The Water Front       

 

Nisqually Stream Stewards Offer Free Stewardship Training

      Press release
      March 28, 2011

       Reservations are being taken for the 2011 Nisqually Stream Stewards Summer Training Course. Each year, the Nisqually Tribe offers the no cost, 7-week course (one Wednesday evening a week and four Saturday fieldtrips) during June and July, to students who agree to return 40 hours of volunteer time to assist in salmon habitat restoration activities in the Nisqually River watershed.
     Valuable topics include estuary, prairie, and forest ecosystems, salmon and wildlife of the watershed, how to collect information about the health of the watershed, watershed geography, stream restoration principles, history of the Nisqually Tribe, early settlement of the watershed, and how to build your own Rain Garden to filter stormwater. The course includes guest speakers, hands on activities and fieldtrips that visit interesting and unique places in the watershed.
     Seating is limited to the first 25 registrants. For more information or to reserve space, contact  Don Perry,  Nisqually Stream Stewards Coordinator at 360.438.8687, extension 2143, or perry.don@nisqually-nsn.gov.

 

Salmon Recovery Funding Available in the Nisqually Watershed
      Press release
      April 18, 2011
 
      The Nisqually Indian Tribe is currently requesting grant proposals for salmon habitat restoration and protection projects in the Nisqually Watershed.
     Federal and state funds are available for on-the-ground habitat restoration projects, land acquisitions, or assessments that will lead to projects. The Nisqually Tribe is the salmon recovery lead entity that coordinates the solicitation and ranking of projects for the Nisqually Watershed.
     Eligible project proposals will be ranked by the Nisqually River Council and submitted to the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) for funding consideration. Projects that match high priority actions and geographic areas in the Nisqually Watershed’s Salmon Recovery strategy will have the best chance of receiving a high ranking and funding.
     Eligible applicants for SRFB funding include cities/towns, counties, state agencies (with a local partner), conservation districts, tribes, non-profit organizations, special purpose districts, Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups, and private landowners.
     Interested parties must submit a Letter of Intent to the Nisqually Tribe’s Natural Resources Office by May 1 and completed applications are due June 29.
     Prospective applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Jeanette Dorner, Salmon Recovery Program Manager for the Nisqually Tribe Natural Resources at 360.438.8687 ext. 2135 or dorner.jeanette@nisqually-nsn.gov to get information about the Nisqually Salmon Recovery strategy and other application information.  

 

Volunteers Help Restore Salmon Habitat After Decades of Destruction

Photos and Story by Bob Walter...

     A tree and shrub planting project along the Mashel River in Eatonville Saturday morning, organized by the Nisqually Indian Tribe, drew dozens of volunteer planters of all ages. Local radio personality and gardening expert Ciscoe Morris again visited Eatonville to show his support by broadcasting his KIRO Radio program live from Mill Pond Park, where the volunteer staging area was set up.
    Many organizations are involved in the cooperative effort to improve salmon habitat in the Nisqually River Basin, including the Pierce Conservation District Stream Team, which served hot coffee, juice and baked sweets for the workers. Other participating groups included the Town of Eatonville, Nisqually Land Trust, Nisqually River Foundation and the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group. Here, a group of volunteers are planting about 75 feet from the north bank of the Mashel.

     Ciscoe Morris and Jeanette Dorner, Salmon Habitat Enhancement Coordinator for the Nisqually Tribe, stop near a group of volunteers as she gave him a tour of the area being improved and stabilized with plantings. They then walked over to the north bank of the Mashel River, where they viewed the manmade log jams that have been constructed to improve habitat in the river itself for migrating salmon. While they talked, they stood atop one of the logjams, which had already been thoroughly fortified with fill, leveled and planted with grass. The volunteers in the photo above, viewed looking west, work near the east end of the old mill pond.

     The Mashel River flows left to right just beyond and south of where these volunteers were planting. The area they were working in was accessed by a three-minute walk from Mill Pond Park, past the foundation of the old mill burner, and was bordered by the river, the mill grounds and Eatonville’s potable water treatment plant. It was encouraging to see so many children involved in the environmental improvement project - toting their child-size shovels, eagerly tromping toward the work area, digging, and gently setting plants in the ground, right alongside their parents.

A huge assortment of hundreds of trees and shrubs, in pots, had already been unloaded near the planting site. In the foreground are Douglas firs. There were also western red cedars and several types of deciduous trees and shrubs. Coordinators instructed each group of volunteers in correct planting practices.

Making Way for Chinook Salmon on Ohop Creek...

       from Emmett O'Connell
      August 17, 2009

     OHOP (August 2009) – Next summer Ohop Creek will flow through a new channel that is now being dug by the Nisqually Land Trust, the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group and the Nisqually Indian Tribe. “The new channel will increase the quality of habitat for salmon,” said David Troutt, natural resources director for the tribe.
     “There really isn’t anywhere for fish to go in Ohop Creek right now,” Joe Kane, executive director for the land trust, which owns the project site. “More than a century ago, Ohop Creek was ditched to clear the area for farming.”
     The new channel will stay cooler for salmon and include features like logjams that benefit both juvenile and adult fish. “It went from a shallow, meandering stream that was very good for salmon to a straight deep ditch,” Kane said. The Nisqually Land Trust owns the 120 acres of property on which this year's project is happening.
     After the new channel is finished, they will wait a year before rerouting the creek into the new bed. “If we  rerouted  the creek this year, there would be a risk of everything being washed away in a flood,”  said Kim Gridley, project manager for the group. “By waiting a year after digging the channel, creek-side plants will have time to grow and stabilize the bank.”
    This summer's one-mile-long restoration project could be the first step in restoring most  of the  Ohop Creek valley for salmon and other wildlife. Eventually seven miles of Ohop Creek might be restored under a plan being developed jointly with local landowners. "This initial phase will teach us a lot about how habitat restoration might look like throughout the valley," Gridley said. "Before habitat restoration happens anywhere else along the Ohop, we'll need to find a way to balance the needs of salmon and people."
    “The landowners in the valley have a huge stake in what happens with the creek,” Troutt said. “Salmon restoration will happen on the Ohop only if property owners are full participants.”
    Ohop Creek is one of two major tributaries to the Nisqually River that can produce sustainable populations of chinook. “Because there are only a few places other than the mainstem of the Nisqually River where chinook spawn, increasing the quality of habitat in those places is important,” Troutt said. Nisqually River chinook are part of the Puget Sound chinook population listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.
    “We also expect to see a big benefit to coho salmon, which return in very small numbers to the Nisqually watershed,” Troutt said. After a similar project on the nearby Mashel River, coho densities tripled within the restoration area. Ohop Creek also supports pink salmon, and cutthroat and steelhead trout.
     "Bringing salmon runs back to the Nisqually means restoring habitat where we can. Restoring habitat is the most imporant thing we can do to recover salmon," Troutt said. "Ohop Creek is a huge opportunity for us to do a lot of good for salmon."

