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WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Project and Program Updates
Salmon SEEson Program Wraps Up!
The WRIA 8-led Salmon SEEson program is coming to an end for the 2023 year with salmon having made their way back to rivers and streams to spawn. This was an action-packed year for salmon who passed through the Ballard Locks to much excitement from the public and visitors eager to see the start of their journey. Program partners hosted many opportunities for the public to see and learn about salmon. The Cedar River Salmon Journey volunteer naturalists team tirelessly provided outreach and education events at the Ballard Locks and at several locations along the Cedar River from June through October making this a record-breaking year for visitor engagement. They saw a total of 30,444 visitors which is a 70% increase over 2022 (17,872 visitors). The Carkeek Park Salmon Stewards also saw high numbers of visitors after a family of beavers dammed the main stem of Piper’s Creek creating a challenging obstacle for returning salmon. As the season comes to an end we reflect on all the hard work many partners, volunteers, and curious members of the public put into making this Salmon SEEson an exciting one!.
The Salmon SEEson website provides a map and details for several self-guided viewing locations as well as in-person interpretive viewing opportunities in King County’s watersheds and information on what the public can do to protect salmon. See you all next year!
Salmon SEEson is coordinated by WRIA 8 with additional sponsorship support from the Saving Water Partnership, Duwamish Alive Coalition, the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9), the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum, and King County.
Construction on Bear Creek Floodplain Restoration Project is Complete
This summer, Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group, along with contractors and consultants, completed a floodplain reconnection project on Bear Creek in Redmond that spanned 3 private properties and 1 King County-owned property. Work included bank excavation, construction of a new low-flow side channel, removal of 160 cubic yards of armoring from the streambanks, installation of 2 bank stabilizing wood structures and 19 habitat structures, and planting 34,000 square feet of riparian habitat. Contact Amani, amani@midsoundfisheries.org, if you are interested in a walkthrough of the site!
Visit These Sites to Learn About Tribal Heritage
Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust has compiled a list of places to learn about and support Tribal heritage. From sacred waterfalls to storied exhibits, this Tribal Heritage Guide showcases the living heritage and the enduring legacy of the first stewards of the Greenway National Heritage Area. Use this guide to explore 11 different places where you can learn more about Native American history and culture. Learn more.
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Salmon Friendly Lakes Update
Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group continues to coordinate with King Conservation District to plan the next phase of the Salmon Friendly Lakes Program. These efforts include additional lakeshore resident workshops in 2024 along with participating in other outreach events around Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington. Additionally, Mid Sound will be conducting a community-based social marketing study in 2024 to improve our effectiveness at reaching lakeshore residents and providing them with information that will help them to improve lake habitat. Watch out for more information in early 2024!
Kokanee Spawning Season Off to a Good Start
November marks the start of kokanee spawning season along Lake Sammamish and at a current count of approximately 200 spawning kokanee, the run size is already more than double last year’s return. This is good news and evidence that our collective efforts to recover kokanee populations are yielding promising results.
City of Edmonds Approved for NOAA Coastal Cities Resiliency Grant
This federal grant will support the planning process for the eventual restoration of the Edmonds Marsh, a project that will reconnect the Marsh to Puget Sound, adding rare pocket estuary and juvenile salmon habitat and decreasing flood risks to the City of Edmonds. It will collect and evaluate existing data, identify funding sources, define the planning process, assess the impact of contaminated soil exposure, and list permit requirements for alternative restoration plans. The application was written by volunteers, Bill Derry and Greg Ferguson, and includes input from City of Edmond's Directors of Public Works, Park and Finance, and the Port of Edmonds. Congratulations!
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6PPD-Q at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery?
The highest number of coho in the last 25 years were counted at the Ballard Locks this season. Historically, somewhere between 15 and 65% of that count show up at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (ISH). Of course coho are also bound for the Cedar River, Bear Creek and other tributaries. This year returning adults were observed with the characteristic gasping and disorientation associated with 6PPD-Q toxicity, and unusual shoals of dead coho in Issaquah Creek below the weir. Contact with experts unfortunately revealed that there is no standard post-mortem examination protocol to determine the actual cause of death of these fish. There are separate 6PPD-Q sampling efforts going on the watershed, but it is not possible to determine cause and effect yet. Data continues to be collected.
Give Input on Priority Locations for Stormwater Retrofit Projects on WSDOT Infrastructure
WSDOT is soliciting input from tribes, local agencies, and other interested parties on your priority locations for stormwater retrofit projects on WSDOT infrastructure. View more information and access the survey.
On the way to grandmother's house - help save salmon!
