Coastal Puget Sound Restoration in the Skagit and Nooksack River Estuaries

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1 Washington Hydrologic Society Presents: Coastal Puget Sound Restoration in the Skagit and Nooksack River Estuaries Morning Tour: Wiley Slough, Conway, WA Afternoon Restoration Work Party: Whatcom Creek, Bellingham, WA Field Visit Hosted by Steve Hinton, Skagit River System Cooperative and Lindsay Taylor, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association Friday, June 24, 2011, 9:00 AM 5:30 PM (est. return time to Seattle area) Carpool from Seattle: 7:30 A.M. Meet at the NE 65 th St/Green Lake Park-and-Ride (meet at north lot, &sspn= , &ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=6601+8th+Ave+NE,+Seattle,+King,+Washington+98115&z=16) -or- Meet at Wiley Slough restoration site at 9:00 A.M. in the Skagit State Wildlife Recreation Area. See below for itinerary, project descriptions, and directions. Food and beverages: pack a lunch or bring money for a local eatery RSVP by Tuesday, June 21. Call or with your RSVP to: James Packman, TEC Inc. (206) jjpackman@tecinc.com We will be coordinating carpools - please RSVP and indicate if you would like a ride or will be driving and can give others a ride.

2 MORNING TOUR OF WILEY SLOUGH RESTORATION PROJECT, 9 AM-11:00 AM The Wiley Slough Restoration Project is a collaborative project between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Skagit Watershed Council, the Skagit River System Cooperative (SRCS), Seattle City Light, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and others. This project was proposed and funded for preliminary construction design by the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board in early spring of The directive of this design project is to rehabilitate natural processes within the confines of publicly owned land located at the historic Wiley Slough distributary channel of the South Fork of the Skagit River delta. Project objectives include the need for self-sustaining estuarine habitat for the benefit of indigenous fish, wildlife, and vegetation communities common to the Puget Sound fiord ecosystem. To this end, the SRCS design approach focuses on restoring important physical processes (tidal and riverine flooding). The project is designed in a way that protects interests of adjacent land owners, the agricultural community, and WDFW obligations while promoting wildlife oriented recreational activities consistent with the restoration objectives. The Skagit River System Cooperative The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) provides natural resource management services for the Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. On behalf of these two sovereign nations, SRSC works to actively improve fisheries management within their usual and accustomed fishing areas. These areas include the Skagit and Samish River basins, and were ceded to the United States through treaties signed in Fisheries management carried out by SRSC includes harvest and hatchery management, research, environmental review, habitat restoration, and a range of other activities. The guiding philosophy for the SRCS s Habitat Restoration program is focused first on protecting existing functioning ecosystem processes, and second on recovering landscape processes that are not functioning within an expected natural range of variation. The program s habitat restoration approach is firmly committed to implementing the principles of conservation biology on the landscape scale using both proven and innovative techniques on the site level. Mr. Steve Hinton has been Director of Habitat Restoration for the Skagit River System Cooperative since He has been a practioner in the field of restoration ecology since Steve has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Washington State University and a graduate degree in Science and Technology Policy from Georgia Institute of Technology. Steve is presently pursuing a PhD in Natural Resource Management through WSU. AFTERNOON RESTORATION WORK PARTY, WHATCOM CREEK, 1 PM-4:00 PM Whatcom Creek is one of the watersheds supported by the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) Stream Stewards Program. Whatcom Creek flows 2.5 miles through Whatcom Falls Park, the site of a fatal 1999 petroleum pipeline explosion, which significantly changed conditions along the creek. Although restoration projects have reduced the damage done by the explosion and fire, complete recovery will take time. Whatcom Creek has been devegetated, channelized, and degraded by a century of industrial and urban uses. In addition, Whatcom Creek and its tributaries are listed on the Washington Department of Ecology's 303(d) list as impaired for temperature, fecal coliform, and dissolved oxygen levels. Through the NSEA Stream Stewards Program, riparian habitat for rearing and

3 spawning salmonids is being improved by removing fish passage barriers, removing invasive species, increasing shade, increasing plant diversity, restoring habitat for native wildlife, and providing large woody debris. Improving habitat for salmon also benefits other fish and wildlife species. For the Washington Hydrologic Society s field trip, we will be participating in invasive species removal, soil mulching, and refuse removal at the Maritime Heritage Park in Bellingham s waterfront park area. Please bring appropriate shoes/boots and clothing for doing hands-on restoration work. Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association The Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) is a community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring sustainable wild salmon runs in Whatcom County. Established in 1990, NSEA is one of 14 Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups in Washington State. NSEA participates in the statewide effort to educate and involve the public in communitybased salmon recovery activities. NSEA works cooperatively with private landowners, public agencies, tribes, local businesses, service organizations, students, schools, and community volunteers in order to increase the awareness of, support for, and involvement in salmon restoration and education. Ms. Lindsay Taylor has been the Volunteer Coordinator at NSEA since 2007 and also worked with the NSEA in as the AmeriCorps Education Coordinator. Lindsay has a broad background in community environmental education and intimate knowledge of the watersheds of Whatcom County as a result of having spent time working for the Whatcom Conservation District and the Nooksack Recovery Team. Lindsay graduated from Huxley College at Western Washington University with a degree in Environmental Studies. When she's not planting trees with volunteers along a streambank, Lindsay enjoys kayaking, hiking, and snowboarding and is currently trying her hand at knitting and canoeing. (see below for directions)