Recycling Trees to Help With Salmon Recovery...


                                                                                                                                                                     (photo by Bob Walter)

      This is the confluence where Ohop Creek meets Lynch Creek. Ohop Creek. Ohop Creek is vitally important to several salmon varieties of salmon: Chinook, steelhead, which are "threatened," Along with these fish are also coho,  pink salmon and cutthroat trout.

Trees Floating Behind Alder Dam Contribute
 to Salmon Recovery...

      from Emmett O'Connell
     June 20, 2009

     Over 100 trees that fell into the reservoir behind Alder Dam will be put to use constructing engineered logjams to create salmon habitat on Ohop Creek.
     “Trees that wash into the lake from the river and get stuck behind the dam need to be removed before they become a nuisance,” said David Troutt, natural resources manager for the Nisqually Tribe, which is spearheading the effort to gather the logs. “We’re just taking them out and putting them to good use.” Juvenile salmon find both food and shelter within logjams. The structures also slow the flow of the creek, easing adult salmon migration.
    “We know logjams benefit salmon because we’ve been monitoring other restoration projects. We really see a difference in the section of river with logjams and those without,” Troutt said. “There are a lot more salmon around the logjams.”
     The lake and dam are owned by Tacoma Power, which is turning the trees over for the restoration project for free. The tribe only has to pay for transporting them to a storage site.
     To restore Ohop Creek, the tribe and the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group will dig a new mile-long creek channel and build logjams  “Ohop  right now is basically a long straight ditch, not a very good place for salmon,” said Kim Gridley, project manager for the enhancement group. “The project will create a richer more varied habitat for salmon.”
     Restoring creeks like Ohop is important because it is one of only two tributaries to the Nisqually River that produce chinook. “If some catastrophic event – for example a devastating flood – were to wipe out the entire population of chinook along the mainstem, salmon from Ohop Creek would be able to repopulate the rest of the river,” Troutt said. “By having separate populations in different rivers and creeks in the same watershed, you strengthen the entire population.”
     In addition to Puget Sound chinook and steelhead, both of which are listed as “threatened” under  the federal Endangered Species Act, Ohop also produces coho and pink salmon and cutthroat trout.
    “Suitable trees like these are pretty hard to find and can be pretty expensive,” Troutt said.  “The budget for any particular salmon habitat restoration project is pretty tight, so anywhere we can save money on a major cost is great.”

Part of Ohop Creek...


                                                                                                                                                                   (photo by Bob Walter)

     “Ohop  right now is basically a long straight ditch, not a very good place for salmon,” said Kim Gridley, project manager for the enhancement group.

Nisqually Stream Stewards Offer Free Stewardship Training...

   Press release
     from Don Perry

     Want to learn how to be a salmon recovery volunteer in the Nisqually watershed, while learning why it’s such a unique and special place?
     A free Nisqually Stream Stewards training is being offered by the Nisqually Tribe and the Nisqually River Council in an upcoming series of classes beginning Wednesday, June 3rd. Weekly classes will take place on Wednesday or Thursday until late July with five additional Saturday field trips.
    The classes will cover a variety of topics, including watershed hydrology and ecosystems, salmon of the Nisqually and their habitat needs, water quality and stream health and the cultural history of the Nisqually Tribe.
    In exchange for the free training participants are asked to pledge 40 hours of volunteer service, which may be in on-going watershed education and restoration projects or projects of their own.
    Volunteers for the Nisqually Stream Stewards Program pitch in on local salmon projects such as removing invasive grass from stream channels, planting trees along stream banks, monitoring stream health and returning salmon carcasses into streams.
      For more information or to register for the training, contact: Don Perry, Nisqually Stream Stewards Coordinator, Nisqually Tribe Natural Resources Department, dperry@nwifc.org, 360.438.8687 Ext 2143.
 

Help Us Make Washington Green

 Volunteers Needed at Pack Forest Greenhouse

Planting and watering plants - two or three times a week for the Summer.
The Plants go into Rain Garden Projects.

Pack Forest Rain Garden Installation

June 26 - 27 - 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Tool, Gloves and Refreshments Provided - Dress for the Weather

For Details and Rain Garden Workshop Schedules Please See

Rain Garden Information

 

Rain Garden Workshop
Columbia Crest School...

      from David Hymel
      May 2, 2008

     Please join us for a workshop and help us install a fully functioning rain garden at the Columbia Crest Elementary School.

When:  Saturday, May 31; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. (The date has changed from May 10)

Where:  Columbia Crest Elementary School, 24503 SR 706 E. Ashford,  Washington 98304

What to Bring:  Work gloves, work boots, and layered, warm work clothes.  Dress for inclement weather

Food:  Work snacks and refreshments will be provided

     This is a follow on to the design workshop held in March at the Eatonville Community Center.  Volunteers will learn the correct shaping and site development procedures, soil mixing techniques and plant selection and installation.

     RSVP to David Hymel, 360.832.8148, cell 253.389.2060 dhymel@gmail.com or Sheila Wilson, cell 360.561.0203 sheila@nisquallyriver.org

     To watch a slide show of Yelm High School students building a rain garden for their high school please see Yelm High School Rain Garden


 

Make A Difference For Salmon On Horn Creek

      from Emmett O'Connell
     May 11, 2008

     ROY – Nisqually Stream Stewards are seeking volunteers for a morning of salmon habitat restoration on Saturday, May 17, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
     Plantings last fall along Horn Creek restored important riparian habitat. Volunteers are needed to apply mulch around the base of native trees and shrubs. The project will take place on the Wilcox Family Farm property and is part of a large restoration project that has involved hundreds of students and volunteers.
     Volunteers will first gather at the Wilcox Family Farms main office parking lot on Harts Lake Valley Rd. near Roy. Be advised that there are no restroom facilities on site. Planting will take place rain or shine, so please dress appropriately. Gloves and proper footwear are also recommended. Refreshments and tools will be provided.

     Interested volunteers can contact Don Perry at 360. 438.8687, ext 2143 or dperry@nwifc.org.

WHAT: -  Salmon habitat mulching event

WHEN:  - Saturday, May 17, 9 a.m. to 12 noon

WHERE: - Meet at Wilcox Family Farms, 40400 Harts Lake Valley Road,  Roy, Washington

     (Publisher's Note: From Time Magazine, May 19, 2008: Estimated drop in king salmon yields from California's Sacramento River from 2002 to 2008 - 92 percent. It has been 160 years since the U.S. government last banned West Coast salmon fishing. This year's ban came after authorities declared the region's king salmon fisheries a federal failure.)

Salmon Restoration Project Wins Prestigious State Award...

Logjam Provides Launching Pad...