Drivers around Puget Sound can take a small action to help protect clean water: check car tire pressure monthly and if needed, add air as soon as possible to reduce wear. DontWaittoInflate.org shows you how to save money – and save salmon! Puget Sound and salmon are at risk from rainwater runoff that picks up pollutants like tire particles and washes them into local waterways. That runoff is carrying a newly identified toxic from tires: 6PPD-q, a toxic that kills coho salmon. Read tire tips and more information in English, Spanish/Español, Korean/한국어, and Vietnamese/Tiếng Việt.
Read more on the Waterlog.
View this video on how to check and fill your tires.
Salmon in the News
Inside the Effort to Truck Sockeye Salmon Past Lake Washington.
Read the full article.
Puget Sound Ecosystem Holding on, but Recovery Remains Uncertain, Says Latest Status Report.
Read the full article.
Protect Washington Salmon Population, Honor Billie Frank Jr.
Read the full article.
Stream bugs in the news!
Read the full article.
Upcoming Events
Holiday Trees for Salmon
Hunting for a very special tree for the holidays? Go to the Adopt A Stream Foundation's Northwest Stream Center (600 - 128th Street SE, Everett WA in Snohomish County's McCollum Park) Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 am to 4pm until December 23. There, you can select a wild and live Holiday Tree for Salmon to enjoy during the holidays.
Afterwards, plant your tree and help out the planet for hundreds of years, or bring it back to the Northwest Stream Center and Adopt A Stream Foundation's Stream Team will plant your tree next to stream in the spring where it where it will help out salmon for hundreds of years! Both options will provide you great holiday memory.
Proceeds from Holiday Trees for Salmon and the Nature Store support Streamkeeper Academy environmental education events. Contact aasf@streamkeepr.org with any questions.
Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group has Volunteer Events Scheduled for the New Year! Come support WRIA 8 salmon and restore habitat along the Sammamish River in Woodinville. All events are open to the public and are scheduled for the first and third Saturday of the month, from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Sign up here.
Volunteer Events: January 6th, January 20th, February 3rd, and February 17th.
Opportunities for Volunteers to Monitor Stream Water Quality in 2024
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a small army of community members who were informed about stream and watershed health, stormwater and salmon recovery, and shared that information with others? Well, we do. Water Watchers is a program of the Sno-King Watershed Council which teaches volunteers to evaluate physical and chemical variables, bacteria, stream flow, habitat, and benthic macroinvertebrates (which are at the base of the food chain for salmon and trout). This program is available to cities, non-profit organizations, or for individual participants.
View the webpage for more information about this program including the list of 2024 classes.
Funding Opportunities
WRIA 8 2024 Salmon Recovery Grants
The WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council is pleased to announce its annual request for proposals for salmon recovery grant funding through the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB)/Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) and King County Flood Control District Cooperative Watershed Management (CWM) programs.
For a full description of the application process, links to application materials, and other important information, please visit: WRIA 8 Funding for Salmon Conservation.
King County Conservation Futures Open Space Acquisition Funding – Apply by February 12, 2024
King County is seeking applications for 2025 King County Conservation Futures grants. Applications are due on Monday, February 12, 2024. King County can award Conservation Futures grants to cities, the county, park districts, and eligible 501c historic preservation associations and nonprofit nature conservancies to help acquire parks and open spaces for passive recreation. Grants may help purchase or conserve urban greenspaces, natural areas, forests, community gardens, farms, and trails – including stormwater parks or parks near affordable housing. All applicants are encouraged to attend a workshop:
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Register here for the workshop on Thursday, January 11, 2024 from 1-3 p.m.
Contact Ingrid.Lundin@kingcounty.gov with questions.
Floodplains by Design Grants
The Floodplains by Design (FbD) 2025-27 grant round is open. This program is a public-private partnership led by Ecology, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and American Rivers to accelerate integrated efforts to reduce flood risks and restore habitat along Washington's major river corridors. The FbD funding guidelines and pre-application are posted on the Department of Ecology's website. Pre-applications are due Jan. 12, 2024. After review, Ecology will invite selected applicants to submit a full application and present their projects to an evaluation team. Presentations will be held the week of Feb. 12-16, 2024. Full applications will be due May 1, 2024.
Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program (ESRP) Grants
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has opened the 2024 ESRP grant round seeking proposals for Puget Sound nearshore habitat protection and restoration. Pre-Applications are due February 8th, 2024. Visit the ESRP grants website for more information and program updates.
Puget Sound Funding Tool
Puget Sound Partnership has developed an online funding tool – Puget Sound Recovery Acceleration Funding Tool (Puget Sound RAFT) to identify and centralize information on various funding opportunities for Puget Sound ecosystem restoration and salmon recovery.
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