Managing the Salmon Habitat Recovery Process

Strategies for Developing Projects

RCW 90.82.100, Habitat Component, states, “Where habitat restoration activities are being developed under chapter 246, Laws of 1988, such activities shall be relied on as the primary non-regulatory habitat component for fish habitat under this chapter.

Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment (EDT): is a method that uses a “rule-based” system that focuses on habitat as the unit of analysis, and estimates salmon performance by using an analytical model that predicts the numbers of fish supported by the habitat over the salmon’s life history.  It is an “expert system” that captures the state of existing knowledge including areas of incomplete or missing data.

     This Work Plan recognizes that salmon habitat projects and activities that address limiting factors are only one-half of the total solution for bringing about successful wild salmon habitat recovery in WRIAs 22 and 23.  The other half involves implementing a wide range of other projects and activities that focus on managing the salmon habitat recovery process.  In both the short- and long-term, resolving complex social, political, and organizational problems is just as important as “in the field” projects that address limiting factors.  In fact, salmon habitat projects and activities may never achieve their full potential if many of these “process problems” remain unresolved.  That is why this Work Plan ranks the strategies in this section for developing projects and activities as being no less important to WRIAs 22 and 23 than those previously discussed in Section Two. 

     Some of the strategies for managing the salmon habitat recovery process are broad in concept while others are very specific in scope.  Most projects intended to develop from these strategies are outside of the scope of eligibility for SRF Board funding.  However, this Work Plan encourages project planners to consider including elements of these strategies in any projects and activities developed from the strategies in Section Two.

• Adopt strategies for the salmon habitat recovery process that can adapt to change

The Chehalis Basin Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Preservation Work Plan represents a long-term commitment to salmon habitat recovery in WRIAs 22 and 23.  However, it is important to recognize that the Work Plan functions within an extremely fluid environment.  It is reasonable to expect that federal and state environmental policy will shift over time and that ongoing technical assessments and monitoring will reveal new dimensions that will change our knowledge base regarding salmon recovery.  For the Work Plan to be successful in this kind of environment, it must be capable of quickly adapting to change.  Frequent review and maintenance of the Work Plan is a necessity.

In the near future, the Work Plan must integrate into the basin-wide watershed restoration plan as the habitat component.  Moving in this comprehensive direction will force the existing regulatory and future policy framework to align itself more effectively with salmonid habitat restoration and protection efforts.  This outcome must be a driving force for watershed planning under Chapter 90.82 RCW. 

• Introduce a successful public outreach program about salmon recovery and stream processes

     Citizens play one of the most important roles in salmon habitat recovery.  They are sometimes landowners, taxpayers, project contributors, or a combination of all three.  People will stand behind and support the salmon recovery process if they understand the needs of wild salmonids, why these fish are important to everyone, and what we all need to do to save them.

     The strategy for winning people over to salmon recovery is through sharing knowledge through active and persistent educational outreach programs.  Today’s efforts are inadequate and demand expansion to people of all ages everywhere.

     Public agencies and project sponsors have a long way to go before they earn the trust of private landowners.  Outreach programs need to target landowners in a way that make them feel comfortable about public involvement on their lands.  Incentives for involvement will help, but more importantly, agencies and sponsors need to connect personally with landowners – familiarity builds trust. 

      Salmon recovery is not cheap and the job is beyond the current resources of natural resource agencies and local government.  Salmon recovery needs the help of active citizens from a broad section of our communities.  The Chehalis Basin Partnership wants to create programs that enlist citizens to become physically involved in designing, implementing, and monitoring salmon habitat projects and activities.

• Create a simplified and useable project implementation process

     It is an unfortunate reality that the present system for designing, funding, implementing, and monitoring salmon habitat projects and activities is unwieldy and complex.  The same is true for some environmental permitting. 

     In order to get landowners, citizens, and different government agencies working together at the project and permitting table, the overall process needs simplification on all levels of government.  Landowners will become more willing to sponsor salmon habitat projects and activities on their properties if there was a system accessible to them that would facilitate project development and funding in a timely and trustworthy fashion. 

      There is need to create a more responsive permitting system that aids project proponents rather than intimidates them.  Some landowners cause damage to critical salmonid habitat through a lack of knowledge when they by-pass what they perceives to be a long and complex permitting process.  It would help if there were technical project facilitators more widely available to provide landowners technical assistance on best management practices as early in the project development phase.

• Create an interactive data management system

     The complexity of juggling a large knowledge base about salmon habitat recovery in an area as big as the Chehalis Basin is a daunting task.  This is why such tools as geographic information systems (GIS), the GeoData Viewer, and Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment (EDT) offer significant data management benefits for WRIAs 22 and 23.  The availability of such a system would provide greater understanding about which technical data gaps within the WRIAs are most important to fill as well as the planning, implementing, and monitoring of projects and activities. 

     It is important for an interactive data management system to be something more than just a resource tool for technical experts.  It needs to be accessible to all citizens by being user friendly, comprehensive, and available in one easy to find location, such as the World Wide Web and public libraries.  In this way, an interactive data management system can be an important public outreach asset as well.        

