What's New in the Snoqualmie Watershed
In this edition...
Get Ready for Salmon SEEson!
This summer and fall, salmon all over the Puget Sound will return from the ocean to the rivers and streams where they were born to lay their own eggs. Check out the Salmon SEEson map for locations across King County where you can catch a glimpse of these amazing fish on their annual journey upstream. There are 3 viewing sites in the Snoqualmie Watershed: at the Tolt-MacDonald Park Suspension Bridge, Tolt River Footpath, and Tokul Creek. Migrating salmon are usually visible at these sites from mid-October through December.
Head to the Tolt-MacDonald Park Suspension Bridge on October 12th and November 9th, from 10am-2pm, to meet up with naturalists who will help you spot fish in the river and provide lots of cool information about salmon spawning season. Or go to any of the three sites anytime during the migration for a self-guided adventure. Check out the map for more information on where to go and planning for your trip.
Check out the Salmon Seeson map to plan your viewing adventure!
Snoqualmie Tribe Sees Early Success and Gains Momentum on Sdukʷalbixʷ Baqʷab (Snoqualmie Prairie)
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Snoqualmie Tribe has been working to return camas and related prairie plants to the upper Snoqualmie Valley, the sdukʷalbixʷ baqʷab (Snoqualmie Prairie) over the last five years. Motivated by restoring lost ecologies and the historical cultural connection to camas, the Snoqualmie Tribe is planting experimental pilot prairies in the upper Snoqualmie Valley. Over the last 200 years, 95-99% of prairie ecosystems have been destroyed by modern development, including the removal of camas, a first food to the Snoqualmie Tribe. The first plantings for this project were brought back to the remnant Snoqualmie prairies in the Three Forks Natural Area in fall of 2023. After the Tribe's Environmental & Natural Resources (ENR) Department planted a diverse set of native prairie plants, with help from many others throughout the Snoqualmie Tribe, they were thrilled to see the iconic purple camas flowers come back to bloom in the prairie meadows of the upper Snoqualmie Valley. This work continues with 12 more plots being installed this fall. To learn more check out the Snoqualmie Tribe's ENR Blog post titled Planting Camas in the sdukʷalbixʷ baqʷab.
DNR: New Fish Passage Initiative, Aquatics Website Updates
Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is excited to launch the Forest Landowner Fish Passage Initiative – an outreach campaign to small forest landowners in the Snohomish Watershed. DNR will address 157 priority stream crossings on private land that may be blocking salmon migration to critical habitat. Eligible landowners can have their stream crossings replaced at no cost to them! Contact DNR’s Project Manager Nick Braun at nick.braun@dnr.wa.gov or 360-972-4848.
Learn about DNR’s other salmon and watershed efforts through the brand new Watershed Resilience Program webpage. The agency-wide program began with the holistic “tree to sea” Snohomish Watershed Resilience Action Plan, which builds resilient watersheds and restores salmon populations across the Snohomish Basin. DNR is excited to be expanding this approach to two new Puget Sound watersheds – the Puyallup and Nisqually.
Flood Season is Coming: Stay Informed with King County’s New Flood Warning App!
Flooding is the most common natural disaster in King County and the flood season begins in October. Take the time to prepare now to protect yourself and your loved ones.
The upgraded app and website provide real-time river levels and flood phase information for seven rivers and Issaquah Creek in King County, ensuring you have the latest updates. By visiting this app, you can stay informed, giving yourself more time to act.
Go to kingcounty.gov/floodservices to learn how to create a safety plan and view the Flood Warning App.
You are Invited! 15th Annual Feast on the Farm, September 7th!
Join Stewardship Partners for a memorable evening at their 15th Annual Feast on the Farm, a premier farm dinner on September 7th in Carnation, Washington. This year they’re thrilled to present the culinary masterpieces of renowned chef Alan Davis of Hound + Bottle, accompanied by singer-songwriter Sera Cahoone, whose music is an evocative soundscape for the Pacific Northwest. By purchasing a ticket, you’re joining the many other Stewardship Partners who value the future of our beautiful Salish Sea and all its inhabitants.
Feast on the Farm was the first of its kind in the region. The farm dinner supports Stewardship Partners in part by funding its mission of working with landowners to promote sustainable practices. Their long-time hosts, Griffin Creek Farm, are a living example of farmers embracing environmental stewardship. Come to the farm and experience firsthand the hope that these practices bring for the health of our environment. With a live auction, raffle, and raise the paddle, Feast on the Farm is an opportunity to contribute in an impactful way towards a brighter future.
