FY16 Ongoing Dungeness (and ESU) Salmonid Recovery and Riparian Habitat Restoration Design/Planning

NOTE: This ongoing project overlapped with our FY15 award because our budget for contracted Point No Point Treaty Council (PNPTC) work in our FY15 version of the project was expended. Thus, PNPTC contract work began (October 2017) prior to the other ongoing tasks, which began July 2018.

This ongoing project involved three main tasks:

1) design and planning of riparian habitat restoration and protection projects for streams and tributaries in the Dungeness watershed;
Staff engaged in design, planning and coordination of floodplain and riparian restoration, including dike setbacks, large woody debris installations; and planning for riparian property acquisitions, per the Tribes “Recommended Land Protection Strategies for the Dungeness River Riparian Area (2003)” (updated 2017). Planning efforts related to riparian habitat restoration included ongoing communications with relevant landowners and conducting extensive due diligence related to riparian properties the Tribe sought to purchase for riparian protection and habitat restoration. The Tribe also drafted a Draft Tribal Conservation Stewardship Plan, to further guide the Tribe on managing and restoring the properties it purchases for conservation purposes.

This task also included review of our 2018 aerial photo acquisition (which were purchased with FY2015 PCSR funding), and contracting for and acquisition of 2019 aerial photos (which required a grant extension, to allow for a weather window). The aerial photo flight for imagery acquisition occurred July 2, and was proofed by the contractor and delivered to us for review by mid-August. [Worktypes: Coordination on implementation of Recovery Plan; Evaluation and analyses of restoration projects; Habitat Survey].

2) technical assistance by tribal staff to partners involved with restoration projects that benefit ESA-listed salmonids;
Staff provided technical expertise at North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity (NOPLE) meetings, DRMT meetings, and County-led Dungeness dike setback planning/design meetings, and participated in ranking projects submitted to to DRMT (for review), NOPLE and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.
Technical assistance to and partnerships with restoration groups targeted key factors limiting salmonid productivity, including floodplain connectivity, riparian and instream habitat, and water conservation.

3) coordination of activities related to ESA-listed salmonid recovery and watershed restoration, such as leading and participating at Dungeness River Management Team meetings, and including activities appointed by Jamestown to the Point-No-Point Treaty Council (Treaty Council).
The Tribe continued to coordinate monthly DRMT meetings. Treaty Council efforts assisted the Tribe with: 1) riparian salmonid habitat protection and restoration planning; 2) furthering development of an ESA-listed Puget Sound Steelhead Recovery Plan and implementation and adaptive management of the HCCC Hood Canal/Strait of Juan de Fuca Summer Chum Salmon Recovery Plan; 3) design of projects that address factors limiting the productivity and viability of ESA-listed Pacific anadromous salmonids; and, 4) participation in other forums, processes and initiatives focused on improving salmonid productivity and viability. [Worktypes: Coordination on implementation of Recovery Plan (Chinook)].

a) Planning and coordination of riparian habitat restoration and protection projects for streams and tributaries primarily in the Dungeness and Sequim Bay watersheds: With this planning work, we target critical habitat parcels and stream reaches that are priority areas for the Tribe to reverse the decline of healthy riparian corridor habitat. Benefits include: eventual riparian and habitat improvements in lower Dungeness River; spawning, rearing and refugia habitat improvements in the lower river diked reach; a better understanding of riparian planning needs and habitat changes by comparing aerial photos over time.

Ongoing lower Dungeness riparian corridor restoration and Dungeness floodplain restoration are among the 10 strategic elements for recovery listed in the Dungeness Chapter of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan. Aerial photography is included in the “summary of Dungeness monitoring program” within the Dungeness Chapter of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan. As noted in APPENDIX A of the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon Recovery Plan, funding for staff capacity is an ongoing need to work on the numerous policies, programs and additional planning and coordination needed to implement recovery plan recommendations, especially with regard to enhancing habitat regulatory protections and incentive programs.

b) Technical assistance by tribal staff to partners involved with restoration projects that benefit ESA-listed salmonids:
The Tribe’s involvement in coordinating recovery projects with the community and local and federal agencies helps sustain partnerships and provide for efficiencies in accomplishing salmon recovery goals. Recommendations in the local watershed plan and the Recovery Plan are intended to improve water quality, in-stream habitat, in-stream flows, and aid in salmon recovery. On a regional scale, our continued participation in activities related to the Puget Sound Partnership, and the many other ongoing planning and salmon management forums, keeps us informed about and gives the Tribe a stronger voice in decision-making related to regional salmon recovery. Instream flow improvement is one of the 10 strategic elements for recovery listed in the Dungeness Chapter of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan, so participation in related forums is essential.

(c) Coordination of activities related to ESA-listed salmonid recovery and watershed restoration, including those appointed by Jamestown to the Point-No-Point Treaty Council (Treaty Council):
The planning and coordination activities conducted by Point-No-Point helps protect natural resources and therefore tribal fishing opportunities, which directly address tribal treaty fishing rights. Pass through to the Treaty Council helps the Tribe fulfill staff capacity needs by having Treaty staff keep us well-informed on a variety of region-wide salmon recovery issues.

These tasks are recommended in several documents, such as: Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan, WRIA 18 Elwha-Dungeness Watershed Plan, Summer Chum Salmon Conservation Initiative, HCCC Summer Chum Salmon Recovery Plan, and NOPLE Three-Year Work Plan.