Salmon Habitat Plan Implementation
Salmon Habitat Plan: Cornerstone for Recovery
The Salmon Habitat Plan for the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9) provides guidance for actions to protect and restore streams, rivers, and the Puget Sound nearshore in southern King County.
The Plan duration is from 2006 to 2015.
The Plan covers the freshwater streams and rivers in southern King County as well as the Puget Sound marine nearshore.
The Plan constitutes a watershed chapter in the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan, approved in January 2007 by the federal government. The Plan also will be included in some form in the Puget Sound Partnership Action Agenda.
Implementing the Habitat Plan
Work to implement the recommendations of the plan is under way. Progress in implementing recommendations of the Habitat Plan is guided by the Implementation Management Plan (Adobe Acrobat 1.2 MB), approved by the Steering Committee in 2006.
The Steering Committee also has adopted the Three-Year Watershed Implementation Priorities (MS Excel file 42 KB), last updated in 2007.
The Forum of local governments, in cooperation with the King Conservation District, is helping to fund the priority projects and programs. Many projects are being funded with a combination of federal, state, and local government dollars.
The local activities and partners page links to recent and current projects in the five subwatersheds that make up the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed.
Implementation of individual habitat conservation and restoration projects is tracked and managed using the Lead Entity Habitat Work Schedule.
Also assisting with implementation is the Implementation Technical Committee.
Progress Report on Implementation
In early 2008, the first first annual progress report on implementation of the Salmon Habitat Plan (Adobe Acrobat 3 MB) was released.
This report covers accomplishments during the period August 2005 to December 2007. It also notes areas where more work is needed.
What's My Role as a Citizen in Plan Implementation?
Successful implementation of the Salmon Habitat Plan requires action by individual citizens, businesses, and governments. You can lend a hand to help protect and restore the habitat salmon require.
- Take steps in your daily life to be a good steward of the land and water of our watershed. Each of us can contribute to cleaner water and healthier habitat.
- Let your elected officials -- at the local, state, and federal level -- know that you support watershed salmon habitat recovery.
- Contribute to decisionmaking by participating on one of our committees.
Future generations will thank you for your involvement!
Why We Use the Habitat Plan
There are many reasons for the decline of the icon fish of the Pacific Northwest. Fish harvest, hatchery policies, hydropower dams, and habitat destruction all are significant contributors. Because of the complexity of the puzzle, we have to work together to spend scarce dollars wisely and effectively.
Using the Salmon Habitat Plan is our way to meet this challenge.
The habitat piece of the puzzle alone is complicated. Each of us, in our daily lives, affect fish habitat when we do things as simple as:
- Drive our cars
- Change engine oil or wash our cars at home
- Use pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers on our lawns and gardens
- Water our lawns and gardens
- Clear vegetation on our land, especially near streams
The impact of these activities is multiplied many fold because there are 630,000 persons who share this watershed. And it's not just the actions of individuals -- businesses and governments also affect fish habitat by:
- Clearing land for homes, businesses, and roads
- Paving land and constructing buildings that increase stormwater runoff
- Building and operating flood control dams and levees
- Consuming water by diverting it from streams or pumping it out of the ground
- Polluting water intentionally and unintentionally
Because there are multiple causes of habitat destruction, because so many of us can harm or help salmon habitat, and because the needs of salmon vary among species and between watersheds, we have devoted a lot of time and money to carefully assess the problems and identify solutions. This effort produced the Salmon Habitat Plan we are using today.