March 2020 Newsletter
Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed
Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 8
Heavy early February rain causes significant flooding in local rivers and streams. To see aerial drone footage of several portions of the Cedar River during these high water flows sent to us by Karl Belzak, click here. See the Riverbend Floodplain Restoration project webpage for more information about how flooding at the Riverbend site on the Cedar River has changed the proposed project. |
King County Executive, Dow Constantine, "We have the know-how and no time to waste to save Puget Sound." Investing close to $6 billion dollars in water-quality improvements – King County Executive, Dow Constantine, writes about his “Clean Water, Healthy Habitat” initiative in a recent Seattle Times article. With 118 billion gallons of contaminated rainwater slowly poisoning the Green River and Lake Washington, he states that it is up to us to heed science and restore habitat and protect clean water for salmon. To read the full article, click this link: Read the full article here! Salmon-friendly shoreline armoring alternatives may get a legislative boost.
King County's 30-Year Forest Plan requests input from local residents.
For more details on the program and how you can help, you can read the 30-Year plan or email: kfarleywolf@kingcounty.gov or their website:King County 30-year forest plan Podcast interview with Spawning Grounds film creators. To listen to the podcast, see the links below, including a video and audio-only versions. Link to video version: Taping of the podcast Link to audio-only version: Audio only of the podcast Salmon in the news:
The students did the same in mid-December with 5,000 coho salmon eggs, which were placed in Shell, Willow and Lunds Gulch Creeks. Click below for the full article, courtesy of My Edmonds News State of the Salmon report is out by the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office
With so many recovery efforts currently in place, salmon are still struggling to survive due to their habitat being destroyed at a faster pace than what can be restored. However, summer chum on the Hood Canal and fall chinook in the Snake River are doing better and near their recovery goals, writes Lynda Mapes, Seattle Time environment reporter. Steve Martin, executive coordinator of the governor’s Salmon Recovery Office said, “recovery work – and the money to pay for it – is not keeping pace with the need.” Click here for the full article. $22 million in grants available for streamflow restoration projects! Across the state, up to $22 million in grants is now available for projects that will protect rivers and streams while providing water for rural homes. With priority given to water storage projects, fish habitat improvements, water rights acquisitions, or improvements in water management and infrastructure. Applications are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 25th, 2020. |
2019 State of the Sound Report issues a Call to Action for Puget Sound Recovery
On December 2, the Puget Sound Partnership released the 2019 State of the Sound report, which indicates Puget Sound is still in trouble but emphasizes that recovery is still possible. The report provides the latest information on the condition of the ecosystem, and is intended to help Puget Sound restoration partners and decision makers better understand: (1) how well the recovery effort is going, (2) ecosystem health and progress toward Puget Sound recovery goals, and (3) the role each partner can play in achieving Puget Sound recovery.
Funding Opportunities
- Floodplains by Design
The Department of Ecology is now accepting pre-applications for the Floodplains by Design grant program. This program targets projects that advance integrated floodplain management along major rivers – reducing flood risk, improving ecological function, and meeting other needs of local communities.
Eligible project types include property acquisition, design, and construction. Pre-applications are due on January 31, 2020, and Ecology will invite the top applicants to submit full proposals. The current funding cycle is for the 2021 – 2023 biennium, and Ecology’s grant evaluation will produce a ranked list that is submitted to the state legislature for funding consideration. More information is available on Ecology’s website.
- NOAA Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants
This grant program supports habitat restoration projects that use an ecosystem-based approach to foster species recovery and increase populations under NOAA's jurisdiction, such as salmon and steelhead. Pre-proposals are due January 8, 2020, and full proposals are due in April 2020. Proposals may include restoration feasibility and design, implementation of on-the-ground activities, or a combination of design and implementation. More information can be found on NOAA’s grant website.
- Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board
Applications are currently being accepted for the State’s Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board (FBRB) grant program. The FBRB is focused on correcting barriers to salmon and steelhead migration, and the most competitive proposals will correct barriers near or in coordination with other fish passage investments. Two project types will be considered: planning (design-only) and restoration (construction).
The FBRB process results in a ranked project list that is submitted to the state legislature for funding consideration (the current opportunity is for the 2021 – 2023 biennium). Proposals are due on January 15, 2020, and following an initial technical review, the highest priority projects will be invited to submit final applications. Those invitations will be issued on April 1, and the final application deadline is May 15, 2020. More information is available in the Request for Proposals and on the FBRB website.
