December 2019 Newsletter
Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed
Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 8
Salmon SEEson 2019 Recap
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Salmon SEEson 2019 wrapped up in early December, with a few last sightings of spawning salmon in some local streams. The 2019 program included 17 salmon viewing sites around King County and the second annual Salmon SEEson photo contest. The winner of the photo contest received a two-night stay in a yurt at Tolt-MacDonald Park near Carnation. Similar to last year, there were fewer than average salmon returning this year, and a couple runs that were the lowest on record, making it challenging to get a glimpse of salmon at many locations. However, visitors enjoyed seeing fish at several sites, and many sites had very positive experiences successfully sharing educational messages and information with the public.
WRIA 8 2020 Legislative Priorities
In the lead up to the 2020 Washington State legislative session, which is scheduled to begin on January 13, WRIA 8 has developed state legislative priorities to advance Puget Sound watershed health and salmon recovery. WRIA 8 has also developed a set of federal legislative priorities to support salmon recovery and Puget Sound restoration funding and policy. WRIA 8's 2020 state and federal legislative priorities can be found online.
State Salmon Recovery Funding Board Approves Funding for Salmon Habitat Restoration Projects
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The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) recently awarded more than $26 million state-wide in grants for projects to protect and restore salmon habitat around the state. The majority of the funded projects will benefit Chinook salmon, which make up a large part of the southern resident orca whale diet.
In WRIA 8, a $424,065 SRFB grant was approved for the Royal Arch Reach Floodplain Reconnection project design located on the Cedar River. The Royal Arch project will eventually reconnect the Cedar River to the adjacent floodplain and enhance an existing side channel, helping to restore rearing habitat.
Also approved was a $816,866 SRFB grant for the Riverbend Floodplain Restoration project. This project will reconnect over 50 acres of Cedar River floodplain, including side channel and backwater channel features and large wood placements to improve channel complexity.
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“Spawning Grounds: Saving the Little Redfish” film premiere on January 18th at North Bend Theater
Trout Unlimited is hosting the film premiere, which tells the story of the community-based partnership to recover native Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon. The event starts at 6pm and the film will show at 7:30pm. There will be raffles, a silent auction, and a panel discussion after the film.
A second screening will take place in Seattle on Saturday, February 8 at 5pm, at University of Washington Intellectual House, 4249 Whitman Court, Seattle.
For more information, visit spawninggroundsfilm.org.
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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
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- 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.
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Workshops and Conferences
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- 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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Edmonds Marsh daylighting project awarded $450K from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
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.
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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.