                                                                                       (photo by Bob Walter-January 2007)

     Volunteers carried the salmon carcasses out onto the top of one of the large, manmade logjams to launch them into the Mashell River. The logjams were built last summer while the river flow was barely a trickle. The jams survived the November flooding, if partly rearranged. The carcass toss – providing nutrients for young fry and other river life to feed on – is designed to complement the logjams, which slow the river’s flow, create eddies, provide deeper water for fish to hide in, and build better spawning beds – all meant to increase spawning success. 
     Another element of the massive, long-term salmon habitat enhancement project being conducted by Pierce Conservation District Stream Team, Nisqually Stream Stewards and the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group is the planting of native trees and shrubs along the river courses to provide water-cooling shade and stabilize the riparian habitat.

Salmon Restoration Project Wins 
State Gold Award

      from Sara Mangat
     January 30, 2008

     A restoration project to the Mashel River system near Eatonville won a State Gold Award for Original or Innovative Application of New or Existing Techniques at the recent ACEC/Washington’s 40th annual awards ceremony.
    Herrera Environmental Consultants designed a simple and straightforward solution that involved the construction of 13 engineered logjam structures that would reconnect the river to its floodplain and take advantage of mature existing vegetation.
    In total, judges honored 29 projects that featured cutting-edge engineering expertise in structural, technological, environmental and transportation categories.
   The Tacoma Narrows Bridge took away the top honor—the National Platinum Award. The bridge’s award-winning design includes innovative elements such as massive underwater concrete cassions.  Most bridge caissons are made of steel, but these deep-water, gravity-type caissons saved millions of dollars in material and labor costs.  Importantly, they were minimally disruptive during construction in the environmentally sensitive waters of the Narrows.
   

Juvenile Salmon Under a Logjam


                                                     (photo by Jamie Glasgow)

     During July and August of 2007 biologists snorkeled the Mashell River to survey the juvenile salmon population. Biologists found population had increased three times greater than previously.
    Ten engineered log-jams and a side channel for the fish to find protection and keep safe. The river is one of the two highest priority tributaries for salmon recovery in the Nisqually Watershed. Design and placement of the log-jams has been a joint effort between the Nisqually Tribe and South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group. The log-jams held even during 2006 when the area experienced a ten-year flood event.
     Florian Leischner, restoration biologist for the Nisqually Tribe noted, “Not long after the installation of the log-jams, we found Chinook, coho and pink salmon spawning in gravel bars accumulated by those very same log-jams. Those log-jams and side channels provided immediate benefit to spawning and rearing fish.”
     In 2007 more work was completed with the introduction of four more log-jams upstream of Smallwood Park and construction of another side channel. Leischner pointed out, ‘One reason these jog-jams were created is because there are no large trees currently in the reach of the Mashel River."
    In the future restoration work on the river will continue with additional log-jams and planting of more trees. Pierce Stream Team, Nisqually River Education Project, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group and the Nisqually Tribe are working together to organize the plantings.

 Log-Jams in Eatonville Area...


                                                                                                            (map by Jennifer Cutler)

For more details please see below:

Best in State Gold Award...

from Bill Garrity ACEC Washington
 January 30, 2008

Gold Award
Gold Award for Original or Innovative Application of New or Existing Techniques  
Herrera Environmental Consultants  
Owner: South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group

Commercial and residential development near the Mashel River, a tributary of the Nisqually River, and the adjacent floodplain near Eatonville had resulted in mounting public pressure to protect the infrastructure. Heavy logging over the past 100 years also had resulted in a lack of woody debris in the Mashel River system, causing problems for plant and animal habitats as well as the quality, quantity and path of the river. In 1996, a 25-year flood exacerbated the problems.

In 2004, the Nisqually Indian Tribe released a multispecies management plan for the Nisqually River Basin which identified the Mashel River as being among the highest priority ACEC Washington Announces Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Page 8 of 15 reaches for habitat restoration. The goals were to reconnect the floodplain, bring wood back into the river, and protect development while enhancing the river’s salmon production capabilities.

The South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group brought in experts from Herrera Environmental Consultants to help find a solution that would encompass mainstream, riparian and off-channel habitats as well as floodplain reconnection. The project had to help increase salmon populations in the Mashel River and to protect an important local park from ongoing erosion.

Traditional approaches to this type of restoration project would have involved revegetation, which would have increased cost and required many years to achieve a complex forest and a mature habitat. But lack of time and money were major factors. So Herrera designed a simple and straightforward solution that involved the construction of 13 engineered logjam structures that would reconnect the river to its floodplain and take advantage of mature existing vegetation.

The strategically placed manmade logjams obstructed the river flow and raised water elevations enough to inundate secondary channels and portions of the floodplain. This was critical in maintaining salmon populations as well as floodplain function and biodiversity. The project was successfully constructed in two phases during the summers of 2006 and 2007, and cost less than $500,000 – half of what other solutions were expected to cost.

Award for Most Improved Water Facilities...


                                                                                           (photo by Bob Walter)

     May 19, 2007 - Eatonville Mayor Tom Smallwood proudly shows off the attractive glass award given to the town recently. The award says, "In honor of Drinking Water Week, May 6-12, 2007 Town of Eatonville Water Department is being recognized by the Department of Health Office of Drinking Water has demonstrated commitment to public health protection through the provision of safe and reliable drinking water."
     To see the old water facilities please go to  2003 Water Tour , which supplied the town's water for many, many years, and compare the differences in the new system, 2007 Water Tour.
     During the May 7 council meeting Mayor Smallwood reported that many people have told him how great the water is since the new plant is functioning, that some citizens have said they were going to stop ordering bottled water and he's been told some can even see a difference in their hair. 
    He said the town hall was going to stop getting bottled water and would get a dispenser and some bottles and fill them at the water plant. As Smallwood pointed out, the town hall has rusty plumbing so they don't want to use water from that location.

Dead Salmon Toss for Health of the Fish and River
Photos and Story by Bob Walter...

Suiting Up Against Slime...

     January 28, 2007: Parents ready their children for handling the frozen salmon carcasses at Smallwood Park Saturday morning, by dressing them in large garbage bags. Project leaders provided heavy, rubber gloves. The morning was cold, and the fish so frozen, that slime was not much of a problem, though some children gleefully held and hugged their chosen fish for quite some time before trecking to the river’s edge to toss them in.

Tails Docked for Identification...

     Before each carcass toss, the tails are cut off with lopping shears so they can be distinguished from spawning salmon during monitoring of spawning success. Salmon spend their entire adult life at sea, then follow their native stream to spawn and die. The carcass toss replicates what would, and did, naturally occur in a healthy spawning run.

Logjam Provides Launching Pad...

