How to Prepare and Submit a Habitat Restoration Proposal

The Middle Pilchuck River Cooperative Enhancement Project

for ESCI 497R Ecological Restoration

Jason Anderson, Restoration Coordinator

Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force

November 8, 2007

"Working Together to Save Salmon for Future Generations"

MISSION

Working to Ensure the Future of Salmon in the Stillaguamish and Snohomish River Basins, and Island County Watersheds

Stilly-Snohomish Task Force

• Work with City, County, State and Federal Agencies

•Coordinate with Stillaguamish & Tulalip Tribes

•Supported by Community Volunteers

•Provide Stewardship Opportunities & Watershed Education

•Presentations for Schools, Clubs and Community Groups

REGIONAL FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT GROUPS

• Created by WA State Legislature in 1989.

• To include citizen volunteers in salmon enhancement efforts.

•Develop & implement habitat restoration projects, salmon production, and community education.

• 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit corporation.

• Funding from WA State sport & commercial fishing license sales, & egg & carcass sales.

REGION 1 Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association

REGION 2 Skagit River Fisheries Enhancement Group

REGION 3 Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force

REGION 4 Mid-Puget Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group

REGION 5 South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group

REGION 6 Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group

REGION 7 North Olympic Salmon Coalition

REGION 8 Pacific Coast Salmon Coalition

REGION 9 Chehalis River Basin Fisheries Task Force

REGION 10 Willapa Bay Region Fisheries Enhancement Group

REGION 11 Lower Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group

REGION 12 Mid-Columbia Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group

REGION 13 Tri-State Steelheaders Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group

REGION 14 Upper Columbia Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group

Stilly-Snohomish Task Force Territory

Stillaguamish Watershed (WRIA 5)

Snohomish Watershed (WRIA 7)

Camano Island & South half of Whidbey Island (WRIA 6)

Nearshore Habitat down to the Edmonds Ferry Dock (includes some of WRIA 8)

Types of Restoration Projects• Riparian Plantings• Carcass Distributions• Knotweed Surveys &

Control• River & Beach Cleanups• Native Plant Salvages • LW Installation• Wetland Enhancement• Culvert Replacements• Bank Stabilization &

Bioengineering• Rearing Ponds/Pens

Stillaguamish Knotweed Control ProgramLandowner Outreach

• 151 Landowners Contacted

• 125 Landowners (82%) Agreed to Participate

• Knotweed Controlled on 86 Properties

The Task Force Strives to Offer a Wide Variety of Educational, Outreach & Volunteer Opportunities,

Meeting Community Members Needs & Interests, and Helping Facilitate the Cultural Shift Necessary to Complete our Salmon-Saving Mission.

Project Partners• Allen/Quilceda Watershed Action Team• Cascade Land Conservancy• City of Arlington• City of Duvall• City of Everett• City of Marysville• City of Monroe• Edmonds Community College• Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corp.• King Conservation District• King County Dept of Natural Resources• The Members Club at Aldarra• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation• Trout Unlimited - Northshore Chapter• People For Puget Sound• Pilchuck Tree Farm• Port of Everett• Puget Sound Action Team• Puget Soundkeeper Alliance• Richard Barr• Recreational Equipment Incorporated• Salmon Recovery Funding Board• Skagit County Noxious Weed Control Board

• Snohomish Conservation District• Snohomish County Marine Resource

Committee• Snohomish County Noxious Weed

Control Board• Snohomish County Parks Dept.• Snohomish County Surface Water

Management• Stillaguamish BankSavers Project• The Nature Conservancy• Tulalip Tribes• Veteran Conservation Corps• Washington State Dept of Natural

Resources• Washington State Dept. of Fish &

Wildlife• Washington State Dept. of Corrections• Washington State Dept. of Ecology• WSU Beach Watchers – Skagit &

Snohomish Counties• Whidbey Watershed Stewards• US Fish & Wildlife Service• US Forest Service – Mt.

Baker/Snoqualmie Forest

In general, how do you prepare a stream habitat restoration proposal?

• Assessment– Watershed scale and reach scale– Example: Limiting Factors Analysis

• Scoping of potential projects• Prioritize actions and locations

• Landowner outreach• Conduct a site visit to collect site-specific data

• Identify potential restoration activities• Select preferred and alternative options with landowner input• Develop the restoration plan, timeline, and cost estimates: Clearly

define project goal and objectives• Develop and implement a strategy to fund the proposed project

Middle Pilchuck River Cooperative Habitat Enhancement

How did the TF prepare the Pilchuck River Cooperative Habitat Enhancement proposal?

Step 1: Assessment

• Watershed documents – Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan (2005)– Salmonid Habitat Limiting Factors Analysis in the Snohomish River Watershed

(2002)– Ecosystem Restoration Opportunities in the Snohomish River Valley, Washington

(2001)http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/Public_Works/Divisions/SWM/Library/Publications/Aquatic_Habitat/Salmon/

– Salmonid Stock Inventory (2000 and 2002)http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/sassi/intro.htm

– WA Dept. of Ecology 303d list (water quality)http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/303d/2002/2002-index.html

• Reach-scale documents– Habitat Conditions and Chinook Use in the Pilchuck River (2003)

http://www.tulalip.nsn.us/htmldocs/Habitat%20Conditions.htm

• Guidance documents– Integrated Streambank Protection Guidelines (2003)– Stream Habitat Restoration Guidelines (2004)

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/ahg/

How did the TF prepare the Pilchuck River Cooperative Habitat Enhancement proposal?

