FY 14 & 16 Little Mashel River Confluence Restoration Project

The Nisqually Indian Tribe utilized NWIFC PCSRF FY 2014 and FY 2016 awards in conjunction with funding from the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO project ID 15-1231) to implement the Little Mashel River Confluence Restoration Project, a high priority restoration project in the Nisqually Basin. The Little Mashel River Confluence Restoration project in its entirety restored 0.25 miles through the installation of nine engineered log jams to reactivate the floodplain and created in-stream complexity, creation/connectivity of two side channels, removal of ~600 linear feet of rip-rap shore armoring. RCO is reporting all instream channel reconfiguration metrics and riparian treatments associated with the overarching project. Due to the project evolving over time the actual cost to implement has become more defined. Costs were higher than originally estimated and therefore the Nisqually Tribe added $110,000 of additional funding from it FY 16 NWIFC PCSRF award to complete this high priority project.

The Tribe used $15,000 of its $191,572 FY 2014 PCSRF allocation to enhance an existing engineered log jam at Smallwood Park on the Mashel River. The existing log jam needed additional key pieces of wood to improve its current and future salmon habitat function. The work site is less than 1 mile from the Little Mashel River Confluence project work site. Implementation of both projects was accomplished through a sub-contract with the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group.

The Nisqually proposal is a priority 1 project because it directly addresses factors limiting the productivity of ESA listed Chinook, ESA listed steelhead, and other salmonids through implementation of priority restoration projects listed in the Nisqually Chinook Recovery Plan and subsequent 3yr workplans.