     Volunteers carried the salmon carcasses out onto the top of one of the large, manmade logjams to launch them into the Mashell River. The logjams were built last summer while the river flow was barely a trickle. The jams survived the November flooding, if partly rearranged. The carcass toss – providing nutrients for young fry and other river life to feed on – is designed to complement the logjams, which slow the river’s flow, create eddies, provide deeper water for fish to hide in, and build better spawning beds – all meant to increase spawning success. 
     Another element of the massive, long-term salmon habitat enhancement project being conducted by Pierce Conservation District Stream Team, Nisqually Stream Stewards and the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group is the planting of native trees and shrubs along the river courses to provide water-cooling shade and stabilize the riparian habitat.

Salmon Life Cycle...

 

Citizen Putting in Sewer Line Surprised by Possible Hidden Aquifer...

     For many years the Town of Eatonville has searched for new water sources, in numerous places,  including Ohop Valley, having test wells dug, spending money, but to no avail. Yet late last week  Eatonville resident Jim Mettler was excavating for installation of a sewer line on his property near Swanson Field, when he struck water - a lot of water. It is assumed this water is from an aquifer ten to twelve feet below the surface. The sudden river of clear water is not the result of a broken water main.

Clear Water Streams from Underground,
 But Not Usable by Town

     The water gushing out of the ground on the Mettler property is estimated to be over 1,000  gallons per minute - the equivalent of a good-sized creek. When questioned about the possibility of the town tapping into the flow, Mayor Tommy Smallwood, who was visiting the site to observe the surge on Sunday, answered, "We don't have the water rights." Here the water can be seen at the outflow end of a large, temporary pipe, installed to send the water down the road and into the storm drain system.

More Water Streams out of Hidden Aquifer

     The water coming out of the ground on private property near the airport is being channeled under the road (Cessna Court), coming out of the culvert above in a deep and steady flow, before it is diverted west, under the high school football practice field near Eatonville Elementary, and eventually directed into the storm water system. 

Land Clearing Not Related to Gushing Water

     One-half block south of the newfound, but unusable, water source mentioned above, land is being cleared  and readied for the construction of approximately four new homes. 

Detail of Wood Chipping as Land is Cleared

     A large Caterpiller with articulated arm can be seen lifting branches and brush and dropping them into the huge chipping machine, which quickly converts them into wood chips.


Sixty Tons of Salmon Carcasses Benefit the Nisqually Watershed...

    from Emmett O'Connell
     December 6, 2006


      During the last seven winters over sixty tons of Chinook salmon carcasses – plus almost 30,000 pounds this year – have been tossed in streams around the Nisqually River watershed through the Nisqually Tribe’s carcass distribution program.
     The tribe takes carcasses from their two hatcheries, and with help from volunteers, distributes them throughout the watershed, adding much needed marine nutrients to the eco-system. Salmon carcasses bring nutrients back from the ocean that are food for over one-hundred-forty-seven species of wildlife.  
    "Every year the number of fish we could store increased because we learned more about how to pack salmon into a big freezer,” said Florian Leischner , salmon restoration biologist for the tribe. 
     However, there is ultimately a limit to space. “For the first time since we started the program, we actually had a drop in the pounds last year," said Don Perry , the tribe's volunteer coordinator. "There are only so many fish you can cram in there.” 
    The carcass tossing program has a real impact on bringing back salmon in larger numbers to the Nisqually River watershed. “Juvenile salmon of all species depend on nutrients from carcasses,” said Leischner. Small organisms, such as stream insects, feed on the carcasses, which in turn are food for juvenile salmon. Over the last hundred years there has been a dramatic decline in numbers of returning salmon and available carcasses and food in the system. “While we can’t totally re-create historic conditions, we are doing what we can.”
     The carcass distribution program also ties into the tribe's ongoing salmon habitat restoration efforts throughout the watershed. In recent years the tribe and its partners have completed several projects that provide habitat for juvenile fish. "By putting carcasses near those projects we will help ensure the fish rearing in them will have food," said Leischner. 
     The program began when only 3,900 pounds of salmon were tossed in 1999. “We may have hit a plateau in terms of how many fish we can pack into a freezer, but we’re seeing more and more people come out to carcass tossing events,” said Perry.
     In addition to two public carcass tossing events each winter, the tribe works with the Nisqually River Education Project to organize dozens of outings for school groups. “You can only imagine how much fun throwing a big dead frozen salmon around is for students,” said Perry. “Carcass tossing is a way for salmon recovery to be real for students and for people who wouldn’t otherwise get excited about fish.”
     The Nisqually Stream Stewards, a volunteer salmon recovery program sponsored by the tribe, attracts many new volunteers through the carcass tossing program. “People who don’t normally look for salmon recovery volunteer activities, such as tree plantings or salmon migration watching, will come out for carcass tossing,” said Perry. “Throwing a frozen chinook carcass into the Nisqually River is a real way that people can connect with salmon recovery in their own back yard.”

It's Time to Fling Dead Fish Again, Volunteers Needed...


                                                                                                                       (photo by Bob Walter 2005)

        EATONVILLE ( December 6, 2006 ) – The Nisqually Stream Stewards will be holding their first salmon carcass tossing of the year Saturday, December 9 in Eatonville. Volunteers are needed for this fun and valuable event. While carcass tossing may be fun, it also provides an important food source for juvenile salmon and other species throughout the watershed.

     What:                   Nisqually Salmon Carcass Tossing 

   Where:               Streams and creeks around Eatonville - Smallwood Park, Eatonville

      When:                 Saturday, December 9 - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

     To register for the carcass toss or to find out more information about the Stream Stewards, contact Don Perry, volunteer coordinator at (360) 438-8687, dperry@nwifc.org
     The Nisqually Stream Stewards plans to place, with the help of volunteers, over 3,000 carcasses during the 2006 carcass tossing season. The carcasses for the salmon tossing program come from the Nisqually tribal hatcheries.  
    Salmon carcasses are a critical part of the Nisqually River’s ecosystem.  When salmon return to their native streams and die, the marine nutrients they brought with them are eaten by organisms ranging from insects to bears or absorbed by plants.  Where salmon carcasses are plentiful, juvenile salmon grow bigger by feeding on the carcasses and the increased abundance of stream insects.
     For more information, contact: Don Perry, volunteer coordinator, Nisqually Indian Tribe, (360) 438-8687, dperry@nwifc.org  

Hundreds of Dead Trees Dot Van Eaton Property...    


