Strategic Assessment for Salmon Habitat Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 9

The Strategic Assessment was the third product of the watershed habitat planning process for the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed.

This research is important because it provided the scientific foundation for the Salmon Habitat Plan, which was completed in 2005.

You can download the summary Strategic Assessment report (Adobe Acrobat 4.3 MB).

Strategic Assessment Description

The Strategic Assessment consists of a series of technical reports summarizing scientific research done during 2002-2005. This research addresses data gaps of salmonid life history and salmonid use of the watershed.

Specific components of the Strategic Assessment include:

• An update of the watershed technical strategy
• An historic conditions analysis for the watershed
• A characterization of current habitat conditions in the watershed
• An evaluation of the habitat factors limiting salmon populations in the watershed
• A characterization of the functional linkages between habitat conditions and salmon survival with a model
• On-going coordination of research efforts.

The final part of the Strategic Assessment is a condensed synthesis of the component reports: WRIA 9 Strategic Assessment report (Adobe Acrobat 4.3 MB) This summary also is referred to in various documents as the "coat."

The Strategic Assessment research shows:

• Generally what we should be doing for salmon habitat in the short-term and long-term
  
• How juvenile salmon utilize the river and how current habitat conditions play a role
  
• How has the habitat conditions changed over time and where are the areas that can serve as refugia (places to shelter fish from catastrophic events)
  
• Current habitat conditions including water quality and streamside habitat conditions
  
• Why habitat conditions in the Puget Sound shoreline matter to young salmon
  
• The future habitat conditions needed to support salmon for the benefit of future generations
  

A variety of governments and consultants have carried out these tasks. Participating governments and the King Conservation District paid for this work.

The Strategic Assessment is not the only scientific information used in developing the Habitat Plan. Other technical reports, most completed prior to 2002, also provided valuable technical information that helped policymakers arrive at sound decisions.

On July 29, 2004, the researchers gave presentations of their findings to a science seminar for the watershed Steering Committee. You can view these PowerPoint presentations of the findings on-line.

If you would like a CD-ROM containing these reports or would like to borrow a DVD of three of the presentations, please contact Dennis Clark, 206-296-1909.

Task 1: Strategy Update

• WRIA 9 Technical Strategy for Salmonid Conservation and Recovery (Adobe Acrobat 73 KB) -- Updated June 2003
  • One page summary of the Technical Strategy (Adobe Acrobat 11 KB)
     

Task 2: Historical Conditions Assessment

• Inventory and Assessment of Current and Historic Beach Feeding Sources/Erosion and Accretion Areas for the Marine Shorelines of Water Resource Inventory Areas 8 and 9 -- December 2005
   
• Historical Aquatic Habitats in the Green and Duwamish River Valleys and the Elliott Bay Nearshore (September 2005)(Adobe Acrobat 17 MB)(external link)
   
• Upper Green River Historical and Current Habitat Conditions (Adobe Acrobat 16 MB) -- June 2004
   
• Final versions of additional reports not yet available but key findings are summarized in Section 2 of the WRIA 9 Strategic Assessment Report - Scientific Foundation for Salmonid Habitat Conservation (November 2005)(Adobe Acrobat 4.3 MB)
   

Task 3: Current Conditions Assessment 

• Marine Shoreline Inventory Report -- March 2004 (PowerPoint presentation available)
   
• Inventory and Assessment of Current and Historic Beach Feeding Sources/Erosion and Accretion Areas for the Marine Shorelines of Water Resource Inventory Areas 8 and 9 -- December 2005
   
• Prioritization of Marine Shorelines of WRIA 9 for Juvenile Salmonid Habitat Protection and Restoration (May 2006)
   
• Lower Duwamish Inventory Report (Adobe Acrobat 6.1 MB) -- May 2004 (GIS data files available upon request to Dennis Clark)(PowerPoint presentation available)
     
• Lower Green River Baseline Habitat Survey Report -- January 2004 (includes the Upper Duwamish)
    
• Middle Green River Baseline Habitat Monitoring Report -- August 2002 (Adobe Acrobat 15.7 MB)
   
• Green-Duwamish Water Quality Report 2001-2002 -- May 2004 (PowerPoint presentation available)
   
• Green-Duwamish Watershed Water Temperature Report 2001-2003 -- June 2004
   
• Assessment of Current Water Quantity Conditions in the Green River Basin -- September 2005 (Adobe Acrobat 3.8 MB)
  
  • Figure 1-1 - Location Map (Adobe Acrobat 1 MB)
  • Figure 4-1 - Chinook Distribution Map (Adobe Acrobat 1 MB)
  • Figure 4-2 - Chum, Coho, Pink, and Sockeye Distribution Map (Adobe Acrobat 1 MB)
       
• A CD-ROM of the WRIA 9 Integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) Dataset for Current Conditions in the Marine Nearshore, Duwamish and Lower Green River Subwatersheds is available upon request to Dennis Clark, 206-296-1909.
   

Task 4: Comparison of Historical and Current Conditions Assessment

• A final version of this report is not yet available but key findings are summarized in Section 4 of the WRIA 9 Strategic Assessment Report - Scientific Foundation for Salmonid Habitat Conservation (November 2005)(Adobe Acrobat 4.3 MB)
   

Task 5: Salmonid Utilization and Habitat Limiting Factors

• Juvenile Salmonid Use of Lateral Stream Habitats - Middle Green River 2000 Data Report (July 2001) (Adobe Acrobat 330 KB)
   
• WRIA 9 Chinook Salmon Research Framework (July 2004)(Adobe Acrobat 738 KB)
   
• 2005 Juvenile Chinook Duwamish River Studies (May 2006) (Adobe Acrobat 4.5 MB)
   
• Evaluation and Assessment of Hatchery and Wild Salmon Interactions in WRIA 9 (November 2005)(Adobe Acrobat 637 KB)
   
• Salmonid Species Composition, Timing, Distribution, and Diet in Nearshore Marine Waters of WRIAs 8 and 9 in 2001-2002 (June 2004) (PowerPoint presentation also available)
   

Task 6: Functional Linkages 

• Functional Linkages Reports (PowerPoint presentation available)
  • Toward an Understanding of Functional Linkages Between Habitat Quality, Quantity, and Distribution; and Sustainable Salmon Populations: A Review of Analytical Approaches and Recommendations for Use in WRIA 9 - Phase 1 Report (December 2003)(Adobe Acrobat 840 KB)
  • Final WRIA 9 Conservation Hypotheses - Functional Linkages Phase 2 Report (November 2005)(Adobe Acrobat 661 KB)
    • Appendices (Phase I and 2) (Adobe Acrobat 1.5 MB)
       
• Tiered Conservation Hypotheses (Adobe Acrobat 129 KB)
   

Task 7: Necessary Future Conditions

• A final version of this report is not yet available but key findings are summarized in Section 7 of the WRIA 9 Strategic Assessment Report - Scientific Foundation for Salmonid Habitat Conservation (November 2005)(Adobe Acrobat 4.3 MB)
   

Task 8: Strategic Assessment Report

• WRIA 9 Strategic Assessment Report - Scientific Foundation for Salmonid Habitat Conservation (November 2005)(Adobe Acrobat 4.3 MB)
  

For more information, contact Dennis Clark, 206-296-1909.