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Owl Creek Falls, Hoh River

Owl Creek Falls, Hoh River

Programs

Accomplishments

North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership

  • Achieved a significant milestone with the introduction of the Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act. This legislation, introduced by U.S Senator Maria Cantwell and co-sponsored by the entire West Coast Senate delegation, will create a new, proactive U.S. policy to focus federal resources on the protection and restoration of salmon strongholds, as a complement to existing recovery efforts. It will also generate new funding for locally-led, cooperative conservation efforts in salmon strongholds, enhancing coordination among stakeholders across jurisdictional boundaries, leveraging private funds, and promoting green jobs and infrastructure. View Background on Legislation. View Background on Legislation.
  • Endorsed nine Stronghold basins in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California following a rigorous two year, science-based process of identifying Stronghold populations for wild Pacific salmon and steelhead. The Partnership will begin initial efforts to enhance locally led efforts in these basins to protect some of the most abundant and diverse wild Pacific Salmon populations across North America.
  • Launched comprehensive strategic plan process that will answer key questions about the scope of the partnership funding sources, measures of success, and identifying roles and responsibilities of Partners.
  • Brought together approximately 80 Partners representing state and federal agencies, tribes, local government, watershed councils, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, private foundations, and nonprofit conservation groups from Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, and Alaska for the North American Salmon Stronghold Partnership's summer meeting in Portland, Oregon.
  • Leveraged $94,000 from the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) to permanently reroute an existing water diversion and restore summer flows to the lower two miles of Rudio Creek, a cool water tributary of the North Fork John Day River used by summer steelhead for spawning and by spring Chinook for rearing.

Other North America Accomplishments

John Day Basin

  • Partnered with Wheeler County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) to fund fish habitat restoration projects in the John Day basin, the longest un-dammed river in the Columbia River basin and a key stronghold for wild spring chinook salmon, summer steelhead, bull trout, rainbow trout and westslope cutthroat trout. The Wheeler Soil SWCD is replacing problematic culverts to improve fish passage and access to upstream spawning habitat.
  • Developed a synthesized conservation plan for the John Day Basin and worked with a wide range of partners to identify and implement high priority conservation actions.

Olympic Peninsula

  • Released Hoh Tributary Report identifying and prioritizing tributaries critical to salmon conservation in the Hoh River Basin. The report will help agencies and community groups prioritize habitat restoration, land conservation easements, and willing-seller land acquisitions.
  • Created a scientifically-grounded, database-driven process for prioritizing salmon recovery projects in the Hoh River watershed in partnership with North Pacific Coast Lead Entity and local salmon specialists.
  • Provided key support for the acquisition of 4,700 acres by Western Rivers Conservancy along the Hoh River, on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Today, most of the private land along the Hoh River is protected, creating a conservation corridor between the Olympic National Park and the Pacific Ocean.
  • Worked in partnership with Western Rivers Conservancy to establish the Hoh River Trust to manage lands and support the long-term conservation of the Hoh River ecosystem. The Trust is now financially self-sustaining, and is leading the protection and restoration of habitats in the Hoh River watershed.
  • Created the Elk Creek Salmon Refuge on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. With support from public and private partners, we completed purchase of critical habitat along Elk Creek, a vital spawning and rearing tributary for wild salmon and steelhead in the Calawah River Basin.

Tillamook

  • Testified before the Oregon Board of Forestry, making the case for keeping Wild Salmon Anchor Habitat areas in northwest Oregon's state forests and released Oregon North Coast Salmon Conservation Assessment. Salmon Anchor Habitat Areas on state lands are due to expire in 2011.
  • Worked with a coalition of conservation groups to protect key salmon "anchor" habitats along five rivers in the 500,000-acre Tillamook and Clatsop State Forest in Northwest Oregon.
  • Developed a landscape-wide assessment of the northern Coast Range that analyzes watershed condition across all ownerships. Partners in this assessment have included the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and other conservation groups. This science-driven approach will allow WSC to identify salmon strongholds that merit a conservation focus.
  • Working with the Oregon Board of Forestry as they pursue increasing timber harvest on the Tillamook/Clatsop State Forests in order to provide additional funding to counties. The WSC goal is to protect the best salmon and steelhead habitat on public lands to ensure the survival of listed and non-listed salmon.