Collaborative Skagit Riparian Planting

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG), in partnership with the Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC), request funds to conduct riparian restoration in the Skagit River Watershed. This project will work with major landowners and partners such as Seattle City Light and the Skagit Conservation District, as well as with new community partners including a private resident of Marblemount, to address riparian restoration needs in high priority areas. The primary restoration goal at all sites is to protect and restore functional riparian and floodplain forests.

The goal of this project is to restore native riparian and floodplain forests and improve habitat and water quality for Chinook salmon and other species. This goal will be accomplished by planting native trees and shrubs, and removing invasive species where necessary. This work will help improve future contributions of large woody debris to the Skagit River and side channels. Large woody debris provides habitat complexity and refuge for juvenile salmon. Functioning riparian zones also provide nutrients, shade, and edge habitat complexity for Chinook salmon and other species that utilize these reaches.