     The Chehalis Basin Partnership has identified and prioritized four levels of Systematic Action Steps for Managing the Salmon Habitat Recovery Process.  These are critical projects or processes for the Chehalis Basin Partnership that will support and strengthen salmon habitat projects and activities. Many of these Systematic Action Steps rests on the successful implementation of preceding ones.

• Create an organizational entity for natural resources program coordination

     The ability of the Work Plan to weather change and eventually take on more diverse, phased salmon habitat projects and activities depends on creating a permanent organization capable of securing permanent funding resources.  The Chehalis Basin Partnership will create a formal organization capable of planning, coordinating, and implementing federal, state, and local habitat restoration efforts within WRIAs 22 and 23. 

• Secure dedicated funding for natural resource programs

     The long-term success of doing habitat restoration and preservation work depends on the availability of permanent and dedicated funding sources.  The Chehalis Basin Partnership will investigate opportunities for taxing or bond initiatives at the county level or tax relief for landowners allowing salmon habitat projects and activities on their property.

• Integrate the classic extension model within natural resources stewardship

     The historic success of agricultural extension programs within the American farming community is a transferable model to natural resources stewardship.  In a natural resources stewardship extension model, agents would provide scientific knowledge and expertise to the public through educational programs.  Such programs could build the trust levels of private landowners, encouraging them to apply established and innovative methods to their lands that benefit the overall management of natural resources. 

• Lobby for resources and support

      The likelihood of instituting salmon habitat projects and activities and changing how we manage the salmon recovery process will depend on local, state, and federal legislative support.  The Chehalis Basin Partnership needs to develop the political savvy and muscle to convince legislators to fund projects and pass the needed legislative reform to ensure the long-term preservation and restoration of salmon habitat projects and activities. 

• Exchange information about the importance of natural resource management

     The Chehalis Basin Partnership needs to adopt a program that gets the word out about natural resource successes and partnerships within WRIAs 22 and 23 to encourage greater local citizen and landowner involvement.  Possible methods to accomplish this include regular briefings for elected officials and better utilization of radio, television, and newspaper to reach the public.  Establishing a formal community education program for people of all ages is vital for helping people understand how they impact the environment and how they can play a role in restoration and preservation efforts. 

• Market the importance of WRIAs 22 and 23 to natural resources in Washington

     The Chehalis Basin needs to communicate to citizens and legislators statewide that the quality and size of this watershed mandates greater public and private investment for its natural resources management.  Compared to many watersheds in this state, the Chehalis Basin remains relatively productive and intact.  The importance of this basin to the statewide vision for salmon recovery needs greater emphasis.

• Develop a monitoring strategy

      Monitoring the success or failure of salmon habitat projects and activities is a requirement of Chapter 77.85 RCW.  However, the many monitoring approaches, as well as their varying degrees of cost, has resulted in inconsistent monitoring guidance at the local and state levels that has confused technical experts and citizens alike.  The Chehalis Basin Partnership needs to initiate a study that examines the breadth of monitoring methods and selects a unified monitoring model with minimum standards that is most appropriate for our local resources and expertise.  This will help local citizens and technical experts, as well as funding agencies, evaluate the short- and long-term efficacy of salmon habitat recovery. 

• Provide guidance for future Salmon Habitat Field Projects and Activities

     Until citizens and project sponsors acquire enough experience in developing and implementing Salmon Habitat Field Projects and Activities, the process will be intimidating to them and a potential recruiting barrier.  The Chehalis Basin Partnership needs to facilitate the process by developing a clear process and product, augmented with plenty of one-on-one technical assistance.  An easy to read project development handbook, similar in approach to the “Forest Practices Illustrated” published by the Department of Natural Resources, would be extremely helpful.  In addition, it would be easier to recruit landowners who express interest in doing projects but not the paperwork if there were resource people readily available to facilitate the project process for them.

• Implement hatchery reform

     The impact of hatcheries on wild salmonids in the Chehalis Basin could negate any efforts focused on salmon habitat recovery.  The Chehalis Basin Partnership intends to track and participate in the Hatchery Reform Project currently underway in the State of Washington.  Congress created the Hatchery Reform Project to review hatcheries, ensure their activities do not present a risk to ESA listed species, and provide benefits to recovering wild salmonids.

• Make sure environmental laws are consistent

     It is critical for salmon habitat recovery that federal, state, and local enforcement officials be capable of doing their jobs consistently.  This entails ensuring that agencies handle all violations without political interference.  Elected officials need to give in-field managers the support and resources they need to enforce the law. 

     It is also important that local, state, and federal environmental laws be consistent and simple to manage.  Differences in application, procedures, and even definitions often result in inadequate protection of salmonid habitat.  The Chehalis Basin Partnership will make recommendations to regulatory agencies as to how they can coordinate these permitting systems more effectively in a way that benefits salmon habitat recovery.