From the Olympian this morning, an article about using trees from behind Alder Lake dam to restore a stretch of salmon habitat:
Logs and other woody debris delivered during winter storms to the reservoir behind Alder Dam are a safety hazard for boaters and a headache for Tacoma Power maintenance crews in this popular recreation area near Mount Rainier.
But that same assortment of wood is a blessing for salmon habitat restoration projects in the tributaries of the Nisqually River, including Ohop Creek near Eatonville.
…
Beginning in August, a 0.6 mile stretch of the creek, which was straightened and ditched by farmers for irrigation and flood control in the early 1900s, will be reshaped into a 1-mile streambed that meanders through 90 acres of revegetated wetland habitat. The new stream will be dug this year and the logs will be placed in the streambed this summer. Then water will be allowed to flow there next year at a cost of $2.2 million, said Kim Gridley, project manager for the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, one of the Nisqually tribe’s many partners on the Ohop project.