Step 2: Outreach• Landowner referred to TF by Snohomish County

• Site visit to meet landowner and discuss landowner objectives

• Collect site-specific data– GPS– Riparian vegetation– Streambank measurements– Estimates of channel width

• Identify project partners– Snohomish Co. Surface

Water Management

• Identify site constraints

How did the TF prepare the Pilchuck River Cooperative Habitat Enhancement proposal?

Step 3: Identify potential activities.

• Remove non-native, invasive vegetation.• Riparian re-vegetation or enhancement.• Bank enhancement

– Bioengineering (soft) vs. traditional (hard) approach– Removal of rip-rap armoring

McDowell property = 6.25 acres

LWD Enhancement is approximately 100 – 200 feet long

Planting area is roughly 15,000 square feet (0.30 acres) along 300 feet of river

Both LWD and riparian enhancement areas are visible from Russell Road

Pilchuck River - McDowell Property Riparian and Channel Enhancement

NPlanting areaLWD enhancementMcDowell property

FLOW

Russell R

d. (147th Ave N

E)

r

Snohomish County

Snohomish Co. SWM engineering drawings

How did the TF prepare the Pilchuck River Cooperative Habitat Enhancement proposal?Step 4: Select activities to implement.

• Must include landowner permission

• Activities must be feasible given site constraints

• Activities must be consistent with basinsalmon recovery plan

• Permit considerations– Hydraulic Project Approval

How did the TF prepare the Pilchuck River Cooperative Habitat Enhancement proposal?

Step 5: Develop the plan.• Overall restoration goal: Enhance instream and riparian habitat to support native Pacific

salmonid recovery in the Pilchuck River Basin.• Restoration objectives:

1. Install at least 30 pieces of LWD along 100 feet of channel.2. Plant at least 2,800 native trees and shrubs in 0.30 acres along 300 feet of channel.3. Organize and host at least one outreach workshop/presentation for nearby landowners to

increase their knowledge about riverbank enhancement using large wood.4. Organize and host 1-2 volunteer planting events where citizens can participate in planting

native trees and shrubs.

Actions Estimated Cost Timeline

– Bank enhancement using wood $45,000 July/August 2007– Invasive vegetation removal $4,000 September 2007– Native tree and shrub planting $10,000 October 2007– Landowner workshop $1,000 November 2007

How did the TF prepare the Pilchuck River Cooperative Habitat Enhancement proposal?

Step 6: Develop funding strategy.

• Grants? Which one(s)? How much? Will it be enough/too much?

• Considerations– Timing of implementation – will we receive funds in time to begin/finish project?

– Minimum and maximum award amounts – will we have enough to finish project?

– Reporting requirements – how often must progress reports be submitted?

– Monitoring/maintenance support – does grant pay for these activities?

– Match requirements – how much match is required per dollar requested?

Project Funding Sources• ALEA Cooperative Project Funding Program• City of Marysville• City of Snohomish• Family Forest Fish Passage Program • Hong Kong-Shanghai Banking Corporation• King Conservation District - Non-Competitive Grant Program• Landowner Incentive Program• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)-Community Salmon

Fund (CSF) Grant Program-King County Waterworks• NFWF - Snohomish Basin CSF• NFWF - Pulling Together Initiative• National Resource Conservation Service• Northwest Pipeline• Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction • Recreational Equipment Incorporated• Tulalip Charitable Foundation Fund• USFWS - Partners for Fish and Wildlife Grant Program

How does the TF propose to fund the Pilchuck River proposal?

• Based on the McDowell project goal and objectives, successful applications with projects having similar goals/objectives, and a deadline that enabled the TF to prepare the design for submission, we developed the following funding strategy:

• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Community Salmon Fund $40,000 request

• Matching funds– Stilly-Sno Task Force (materials, tools) $5,900 in kind– Snohomish Co. engineer (drawings, permits) $2,800 in kind– Landowner (cash for materials and services) $7,500 cash– Citizen Volunteers (labor) $4,040 in

kind

• Total project budget $60,240

Just the Numbers…

May ‘06 – April ‘07, Our Community Support Included:

• 1,827 Volunteers

• 7,296 Hours of Service

• $109,440 Worth of Donated Time > 4:1 Match to RFEG Funds

Thank You!

Things You Can Do• Volunteer at Events• Become a Member• Buy a T-shirt• Internships• Donate/Fundraise• Referrals

The Decisions We Make Today are the Legacy We Leave for

Future Generations

For more information, contact Jason Anderson (jason@stillysnofish.org)

Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task ForcePO Box 5006, Everett, WA 98206

425-252-6686info@stillysnofish.org