Grays River Satterlund Site

Wahkiakum Conservation District constructed a river and riparian buffer restoration project with the expressed purpose of addressing limiting factors for salmon recovery in the reach. The project was implemented in cooperation with the landowner (Satterlund) on about 2000 feet of left bank Grays River immediately upstream of the SR4 bridge. The primary goal/objective of the project was the placement of large woody material to address the identified limiting factors including habitat quantity / diversity, water quality (sediment and temperature), channel stability, and streambank stability and to extend the landowners Conservation Reserve Enhanced Program riparian buffer an additional 1.3 acres. Delays in the CREP program resulted in only 0.3 acres being planted. The remaining 1 acres will be planted as part the scope of a funded phase 2 project, that did not align with the current SRFB funding source (see below). Two jam structures, one roughness structure and six small wood clusters were installed all directly in accordance with the project design sheets. The project had leveraged funding to install some additional large woody material through the Washington Coast Restoration Initiative. Delays in legislative appropriation resulted in the inability to get the two funding sources to align. WCD is currently working on the WCRI structures with plans to implement this portion of the project in 2019.

The project created channel margin habitat that has been observed being highly utilized by both coho and chum. The project effectively stabilize two sections of streambank that were experiencing accelerated erosion and recruiting 5 year old establishing riparian forest buffer. The riparian buffer is establishing well and the landowners have been excellent stewards of the riparian buffer. The project has provided immediate habitat benefits and in 10 years we will start seeing the benefit of restored riparian function.