                                                                                                                                                           (photo by Bob Walter)

      October 8, 2006 - by Bob Walter: Hundreds of young trees and shrubs, planted several years ago alongside the Mashell River as part of the Nisqually Tribe's salmon habitat restoration, have died, apparently from lack of water. The planting was along the Mashell River west of town on property owned by Elsie Van Eaton, daughter-in-law of town founder T. C. Van Eaton. In February 2003 The Pierce County Conservation District bestowed local resident Elsie Van Eaton with the Conservation Practice Implementation Award. 
      The award was presented to Mrs. Van Eaton for her willingness and cooperation in efforts aimed at the recovery of Chinook, Coho and Chum salmon runs along the Mashell River, which borders the south end of the Van Eaton family property.
      Van Eaton entered into an agreement with the district advancing its Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), which establishes forested, riparian buffers along rivers and streams. As stipulated in the agreement, the district hired workers to clear out areas of non-native Scotch broom and blackberries, and reestablish native vegetation, including native trees.
       The dead trees, marked by the blue plastic cylinders originally positioned to protect them, extend across a wide field and an orchard planted by T. C. Van Eaton. The nearly hundred-year-old fruit trees are still alive and producing fruit.

Dead Trees are Everywhere...


                                                                                                            (photo by Bob Walter)

One of hundreds of fir trees planted which died. 

More Mashell River Restoration...


                                                                                               (photo by Bob Walter)

     October 12, 2006: Two dogs explore the low waters of the Mashell River near one of the man-made log jams intended to improve the health of the river environment for salmon. (There are leash laws within the town limits and in Pierce County.)

Waiting for the Water to Rise...


                                                                                                                                             (photo by Bob Walter)

     This is one of two log jams recently built on the Mashell after completion of the three logjams at Smallwood Park. These two are further upstream, this one adjoining the property of Pat and Edwinna Van Eaton, the other sandwiched between property owned by Nora Thurston and Riverside Estates. The holes dug to anchor the jams are not yet filled with water. It will take a period of rain to bring the river's level up to the point of actually interacting with the logjams.

Old Water Line Breaks
Spills Thousands of Gallons of Water into Neighborhood - Water Could be Contaminated with Asbestos...


                                                         (photo by Jasic Miller - white spots are raindrops on the camera lens)

      A town water main failed Friday evening between the homes of Tom and Stacy Miller and Ladd and Rosemarie Van Cleve, on an unimproved town alleyway sandwiched by the two properties, at the end of South Cedar and South Pennsylvania Streets, respectively, a half block south of Center Street. The break occurred during a downpour of rain. Mayor Tommy Smallwood, during the October 9 council meeting said the broken pipe allowed "forty thousand gallons" of water to wash into the surrounding neighborhood.
     The break sent cascades of water through four yards. At the center of this photo is a hole in the ground from which the water began gushing Friday evening, October 6, around 7 p.m. The pressure was so great that Rosemarie Van Cleve, from her back door about fifty feet away, could see a column of water shooting at least six feet up from the ground.      
     Though the break occurred on an alleyway, it is - or was - actually a well-tended, landscaped slope of lawn between the Millers and the Van Cleves. Right now it looks a little like a river bed just after a flash flood. Hundreds of boulders as well as gravel litter the grass. Dirt has been washed away forming gullies. 
     At the base of the hill below this spot are the back yards of Madora Dawkins and June Wilcox. A pond formed across the entire width of June Wilcox's back yard to her patio, flooded a portion of Dawkins' yard as well, and flowed out the Millers' long, concrete driveway all the way to the street.
     Ladd and Rosemarie Van Cleve's garage is just a few feet east of the where the break occurred. A few feet to the west is the backyard fence of Tom and Stacy Miller. The water main -  an eight-inch pipe, reportedly made of *asbestos-concrete (AC), is believed to have been constructed in the 1940s. If this is accurate the potential for asbestos contaminated yards could pose some danger. There was also some flooding of basements which could also leave residue of asbestos. It is one of the Town of Eatonville's feeder lines from the Hilltop "concrete" reservoir on the ridge above this location. 
    As Miller put it, "We're lucky it didn't break further up the hill, because it could have poured right onto Ladd and Rosemarie's, or it could have flowed toward our home. As it is, it flowed between and past our houses." 
    Once authorities were informed of the break, several town utility employees arrived to assess the situation, while a valve supplying the line from up the hill was turned off. Miller pushed through the stream to find and clear out a catch basin, to channel some of the water into the storm drain. 
    There was another waterline break on Easton at Hamner Springs earlier in the week.

    (*What is asbestos? A strong and incombustible fiber widely used in the past for fireproofing and insulation. The small, buoyant fibers are easily inhaled or swallowed, causing a number of serious diseases including: asbestosis, a chronic disease of the lungs that makes breathing more and more difficult; cancer; and mesothelioma, a cancer (specific to asbestos exposure) of the membranes that line the chest and abdomen.
www.connyankee.com/html/glossary.html )

A Temporary Mini River Flowed From the Break Friday Night...


                                                                                                             (photo by Dixie A. Walter)

     A stream of water caused by a broken water main flows rapidly down the hill from left to right in the photo above. For years Millers and Van Cleves have asked town officials about the water flowing down the hill. Millers and Van Cleves talked with then Public Works Director Russ Blount about the problem in 1995, when Miller was building his house.
    Blount reportedly told Rosemarie and Stacy that he tested the water once and found traces of chlorine, which would indicate leaking municipal water rather than a spring. This summer, even during the long dry spell, water continued to trickle past Van Cleves' shed before Friday's break. 
    Van Cleve and Millers were without water for many hours. Miller collected water from the break for toilet flushing, etc.

Starting to Repair the Damage...


                                                                                                                                                         (photo by Bob Walter)

     Town machinery was used to dig around the broken water main Friday night and into the early morning Saturday. The broken section of the pipe was replaced, and water service was restored to the homes by Saturday morning.

Habitat Restoration Project Continues on Mashell River
Photos and Story by Bob Walter...

          September 10, 2006: Operator Charlie Murray navigates his earth-moving machine from atop a mound of earth and rocks Saturday, as he prepares the Mashell River bank at Smallwood Park for a third logjam, in the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Project's Eatonville phase.
         The machine's upper portion, including the cab, engine, articulated arm and counterweight, spins round at a dizzying rate of speed. Charlie says the spinning, especially when on a steep slope, with his line of sight alternating from sky to a hole in the ground, can be "temporarily disorientating," causing him to have to step out onto the ground occasionally to regain his perspective. 
         The combination of machine capability and his skills allow him to move and artfully reposition boulders, logs and dirt into configurations that should last for years, though he has great respect for what rushing water can do to his work. It will be interesting to see how the play of flood waters, logjams and time will put a new face on the river's bank and bed.

Starting From Scratch...

     Seen from atop a newly-constructed logjam, work continues in the distance on the third logjam at Smallwood Park. The hole carved out of the river bank in the middle distance will be filled and woven with logs, boulders and dirt. Then the exposed bank will be landscaped with native plantings, including young Douglas fir trees that are being temporarily stored in the Kids' Pond. 

Just Add Water - And Soon...