Feast on the Farm is currently sold out and accepting waitlist registrations.
Website for more information: Feast on the Farm - Stewardship Partners
Ticket Link: Feast on the Farm 2024 (auctria.com)
Farm Forest and Fish Festival is Here, Sept. 14 - Come and Join the Fun!
The March of the Vegetables is hosting a Farm Forest and Fish Festival on Saturday, September 14th in Duvall. This will be a lively (and free) afternoon of art, science, storytelling, and music from 3:00-6:00 p.m. to inspire a sense of wonder and appreciation for the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley ecosystem. The fun starts at 3:00 p.m. at Taylor Landing (16201 Main Street NE, Duvall, WA 98019) with music by the Sound and Fury Morris dancers. Visitors are invited to follow along the river trail upstream towards Stephens Street. Activities and entertainment will be sprinkled along the trail, including art and science projects on the theme of forests, agriculture, and wild salmon. The Geoducks, a local band, will play at Depot Park to conclude from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
The March of the Vegetables is delighted to partner with the Snoqualmie Tribe, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance, Snoqualmie Watershed Forum, Oxbow farm, Nature Vision, Mosaic Montessori, and the Duvall Historical Society. Thanks to the Duvall Rotary, and the City of Duvall for generous grants to support this event. Hope to see you there!
You are Invited! Celebrate the Year’s Accomplishments with the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum in September
The Snoqualmie Watershed Forum invites you to join in celebrating the accomplishments of partners doing important habitat restoration, outreach and education, and scientific studies for salmon recovery over the past year. You’ll also get highlights from a recent study of flooding in Snoqualmie Valley. Hosted by the Snoqualmie Tribe, the Forum will meet at the Salish Lodge and Spa on September 18, 6:00-8:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP to Renee Leichliter for more details.
Share Your Thoughts on The Lower Frew Levee Setback Project Design!
Design of the Lower Frew Levee Setback Project in Carnation has begun. This King County Flood Control District project will help reduce flood risks and improve fish habitat along the lower Tolt River, between the much-loved Tolt MacDonald Park and Snoqualmie Valley Trail. Now is your chance to tell us how this project can be most valuable to you. Accepting input through December 31, 2024.
Are You a Current, Former, or Aspiring Farmer? Please Take the Survey and Enter to Win!
Perspectivas de los agricultores sobre la viabilidad agrícola en Puget Sound: Una encuesta (15-20 min) para agricultores actuales, exagricultores y aspirantes a serlo. Si desea realizar esta encuesta en español, haga clic aquí.
American Farmland Trust is conducting a survey to understand the needs and challenges faced by current, former, and aspiring farmers in the Puget Sound region. This survey will inform a roadmap and action plan for the Puget Sound region to enhance agricultural viability, along with a toolkit for county governments. By participating, you have a chance to win a $100 VISA gift card or a ‘No Farms No Food’ hat. The survey is available in English and Spanish. Please consider filling out (15-20 min) the survey yourself and/or distributing it to farmers and/or other agricultural partners in your network.
Questions, contact Dani Madrone, PNW Senior Policy and Planning Manager with American Farmland Trust.
Sound Salmon Solutions is Seeking Community Input!
As one of 14 Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups in Washington, Sound Salmon Solutions aids salmon recovery in the Stillaguamish, Snohomish, and South Island County Watersheds. They connect the community to their watershed for the future of salmon through habitat restoration, education, and volunteer programs and by raising and releasing up to 80,000 coho salmon into the Lake Washington Watershed each year.
Sound Salmon Solutions (SSS) is currently seeking community input. Please help draft a strategic plan for the next three years by taking 10 minutes to share your opinions! SSS hopes to gain your insights into what you see as their strengths and challenges, followed by your input on strategic priorities for the future of SSS. SSS is so grateful for your feedback. Thank you for lending your voice. They look forward to sharing the 2025-2028 Strategic Plan once it is finalized.
Provide your input here (~10min).
