Since members of the Skokomish Watershed Action Team, including the Skokomish Tribe, joined forces 11 years ago to fix years of damage to the Skokomish Watershed, one result has been a lengthy action plan outlining such projects.
“Restoring habitat in the Skokomish River is necessary for salmon recovery in Hood Canal and Puget Sound,” said Joseph Pavel, Natural Resources Director for the Skokomish Tribe. “We have accomplished a great deal in the watershed but much more remains to be done in the next few years.”
Initially written in 2007, the team just released an updated version of the Skokomish Team Action Plan, highlighting successes, such as large woody debris installation and a general investigation study of the valley. The Action plan also lays out future projects such as restoring habitat for Skokomish chinook salmon, road decommissioning, vegetation management and prairie restoration.
Statement from SWAT:
“Since 2005, nearly 50 restoration projects – ranging from removal of old logging roads in the Olympic National Forest to rejuvenation of the Skokomish Estuary – have been successfully implemented.
Salmon populations are now recovering in Lake Cushman, thanks to an historic agreement reached by Tacoma Power and the Skokomish Tribe in 2009.
While much restoration work has occurred in some parts of the watershed, restoration of other areas – especially the agricultural lands in the Skokomish Valley – remains urgently needed.
The SWAT action plan for 2016-2021 identifies more than two dozen projects costing $28 million. The most important and costly of these is the Federal ecosystem restoration effort that has been proposed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, following a multi-year study of the river’s problems.”
