohomish Basin 2022 SRFB/PSAR Request for Proposals
The Snohomish Basin Lead Entity is soliciting projects that implement strategies identified in the Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan. The Snohomish Basin expects to allocate approximately $2.6 million dollars in state Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) and Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) funding. Notice of Intents to Apply are due by January 14, 2022. Visit the 2022 Snohomish Basin Grant Round webpage for full details.

Open Space River Corridors Grant Program
The Open Space River Corridors Grant Program provides funding to incentivize projects that integrate multiple attributes inside river corridors such as flood hazard reduction, healthy habitat for fish and wildlife, and passive recreation. The goal is to deliver projects that help restore the natural functions of rivers and the benefits they provide to our environment and communities, including providing or restoring public access to the water, improving the ecological function of a waterbody, or increasing public awareness of river corridors as valuable natural resources. The program plans to award $8.5 million this grant round, with a 20% match requirement. The grant round is open! Apply by January 31, 2022.

Floodplains by Design
Floodplains by Design (FbD) is Ecology's primary grant program for projects that help communities live better in their floodplain. This competitive grant program is a component of a public-private partnership led by Ecology, The Nature Conservancy, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and the Puget Sound Partnership. It is focused on re-establishing floodplain functions in Washington’s major river corridors. Pre-Applications for new Floodplains by Design grants are due by January 14, 2022. Sponsors considering applying for FbD should contact and coordinate with the Snohomish Basin Lead Entity through Gretchen Glaub gretchen.glaub@co.snohomish.wa.usand Morgan Ruff. 

Streamflow Restoration Grant Program
Ecology is currently accepting applications for the Streamflow Restoration Grant Program and plans to award up to $40 million this grant round. Eligible project types include water right acquisitions, water storage, altered water management or infrastructure, watershed function, riparian, and fish habitat improvements, environmental monitoring, and feasibility studies. Applicants should review the Streamflow Restoration Competitive Grants, 2022 Guidance. Additional information on pre-application meetings and a recording of the applicant workshop is available on the Streamflow Restoration Grants webpage. The application period ends at 5 p.m. on February 1.

Coastal Protection Fund - Terry Husseman Account (THA) Grants
The Terry Husseman Account (THA) grant program supports locally sponsored projects that restore or enhance the natural environment. Typical projects address water quality issues and fish and wildlife habitat protection or enhancement in or adjacent to waters of the state, such as streams, lakes, wetlands, or the ocean. Grant awards are up to a maximum of $50,000. Applications are due February 4, 2022.

Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board
The Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board (FBRB) grant program is now accepting proposals to apply for funds for fish passage projects in Washington State. The program plans to award $26.8 million this grant round. Proposals will be accepted between November 1, 2021 and January 13th, 2022. Projects must correct fish passage barriers that impact salmonids. This is a statewide grant program that focuses on funding projects in priority watersheds across the state and building upon previous and future investments made towards fish passage.

Salmon and Orca in the News

Governor Jay Inslee unveils new $187 million plan for Washington salmon recovery

Cantwell outlines big wins for Washington State’s infrastructure, salmon, economy 

Salmon Funding Opportunities in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

Salmon across the country will be able to swim freely again thanks to influx of infrastructure funds 

Kokanee salmon make comeback in Zackuse Creek 

Department of Ecology to finalize WRIA 7 draft streamflow restoration plan by Feb 2022 

Lost freshwater salmon population may still inhabit Lake Washington 

Drop a raindrop on this magical map and watch its journey to the ocean 

Researchers make surprising discovery while tracking Chinook salmon in Salish Sea, B.C. 

Amended Plan Leaves More Salmon for Endangered Killer Whales in Low Return Years | NOAA Fisheries 

Fish passage, dam removal studied as Seattle City Light aims to relicense three Skagit River dams 

WA fish researchers use tiny sensors and other tech to save 

Urine trouble: high nitrogen levels in Puget Sound cause ecological worry 

And, as always, remember that the beautiful "From Mt. Si to Wild Sky" watershed posters — featuring the photography of talented Valley residents — are available FREE from Carla Nelson or by calling 206-263-3050.


"The Snoqualmie Watershed Forum works to protect and restore the health of the SF Skykomish and Snoqualmie Watersheds in harmony with the cultural and community needs of the Valley.

"If you would like to be added or removed from the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum mailing list, or if you would like to submit an item for inclusion in the next Snoqualmie Watershed Forum e-newsletter, please contact Carla Nelson.

Funding for this publication is provided by King County Flood Control District.