     A finished logjam, designed by man to simulate what Mother Nature creates, will send the rushing waters of the Mashell in new directions as they flow into it. They will bounce, form eddies, slow the river down, dig deep pools in one spot and deposit sediments in another, hopefully creating perfect resting spots and spawning beds for migrating salmon - and a more interesting, more natural-looking face for human visitors to enjoy. 
      Removal of the wall of boulders which had been built here many years ago will also reduce the rate of erosion of the opposite bank caused by fast-moving currents, which have been threatening the south shore of the old mill pond.

Boxcar Cleanup Day
Photos and Story by Bob Walter...

     August 30, 2006: In response to the continuing, age-old, problems with dangerous and unsightly garbage at Boxcar Canyon, many of the Town of  Eatonville staff, two people from the Nisqually Land Trust and a few citizens, including some kids, pitched in for a work party to clean up the area. The kids even scoured the road leading in to the site for litter. 
     Running through Boxcar is the Mashell River, which supplies a large amount of the town's drinking water. Boxcar Canyon and much of the land that surrounds it is now owned by the Nisqually Land Trust. Informal discussions between Trust representatives and town officials during the cleanup indicated that a collaborative relationship could allow the public to enjoy the beautiful site, while protecting it at the same time.
     The trouble spot is above the town's intake pipe which means the river can be contaminated by any number of unhealthy pollutants in or near the water. From left to right above:  Eatonville Town Administrator Gary Armstrong, Town Planner Nick Bond and park employee Mike Lively remove the remnants of old campfires and the litter that accompanied them at Boxcar Canyon. 
      For more photos and story please see Boxcar Cleanup 2006

River Restoration Update


                                                                      (photo by Bob Walter)

     August 30, 2006: by Bob Walter: Building a logjam is not as easy as throwing logs into the river bed. Here heavy equipment operator Charlie Murray deftly tosses a huge boulder (boulder can be seen just below the "jaws") into the carefully designed foundation of the first logjam being constructed on the Mashell River next to Smallwood Park, as part of the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Project. 
     Herrera Environmental Consultants provided the design for the logjams. Once they are completed, the river will be routed back to its original course, and in time, deep pools of water will provide shelter for the various species of juvenile salmon that inhabit the river, and resting sites for adult salmon migrating back upstream to spawn. 

Major Mashell River Restoration Now Underway
Photos and Story by Bob Walter

Crawdaddy Gets a Lift...

     Denizens of the deep - or rather, the shallows - along the Mashell River in Eatonville, like this crayfish, got free passage downstream by volunteers working for the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Project. The volunteers worked with nets and buckets to capture and transport downstream, as many fish and crustaceans as they could find, to minimize injuries from the work being done in the river bed. When the project is finished, the stretch of river running through Eatonville will be far more salmon-friendly. The rip rap, constructed years ago to control the river's course, also tends to speed the flow of water and minimize the development of prime salmon spawning beds. 

Dike Diverts River...

     Charlie Murray, operating this tracked earth mover Tuesday August 22, creates a temporary dike to re-route the Mashell River where it flows between Smallwood Park and the old mill pond. Nets were stretched across the river above and below the site to prevent fish from entering the construction area. By Wednesday, Murray was tearing down the wall of basalt boulder rip rap in the foreground, in preparation for construction of three log jams, simulating a natural phenomenon created by nature during peak floods of the river. Log jams act to slow the speed of the river and create sand and gravel beds, ideal for salmon spawning. Murray will have to dig eighteen feet below the river bed to anchor the logs, in an intricate, layered pattern. He said over 1,600 logs will be used in this section of river and another habitat enhancement site upstream near Boxcar Canyon.

Fish Hunt on the Mashell Nets Hundreds

  

     From morning until nightfall Tuesday, volunteers scoured the Mashell River at Smallwood Park for any fish or other small aquatic life stranded in shallow pools after the river was diverted. Hundreds of small fish were caught and carried downstream, including at least one by Charlie Murray on Wednesday, who got out of his excavating machine and scooped up a salmon fingerling he had spotted. He quickly carried it to safer waters. Murray has excavated for similar river enhancement projects in the past. When the project is completed, log jams will sit at the site visible in the photo above, and in time, spawning beds will hopefully replace the many large boulders seen here. 

Want to Catch Salmon with a Net and Help Built Logjams?


                                                                                                        (photo by David Hymel)

     This human built log jam is one of several along the rivers. They are built to supply important habitat projection for salmon in a continuing restoration project to bring salmon bearing waters back to the days when salmon ruled the waters. 
     In what could be a very interesting experience the public is being asked to catch salmon in part of the Mashell River to clear them out of the way for building log jams which provide cover and habitat for breeding and young salmon. 

 Fishing for Salmon Just a Bit Differently...

      Press release
      by Teresa Moon
      Project Manager
     South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group
     August 17, 2006
    

     We are beginning construction for the log jam project on Monday August 21st in Smallwood Park .  We will be diverting the river to allow construction to occur without sediment entering the river. This means removing all of the fish in this section of the river (about 600 feet) before diverting it. This will be a pretty big endeavor where we will need a lot of people with nets and buckets to ensure no fish get stranded. 
     I also think this would be a fun opportunity for people to actually get to see and handle fish.  I'm not sure of an exact time but I think if people started showing up at Smallwood park in Eatonville around 10:00 - 10:30 a.m. that would be fine.
    They will need hip or chest waders with felt bottoms since the Mashel is pretty slippery and bouldery.  If they do not have waders tennis shoes would probably work that have some traction on the bottom and that they don't mind getting wet.  If volunteers could also bring a five gallon bucket with a handle and a small net, such as a green aquarium net.  
    If they do not have these supplies we will have a few that we could make available.  This could take the majority of the day, it just depends on how long it takes to remove all of the fish.  If anyone has questions they can give me a call and if anyone is interested if they could call and RSVP so I have an idea of how many people will be helping.

    Thanks so much for your help!

Water, Water, Everywhere
...or Not?

