River projects making progress
Two forthcoming projects on the Stillaguamish River are part of an aggressive 10-year plan to combat the loss of chinook salmon.
Since the listing of the chinook on the endangered-species list in 1999, tribal leaders, governments, loggers and farmers have sought to make a concerted effort to protect a river that chinook once frequented.
Current populations are about 8 percent of historical levels.
The repair of a landslide area that chokes an upstream portion of the Stillaguamish with sediment and the removal of dikes that prevent access to the river's estuary top a list of projects that are part of a $42 million chinook-recovery plan.
The plan, still in draft form, is expected to be approved by state officials next spring.
Other river projects will focus on improvement of water flows necessary for salmon growth, the reconnection of the river to closed-off side channels, the growth of shoreline tree buffers that provide shade and the addition of woody debris, where young salmon can hide during threatening river conditions.
For more than five years, community partners have met to hash out a plan for species recovery in the Stillaguamish -- a must under the federal protection listing. Though smaller projects along the river's path have been incorporated into the plan, the landslide repair and estuary improvement are the first major initiatives requiring significant funding and community commitment, leaders say.
Much of the money likely will come from the state and federal governments, but most of the work will be done by local entities -- and on a volunteer basis, said Gene Williams, a member of the Snohomish County Surface Water Management Division.
"We are implementing projects already and seeking funding all along the way," Williams said. "[Because of the chinook listing], this watershed already has gotten quite a bit of money, and the assumption is that more money will be coming through the same avenues."
Continue reading this story from the Seattle Times:
River projects making progress