WA Funds 4 Salmon Restoration Projects In King County

OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board is awarding $21 million in grants to support efforts to aid salmon recovery.

The grants, announced this week, will go to 105 projects in 29 counties, including four in King County. The funding board says the grants are largely going to projects that restore salmon habitat, remove barriers blocking salmon spawns, and conserving existing habitat threatened by development.

“Salmon are important to every Washingtonian, whether they spend time fishing, eat salmon, rely on salmon for their business or use salmon in their cultural celebrations,” said Gov. Jay Inslee in a written statement. “It’s imperative that we improve the areas salmon need, and these grants help do that.”

King County's four salmon restoration projects are receiving a total of $855,764. They are:

The Green River Habitat Restoration, City of Kent

The City of Kent has committed to a program building a side channel habitat on the left bank of the Green River. The channel and a reconnected floodplain will create additional storage for water during storms, reducing flood risk, while also freeing up space for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout.

The Lower Issaquah Creek Habitat Restoration, City of Issaquah

The City of Issaquah's proposal will restore salmon habitat along a quarter-mile of Issaquah Creek. The city's proposal includes plans to excavate several side channels to give salmon safe, quiet places to rest and hide from predators. Their proposal will also remove invasive and harmful plants and trees, replacing them with foliage that benefit the salmon.

Planting the Banks of the Green River in Flaming Geyser State Park, King County

The King County Water and Land Resources Division has received a grant to remove invasive plants and replace them with native trees and shrubs across 8 acres of land along the Green River in Flaming Geyser State Park. Extra shade from the new foliage is expected to cool the river, keeping it safe during spawning season.

Assessing Log Placement in the Snoqualmie River, Wild Fish Conservancy

The Wild Fish Conservancy's program will examine the Snoqualmie River near its confluence with the Tolt river, to see if adding logs to the river could help redirect the flow of water. By redirecting water, the conservancy hopes to give salmon a more varied habitat to rest, feed, and hide from predators.

“This funding provides the foundation for efforts to protect and restore the habitat our salmon and steelhead depend upon,” said Jeff Breckel, chair of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. “It supports the work of many dedicated individuals and organizations and leverages additional government and private funding. These grants are one of our best tools for reversing the decline of salmon populations. Without this funding, we simply wouldn’t be able to save salmon, which are such a critical part of our Northwest culture, economy and quality of life.”

According to the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, Washington's salmon population declined as the human population grew until, at the end of the twentieth century, nearly three-fourths of the state's wild salmon and steelhead population were threatened or endangered. In the decades since, restoring the salmon population has become a priority for state environmentalists, and not just for the salmon's sake: 138 other species, from Southern Resident killer whales to flies, rely on salmon for food. Salmon fishing also supports 16,000 Washington jobs.