     by Dixie A. Walter
     My View
     July 13, 2006

     A couple of months ago, too long after a public records request made April 28,  concerning available water hookups (ERUs) in town ENN received the following report from Town Administrator Gary Armstrong: "Based on the latest information from the data ending in 2003 and subtracting our ERUs from that data, the Town has 287 ERUs. That number changes based on reducing lost and unaccounted for water, changing out faulty meters and water conservation. We are currently refiguring our ERUs based on current information. RH2 is performing the task."
   This document followed a discussion I had with Town Planner Nick Bond a couple of weeks earlier in the town hall. - to whit: When asked  to explain the number of ERUs (water hookups) left in town Bond answered,  in a nutshell,  "The town didn't have the numbers of ERUs written down. The ERUs have been recalculated and according to the public works department there are fifty or sixty water ERUs, and around nine-hundred sewer ERUs." However, Bond said Gary Armstrong's figures were about three-hundred water hookups. ERUs have been recalculated several times in the past few years and each time the numbers are different. In the beginning the numbers appeared to decline. 
     I asked Bond if the town felt there was enough water ERUs for approximately four-hundred new houses. He answered that the town will have enough water for proposed new developments. And added the renovation of the schools will free up more ERUs since the renovated schools won't use as much water. Bond also said the proposed development on the old lumber mill site will have three-hundred and ten houses according to what he has been told. 
     And noted this was the only large development in the works. During the last council meeting, July10, Bond said the town has received application for 340 lots within the town limits, but didn't state where this development is sited. Speculators believe Bond is referring to the Hamilton property which used to be where the Eatonville Lumber Company stood.
     Below is RH2 Engineering's conclusion of the latest calculations regarding the available water hooks ups left in Eatonville before the community needs more water rights. The June 23 report was a hand-out during the July 10 council meeting. Interestingly, the RH2 report says Eatonville's water consumption has declined in the past two years despite growth.
     I'm no engineer, but isn't that rather similar to saying despite the mass consumption of chocolate and fries the person continues to lose weight? Water conservation has not been promoted by town government for several years, but perhaps citizens are monitoring their own water usage because utility rates have almost doubled in the past couple of years.
    A question. When will our utility rates be raised again, this time to pay for the new filtration plant? And how much will they be raised? Please see excerpt from council report below.
    "Water hook-ups were raised during the July 10 council meeting: Allison then moved to add Resolution 2006-NN to the meeting's agenda. The motion carried. This resolution sets water system fees and water hookup charges, repealing Resolution 2004-L. In a memo by Nick Bond, citing both, 'the ever increasing cost of materials and the existing Water Department budget situation, staff is recommending that [the existing $4,500 hookup fee for a single residential lot] be rounded up to $2,500 additional per ERU,' to $7,000. The memo goes on to say, 'Waiting to increase initial system fees will likely create significant obstacles to future growth and will put a strain on an already strained Water Department budget.'"

Your Tax Dollars at Work

More New Photos of Filter Plant...

      May 9, 2006

       During the May 8 council meeting Town Administrator Gary Armstrong explained that the filter plant is about seventy-five percent done. And said an audit would be done to "see where we are" and the council would have the audit results by the next meeting, May 15.To view the latest photos please see Filter Plant  

 

New Photos of Filter Plant Progress...

       May 1, 2006

       Three more photos of the town's new filter plant's progress were passed out to council members during the April 24 council meeting. Please see the new photos at the April 24 council meeting. Please see the new photos at the April 24 council meeting. Please see the new photos at Filter Plant  

 

April 10 Filter Plant Photos...

      April 12, 2006

      Town Administrator Gary Armstrong passed out some photographs of the progress on the filtration plant to council members at the April 10 meeting.  to council members at the April 10 meeting.  to council members at the April 10 meeting.  He told the council the project was about "sixty percent" finished and "they would hopefully being pouring the floor this week." Please see the latest photos at Filter Plant

Last Month's Photos...

      March 14, 2006

    During the March 13 town council meeting Gary Armstrong, town administrator, passed out four photographs showing the progress of the multi-million dollar water filtration plant being built as mandated by the Department of Health. Please see the photos Filter Plant

Nisqually Stream Stewards Course begins its Fourth Successful Year...


                                                                                               (photo by Bob Walter)

       Ohop Creek, a salmon bearing stream, is part of the Nisqually watershed. To learn more about the important watershed please see below.

      by Don Perry
      Salmon Recovery Outreach Coordinator
      Nisqually Tribe Natural Resources
      May 14, 2006

     Why is the Nisqually watershed such a unique and special place?  What can you do to protect and improve this watershed for present and future generations?  Why not enroll in the Stream Stewards training course and find out, while having fun exploring interesting places in the watershed? 
     The seven-week course, which runs from June 7 through July 22, is sponsored by the Nisqually Tribe as part of the Nisqually Stream Stewards Stewardship training program. Meeting times include seven classes on Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and four Saturday field trips from 9a.m. to 3 p.m. Stream Stewards grads are asked to pledge back forty hours of volunteer service in activities such as tree planting, water quality monitoring, sharing what they have learned with others, or working with people in their community to take care of their local stream. Continuous training opportunities are also available after the class.
     Just a few of the many course topics covered include; watershed hydrology and geology, prairie and forest ecosystems, salmon and salmon habitat of the Nisqually River , and the history and culture of the Nisqually People. Topics will be presented by a host of educators, researchers and members of the Nisqually Tribe. 
     After taking the Stream Stewards course, several students reflected on their experiences.  “The Stream Stewards course gave me a deep respect and greatly increased my appreciation for what an incredible river the Nisqually is and remains today,” noted Adam Sant.  “Through the class, field trips, and projects, you see how it all fits together.” said Keith Kusler .  “At the end of the day, I am immensely satisfied to be a volunteer giving back to my community and guiding it wherever I can, added David Hymel .  “When I entered this class, ‘watershed’ was little more than a word to me.  But, during the course that word has been brought to life by all of the outstanding presentations and fieldtrips,” concluded Greg Arnold.
     For more information or to reserve your place in the course, contact Don Perry , Nisqually Stream Stewards Coordinator, at 360.438.8687 or dperry@nwifc.org/  
    Space is limited and the class usually fills early.

A Nisqually River 
Tourism Model...

Mashell and Nisqually Rivers Meet...


                                                                     (photo by David Hymel)

Where two rivers become one...

         by David Hymel
        Chamber Vice-President
        Reprinted from May Chamber Newsletter
        May 15, 2006
      

      A few weeks ago I attended the first public meeting for the Nisqually-Mashell State Park.  Great ideas were abundant, and I discovered, along with most others there, what an amazing recreation resource that this new park will be.  The park and the Town of Eatonville are at just about the geographic center of the Nisqually River watershed.  This location, combined with some thought and planning, can propel us to a new level of organizing and marketing the tourism for our area.   
     We should begin a discussion that moves us towards developing a river-centric tourism model for the Nisqually River watershed.  This could be something similar to that Sound to Mountain idea, but here the river becomes the center of gravity and the connection to the communities along its path. 
    The Nisqually River is seventy-eight miles long, has its headwaters in the glaciers of Mount Rainier National Park, and has its outflow in the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.  We can use the river and these unique qualities to create many combinations of tour themes with their base in river activities.  We have everything we need to create a tourism model that will attract increasingly sophisticated local, state, national and international visitors looking for a menu of watershed experiences from which to choose.
     Some have suggested interpretive and adventure touring such as bird watching, volcano and geology exploration, native plant and ecozone identification, salmon and shell fishing, river rafting and kayaking--activities that put visitors in one end of the system and pick them up at the other. 
    Tours that are combined with bicycling, hiking, horseback riding, golfing, and overnight stays in local B&Bs, hotels, and resorts would keep visitors on the river or in nearby public or private attractions.   Local attractions and cottage industries would be boosted:  Northwest Trek and county parks, Pioneer Farm and other small working farms, active blacksmiths, sheep and wool production, artisans, and local shopping-local services.
    We start this discussion by  recognizing and organizing around the strengths and activities that each community brings to this model:  Mount Rainier, Ashford, Elbe, Mineral, Eatonville, Roy/McKenna, Yelm, Nisqually Tribe Reservation, Fort Lewis, Nisqually estuary and Lacy/DuPont area.
     We establish a full-time visitor management center that knits all of this together by booking connecting and moving visitors between activities. This removes an overhead burden, and allows individual activity providers to focus on quality services. Vans and buses with hybrid fuel cell and electric capability will provide fuel-efficient watershed travel. This management service is no cost to the venue operator, initially paid for by grants and tourism tax dollars.
     This becomes the method by which we organize the fragmented nature of the watershed cottage industry into a visible and coherent whole while keeping its rural quality.