- Upcoming Funding Opportunity – Terry Husseman Account Grant Program
The Department of Ecology will begin accepting applications for the Terry Husseman Account (THA) grant program on January 2, 2020. The THA program funds projects that address water quality and fish and wildlife enhancement in or adjacent to waters of the state (streams, lakes, wetlands). Examples of eligible projects include riparian restoration, wetland restoration, stream bank stabilization, fish and wildlife habitat enhancement, and livestock exclusion fencing. Typical grant awards range from $10,000 to $25,000, and the maximum award is $50,000. Matching funds are not required, and the application deadline is February 4, 2020. More information is available on Ecology’s THA grant program webpage.
- Upcoming Funding Opportunity – Streamflow Restoration Competitive Grants
The Department of Ecology recently released grant guidance for the 2020 Streamflow Restoration Competitive Grant Program. The program will provide up to $22 million statewide for projects that restore or enhance streamflows to support salmon populations. Projects that demonstrate quantitative improvements in streamflow are the highest priority for funding, but projects improving watershed function and riparian and fish habitat are also eligible.
This grant opportunity will open on February 3, 2020, and will close on March 31, 2020. Ecology will host a grant workshop at 9:00 a.m. on November 13 in Bellevue at Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office. Grant program information is available on Ecology’s streamflow grants website.
- Upcoming Funding Opportunity – National Estuary Program Coastal Watersheds Grant Program
This newly-established grant program is intended to address habitat loss and other factors affecting water quality and ecological integrity in 28 National Estuary Program (NEP) geographic areas—which includes Puget Sound. This is a nationally competitive program that expects to award approximately $1 million annually, with individual awards ranging from $75,000 to $250,000. Many of the details have yet to be released, including deadlines. Check www.estuaries.org/initiatives/watershedgrants/ for updates.
Workshops and Conferences
- Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference – April 19-22, 2020 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Early registration closes January 31 and regular registration closes March 31. The Conference is one of the largest events focused on science and management related to protecting and restoring the Salish Sea. Click or tap here for more information and to register.
- River Restoration Northwest Symposium – February 4-6, 2020 at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA. Regular registration closes January 12. The Symposium features the latest science, research, management, and policy issues related to river restoration and watershed management. Click or tap here for more information and to register.
Salmon in the News
- Salmon Lose Diversity in Managed Rivers, Reducing Resilience to Environmental Change
According to research from California, managing river flows through holding or releasing water from dams, for example, can affect the migration and diversity of juvenile Chinook salmon. However, there appear to be simple management strategies to restore natural flow patterns can mitigate this impact, which can be an important consideration in managing salmon populations in the face of climate change impacts.
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The City of Edmonds received grant funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resiliency Fund to advance design work on the Edmonds Marsh restoration project. The project seeks to restore one of the last remaining salt marsh habitats along the marine nearshore in the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8). The project will daylight Willow Creek, connecting Edmonds Marsh with Puget Sound to restore tidal influence to the marsh and increase important juvenile salmon habitat.
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Students bring new life to local salmon streams in the darkest days of the year
Twenty-five high school students that are part of Students Saving Salmon clubs at Edmonds-Woodway and Meadowdale high schools assisted fish biologists with placing 5,000 coho salmon eggs into hatch boxes in three coastal streams in WRIA 8 – Willow, Shell and Lund’s Gulch Creeks. The eggs are expected to hatch around Christmas Day.
- Leque Island west of Stanwood has been restored to a salt marsh to benefit salmon, birds and people
In mid-October, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife completed a project to remove a series of levees and restore tidal access to nearly 300 acres of salt marsh on Camano Island. The Leque Island area was originally diked off for farming in the early 1900s, but when the dikes and levees started to fail making farming challenging and repairs expensive, WDFW developed a plan to restore the area. The restored tidal salt marsh provides excellent habitat for juvenile salmon and water fowl.
Chinook salmon (also known as king salmon) are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. In WRIA 8, citizens, scientists, businesses, environmental and community organizations, and local, state and federal governments are cooperating on protection and restoration projects and have developed a science-based plan to conserve salmon today and for future generations. Funding for the salmon conservation plan is provided by 28 local governments in the watershed. For more information visit our website at www.govlink.org/watersheds/8/.
If you would like to submit an item for inclusion in the next WRIA 8 e-newsletter, please email Jason.Mulvihill-Kuntz@kingcounty.gov.