Dungeness and Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca Salmon Recovery Planning and Assessment

This project involved three components, as summarized below:

1. Strategic Salmon Recovery Planning: The Tribe continued its leadership role on the local watershed council, Dungeness River Management Team (DRMT), by coordinating watershed/sub-basin and salmon recovery planning. The Tribe continued (as tribal entity and as DRMT member) to provide staff support in regional salmon recovery planning forums. This included staff involvement in the next phase of Chinook salmon recovery, the newly formed Puget Sound Partnership, and planning for recovery of ESA-listed Puget Sound Steelhead. With technical/consulting assistance, the Tribe continued to participate in WRIA 18 in-stream flow rulemaking sessions and related consultation meetings with DOE for both WRIAs 17 and 18. The Tribe provide input on WRIA 18 (and WRIA 17 where appropriate) rulemaking where appropriate, including comments and input on water exchange, outreach and related draft documents. Point-No-Point provided summary reporting (available from the Tribe) to the Tribe on its regional salmon recovery planning efforts.

2. Riparian Corridor Protection/Restoration/Planning: The Tribes habitat program manager and restoration planner worked closely together on the following riparian corridor protection and restoration efforts: (i) tracking FEMAs use of a previously completed hydraulic model as the basis for public outreach (related to flood flows) to landowners in the Dungeness Meadows / Kinkade Island reach. Use of the model is on hold, and Tribe is tracking the issues via meetings; (ii) continued work with Rivers End project engineer, agency partners, and landowners on modified scope of work (based in part on information from two recent studies) for Rivers End area riparian restoration; (iii) attended dike setback subcommittee meetings and provided technical assistance on biological needs and channel restoration requirements from dike setback, and; (iv) assisted County with update to Flood Hazard Management Plan.

Our habitat program manager also: (i) continued monitoring Dungeness River LWD project; (ii) participated on subcommittee for Bridge Hazard Plan; (iii) provided technical assistance to a wide range of ongoing restoration/planning processes (e.g. Salmon Recovery Funding Board; update of three and ten year lists for NOPLE, etc.), and; (iv) obtained annual aerial flights of the Dungeness watershed, Jimmycomelately watershed, Sequim Bay shoreline, and Strait of Juan de Fuca shoreline.

3. Water Conservation: The Tribe continued water conservation efforts by working with the agricultural community and funding agencies to promote, research, and assist on grants related to irrigation efficiency programs that implement the Water Users Association (WUA) Water Conservation Plan. With technical/consulting assistance in some areas, the Tribe focused on these related tasks: Continued participation in aquifer recharge technical advisory group - including providing comments on resulting documents, and continued to track linkage to WRIA 18 rulemaking; Reviewed and provided comments on the Countys final Artificial Recharge Feasibility Study and related documents; Continued to track activities (there were not many during this timeframe) related to DOEs settlement agreement with the WUA and Graysmarsh, LLC.

NOTE: This project originally included a fourth component (stock assessments). However, the fourth component was parsed out into a seperate (RM&E) project per request by NOAA (Project ID: 2007-JSKT-02).

Coordinated, scientifically-based planning and assessments (including both site-specific in-stream habitat restoration planning and watershed-wide or regional planning) are the foundation of all salmon recovery activities. The components of our project aim to help recover salmon in key watersheds within our Tribes usual and accustomed fishing area:

Strategic Salmon Recovery Planning: Coordinating recovery projects with community members and local and federal agencies help sustain partnerships and provide for efficiencies in accomplishing recovery goals. Recommendations in the local watershed plan and the regional recovery plan are intended to improve water quality, in-stream habitat, in-stream flows, and aid in salmon recovery. On a regional scale, our participation on the Recovery Council and with the Puget Sound Partnership will give us a stronger voice in decision-making related to regional salmon recovery. Adequate in-stream flows set in rule can improve habitat for listed species.

Riparian Corridor Protection/Restoration/Planning: This sub-task targets critical habitat parcels to halt or reverse the decline of healthy riparian corridor habitat, and focuses on lower river and estuary restoration. Further planning for and eventual implementation of lower river dike modifications will improve the spawning, rearing and refugia habitat that has been inhibited by lower river dikes and other floodplain alterations. Assuring the public is well-informed regarding additional data and information gathered on the Dungeness Meadows / Kinkade reach (related to flood modeling, for example) is paramount to developing a restoration plan, the success of which will depend in part on landowner involvement.

Water Conservation: Past efforts have resulted in documented, measurable increases in in-stream flows in the Dungeness River, but flows in the late summer are still insufficient for ESA-listed salmon during the spawning portion of their life cycle. Further irrigation efficiencies projects will improve in-stream flows. Agreed upon minimum instream flows will facilitate the implementation phase of watershed-wide planning, and help protect in-stream habitat. Further water resource analyses (ASR feasibility) will help us understand the conditions ESA-listed species are experiencing from low flows and river diversions, and may offer alternative water supply options.