FY 2015 West Sound Habitat Planning and Coordination

This project continued the Tribe’s work on salmon recovery planning, coordination, and project implementation in its Usual and Accustomed Fishing Area and supported the Tribe’s efforts to address factors limiting productivity of ESA-listed species and others important to the exercise of tribal treaty fishing rights. Primarily by providing the tribal infrastructure support (i.e. staff salaries and related project expenses), the following activities were conducted:
1. Identified and secured funding sources for high priority habitat protection and restoration projects (i.e. tribal infrastructure)
2. With others, planned, designed, and implemented priorities identified in the recently completed Chico Creek Watershed Assessment.
3. Aligned and prioritized restoration/protection actions consistent with Chinook plan.
a. Supported West Sound Watershed Council (WSWC) lead entity activities.
b. Worked with local jurisdictions to align capital programs with salmon recovery.
c. Supported efforts to evaluate and improve local alignment of non-capital programs (e.g. SMMPs, CAOs, GMA) with salmon recovery.
4. Provided staff and policy level support for regional recovery planning (e.g. PS Salmon Recovery Council), since this will likely result in the drafting of chapters within the emerging PS steelhead recovery plan, the development of a recovery plan worktype was also selected.
5. Coordinated policy to ensure consistency with goals and objectives of the Tribe.

The goal is to maintain the Tribe’s participation in salmon recovery planning and implementation. The project purpose is well coordinated salmon recovery efforts in East Kitsap. The expected benefit is more effective protection and restoration of freshwater, estuarine, and nearshore habitat necessary to support recovery of listed salmonids and to prevent future listings.