Riverview School District Students Achieve Hands-On Success
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This summer, 15 high school students from Cedarcrest High School and the Riverview Learning Center took part in YESS (Youth Engaged in Sustainable Systems). This career-connected program is offered by the Riverview School District, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, and Pacific Education Institute. Students earned a stipend and graduation credit while gaining real-world experience in restoration ecology. They collaborated with experts from the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, U.S. Forest Service, WA Department of Natural Resources, and other local groups. One student wrote, “I was wary about the program at the start, because it would be taking so much time of my summer. But I realize now that this has been one of the best summers I’ve ever had… Being in this program has given me the chance to feel more comfortable with myself and being around others in this school district.” Thank you to the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum for supporting YESS!
A Successful Salish Scientists Summer Camp
The salmon may have already been on their way, but the Willow Creek Salmon & Watershed Education Center was full of budding scientists this summer as Sound Salmon Solutions (SSS) offered three weeks of Salish Scientists Summer Camp. Campers in 3rd- 7th grades learned about the importance of salmon, the scientific method, cultural uses of native plants, and more, through hands-on activities and games. Student projects included art projects highlighting specific ecosystem relationships, posters that outlined the laws protecting species of the Puget Sound and dioramas illustrating ideal habitats for wildlife and how individuals can have a positive impact on the environment. SSS is continually blown away by the scope, diversity, and passion of projects campers create.
2024 Salish Scientists Camper:
“I’m passionate about salmon and the Puget Sound. I learned a lot and feel like I found the perfect place.”
Thank you to all the parents and caregivers who supported each camper. Young learners’ success is in large part from the community who supports them. SSS is also especially grateful to have been able to offer over 30 full-ride scholarships to campers who might not have otherwise been able to participate thanks to funding from the No Child Left Inside grants through the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office. Learn more about our Salish Scientists Summer Camp.
Celebrate Funding for Salmon!
NOAA Fish Passage Grant Awarded to Tulalip Tribes
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded a $20,915,500 fish passage grant to the Tulalip Tribes to address 34 barriers for salmon at 33 sites in the Snohomish, Stillaguamish, and Island watersheds. The Tulalip Tribes will partner with Trout Unlimited, Sound Salmon Solutions, Adopt-a-Stream Foundation, Snohomish Conservation District, Snohomish County, the City of Marysville, and Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railway to address barriers for Chinook, coho, and steelhead, opening about 115 miles of habitat for salmon. Read more from NOAA Fisheries.
2024 Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Projects Approved
In July, the King County Flood Control District Board of Supervisors approved funding for 18 projects recommended by the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum in the King County portion of the Snohomish Basin through the Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program.
Special thanks to project sponsors in the Snoqualmie and South Fork Skykomish basins for submitting a suite of impactful projects. Learn more about the Cooperative Watershed Management Grant Program and about the projects for 2024 (pdf).
North Bend Property Owners Seek Culvert Upgrade for Fish Habitat
In the City of North Bend, a Utility Local Improvement District was petitioned for by property owners adjacent to NW 8th Street who want the City to replace a failing 42-inch diameter culvert with a larger box culvert, arch culvert, or bridge to convey Gardiner Creek under the road. Gardiner Creek is a tributary to the South Fork Snoqualmie River as it enters the river near Mt. Si Golf Course. Gardiner Creek has fish and fish habitat, so the undersized culvert removal and replacement will be a habitat improvement. For more information, contact Mark Rigos, mrigos@northbendwa.gov.
Job Opportunities
Sound Salmon Solutions – Hiring Salmon Habitat/Fish Passage Project Manager
This new position at Sound Salmon Solutions will manage projects such as fish passage assessment and construction, nutrient enhancement, and mainstem, side-channel, and riparian restoration projects.
Dirt Corps
Dirt Corps is hiring new members to join their Natural Area work team! Dirt Corps’ mission is to create access to green careers for all people, working towards a healthy environment, engaged communities, and a sustainable economy throughout the Puget Sound region. Check out more info and the application!
Salmon and Orca in the News
If Climate Commitment Act is repealed, what local projects are at risk? — HeraldNet.com
Climate change is already reshaping PNW shorelines. Tribal nations are showing how to adapt — The Seattle Times
The Pacific Northwest is littered with ‘deadbeat dams’ — ICT News
Researchers discover eelgrass superpower in Puget Sound — The Seattle Times
Federal infrastructure funding is fueling a push to remove dams and restore river habitat — The Seattle Times
Scientists confine, study Chinook at restored Snoqualmie River habitat —The Seattle Times
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 Renee Leichliter or by calling 206-848-0836.
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