4 Directions to Wiley Slough, Skagit State Wildlife Recreation Area, Conway, WA From I-5, take Exit 221 (55 miles north of Seattle) for WA-534 East toward Lake McMurray. Turn left at WA-534 W/Pioneer Hwy. Follow Pioneer Highway for 0.3 miles. Take the first right onto Fir Island Road and continue 1.8 miles to Wylie Road. Turn left and continue 1.0 mile to Game Farm Road. Stay left at Game Farm Road to stay on Wylie Road another 1000 meters or so. Parking area is on right for Skagit State Wildlife Recreation Area. Google Maps directions: from NE 65th St/Green Lake Park-and-Ride to Skagit State Wildlife Area parking lot (paste entire link below into web browser): CkHI7JobhSQVDE9xHisWU5ToQ%3BFRNi4QIdh7e0-A&mra=ls&sll= , &sspn= , &ie=UTF8&ll= , &spn= , &t=h&z=10 Directions to Whatcom Creek restoration area, Bellingham, WA From Conway, WA, go north on I-5 north 32 miles to the south end of Bellingham. Take exit 253 toward Lakeway Dr. Turn right at King St. Take the 1st right onto Lakeway Dr. Lakeway Dr turns slightly right and becomes E Holly St. Turn right at C St and park in the Maritime Heritage Center parking lot. We will rendezvous there after lunch at 1 P.M. Google Maps directions: from Wiley Slough in Conway, WA (morning tour site) to Maritime Heritage Center (paste entire link below into web browser): A%3BFfHv5wIdlhGz-CmrvDLioqOFVDFDHOm7tkf8ZA&hl=en&mra=ls&sll= , &sspn= ,0.0106&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=10

5 Announcements Water Solutions Innovations in Water Management June 16, 2011 Hilton Hotel, Vancouver, WA Presented By Northwest Environmental Business Council The Water Report [Full Information] or [See Agenda & Speakers] [Register Now] A conference about innovative approaches that can change how we manage water resources in the Northwest. Providing an adequate supply of water to a growing population, while meeting the needs of the natural environment, is one of the most complex challenges we face as a society especially with the prospect of climate-induced changes to historical supply patterns. However, the components of this challenge tend to be addressed in relative isolation. This conference takes a different approach and is designed to share creative solutions and innovative ideas about water resources across sectors and disciplines. Covering Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana Topics will include: State Policy Overview, An Integrated Approach to Water, Enhancing Water Availability, Reducing Water Demand, Flexible Approaches to Water Rights, The Role of Trading & Markets, Meeting the Infrastructure Financing Challenge

6 Washington Hydrologic Society ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FORM NAME DATE COMPANY/ORGANIZATION/AGENCY ADDRESS PHONE NEW MEMBERSHIP $25 RENEWAL MEMBERSHIP $25 STUDENT MEMBERSHIP $10 MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO "WASHINGTON HYDROLOGIC SOCIETY" AMOUNT ENCLOSED:$ CHECK or CASH (no credit or debit cards) Your cancelled check is your receipt. Please the treasurer at if you need an ed receipt. PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED MEMBERSHIP FORM and PAYMENT TO: Matt Bachmann, WHS Treasurer c/o U.S. Geological Survey 934 Broadway, Suite 300 Tacoma, WA Answers to frequently asked questions about WHS: There is no cost to attend the monthly meetings, although we ask for food donations. The annual period of membership is September through August. We have monthly meetings from September through May (except December), an annual field trip in June, and a yearly board meeting during the Summer (everyone is welcome). The monthly meetings comprise presentations on a selected hydrologic topic by an invited speaker. Questions about membership? Contact the Treasurer, Matt Bachmann, at mbachmann@usgs.gov or call Questions about WHS in general? Contact the President, Laurie Morgan, at paulasonata@comcast.net or call Thank you for supporting the Washington Hydrologic Society! Suggest a topic for future monthly presentations: Your area(s) of expertise: Would you be interested in giving a presentation to our group in your area(s) of expertise? Yes No