Elwha River Vegetation Enhancement

The Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, a sovereign, federally recognized Indian Nation,located in Port Angeles WA on the Olympic penninsulais seeking to continuevegetation restoration efforts in the Elwha River watershed. This project will be conductedin the former Mills and Aldwellreservoirsmanaged by Olympic National Park.LEKTs project mission is to help the rebuilding of Pacific salmon populations by nurturing, protecting and enhancing degraded and young developing salmon habitat on the Elwha River. Habitats that will be restored include: 500 acres of floodplains which include in stream islands, riparian zones, side channels.This project will promote, enhance, restore and protect habitat and natural processes that support salmon populations. It will promote conifer successionby focusing a large effort on planting conifers in early secessionalhardwood forests and herbaceous dominated riparianzones. This planting will provide a future source of wood for the river, provide riparian vegetation for fish refuge, stream temperature regulation with the addition of shade trees, food web contribution, contribute to nutrient cycling , all while building resiliency to fluctuations in temperatures and flow. All ESA listed and non listed salmon species will be supported by this habitat improvement, including ESA listedspring and fallChinook, summer and winter Steelhead, as well as populations of Coho, Sockeye, Pink, Chum, ESA listed Bull trout and candidatespecies, Pacific lamprey.

Our overall mission at LEKT is to support the rebuilding of salmon populations in the Elwha. Our main goals with this project are: 1. Create forested islands. Currently our instream islands are lacking vegetation especially conifers. Forested island morphologies are maintained by vegetation communities which provide stable points which accelerate the formation of side channels, pools and bars which are the favored habitats of Pacific Salmon at all life stages. 2. Create a future source of wood for the Elwha through targeted conifer planting. Currently there is little wood available through natural fluvial process, but conifer planting will help ensure a future source wood. 3. Restore and enhance a functioning riparian habitat by focusing on riparian planting. The river has established stable riparian areas where the vegetation communities are largely a mix of herbaceous species and bare ground spots. 4. Contribute to side channel complexity with addition of vegetation on newly formed side channels. Both adult and rearing life stages use side channel habitat. 5. Help restore natural temperature regime. Planting riparian vegetation will contribute to shade on the river and help establish natural temperatures acceptable for pacific salmon. 6. Reduce or eliminate invasive weed threats. Invasive weed treatments will reduce competition for the native plant communities 7. Build resiliency to fluctuations in temperature and flow.