Urgent Special Meeting


Landfill Overlay Spot-Zone

     Wed., May 17, 2006 at 7 p.m.
     Graham-Kapowsin High School Commons
     22100 – 108th Avenue East , Graham, Washington

     from CROWD
     May 15, 2006

     Why is the small rural community of Graham now being dragged into a decision about the LRI landfill that will affect everyone in Pierce County?
     Dedicated volunteer citizens recently completed four years of work on their first Graham Community Plan.  The draft plan was reviewed by County staff, and recommendations were made to the Planning Commission to approve it's content.  Then eleventh hour changes were submitted by staff that appear to be the result of private interests. These changes were rejected by the Planning Commission, only to resurface when Executive Ladenburg mandated that the issue be revisited in the form of a special meeting, bringing the exact same rejected issues back to the table.
    Who is behind this?  What changes do the landfill owners LRI and Waste Connections so desperately seek?  What is the urgency?
    Wednesday night’s meeting has been called to specifically address Ladenburg's mandate to re-submit the rejected amendments to the Graham Community Plan.  These changes all relate to the landfill, with the obvious intent to ease permitting of expanded uses at the 304th Street site.
     Although the existing environmental review for the plan does not include LRI's intent to seek further uses on the site, County Staff continues to press for implementation of these ordinances now to suit the apparent urgent needs of private landfill interests. "County Staff has stated: 'Such siting criteria may eventually be utilized as the foundation to create a template for countywide application.' ” For more CROWD information please see www.crowd-inc.org.
     There is already a process in place to address the issues that County Staff wants impose on Graham right now. That process requires SEPA (environmental) review on a County-wide basis.
     We need you to attend the meeting to remind our public servants that Issues of County-wide significance should be amended through the major Comprehensive Plan amendment process, not through a rural community plan.
     Demand that Pierce County abide by their own Comprehensive Plan for Growth Management. Demand that Pierce County look at these changes during the County-wide Comprehensive Plan Amendment cycle.
     Demand disclosure through the required full environmental impact statement (SEPA) of the true intent of private solid waste contractor LRI.
     The LRI landfill project is one of the most controversial, highly contentious issues in Pierce County's history due to its siting over the drinking water source for 400,000 Pierce County residents. The County’s current antics to implement “backdoor” policy for private interests must be stopped.
     Contact CROWD (Concerned Residents on Waste Disposal)  for more information - 253.677.4811   crowd@starband.net

     My View

How Many Water Hookups, ERUs, are Available?
Is the Town Running Low on ERUs, or Do we Have Hundreds?

     by Dixie A. Walter
     May 6, 2006

     I made two public record requests Friday, April 28. One request was for a list of business licenses in town and the other was for the number of water and sewer ERUs (equivalent residential units). According to state law public record requests must be answered within in five business days. This does not mean the town must provide the requests at that time. It means the town must acknowledge, in writing, that the request(s) have been received. The town ( or other municipalities), may answer by saying it will need more time to process the request, that it may not be able to answer or the town may say when the request will be filled. None of this was done with my latest requests.
     I received an email from the town clerk May 4 saying my "records request was available at town hall." When I stopped by the town hall May 5 I was given (and paid for) one request, the list of business licenses. I asked the utility clerk where the request for available ERUs was. The clerk answered, "...she wouldn't be back until Monday," and perhaps I could get them then. By "she" I assumed the clerk was talking about the planning secretary who apparently doesn't work on Fridays.
     At this point I mentioned Monday would be cutting it close, as May 5 was the fifth business day since I had asked for the public records. That statement was ignored. I had noticed Town Planner Nick Bond entering the office and asked to speak with him. I asked Bond about the number of water ERUs available.
     In a nutshell, he explained the town didn't have the numbers of ERUs written down. The ERUs have been recalculated and according to the public works department there are fifty or sixty water ERUs, and around nine-hundred sewer ERUs. However, Bond said Gary Armstrong's figures were about three-hundred water hookups. ERUs have been recalculated several times in the past few years and each time the numbers are different. In the beginning the numbers appeared to decline. Then, voila, they began getting larger. Don't ask me why, I don't have a clue.
     I asked Bond if the town felt there was enough water ERUs for approximately four-hundred new houses. He answered the town will have enough water for the proposed new developments.  And added the renovation of the schools will free up more ERUs since the renovated schools won't use as much water. Bond also said the proposed development on the old lumber mill site will have three-hundred and ten houses according to what he has been told. 
     And he said that was the only large development in the works. However,  we have long heard that over eighty houses were going up on the hillside. A large number of houses are supposed to be built at the airport, and an "upscale, gated" manufactured home development is likely going to be built off Lynch Street near the elementary school. Bond indicated the town had enough water for another three or four years.
     The school situation confuses me somewhat. If new water efficient toilets and other heavy water using facilities at the school are incorporated into the restoration will this save water? And if the schools will be inundated by new students because of new growth does that mean the schools will be using as much, if not, more water in the future? I don't know; I'm just asking.
     What I do know is that in a town such as ours, with all the water problems throughout the years, someone in the town government should know the numbers of water hookups available. This is a valid question which should be able to be answered on a daily basis, with facts, not vague, widely discrepant numbers. Think about it. Public Works, the department that "sells" water hookups, says there are between fifty and sixty, yet the town administrator believes we have hundreds more ERUs. What's wrong with this picture?
     Several years ago the town was supposed to keep a register, like a check book, of water ERUs used, such as new hook-ups, and water units found, by correcting water leakage, etc. If this were being done would the town have such an unusually wide gap between public works and the town administrators? I doubt it.   

Fishing, a Reflective Time...


                                                                                                                    (photo by Bob Walter)

     April 29, 2006: Parents offer tips to their children on catching the big ones on the shore of the Kids' Pond at Smallwood Park Saturday, in the Eatonville Lions Club's annual fishing derby. A mild, overcast morning greeting the early arrivals on their quest to catch the biggest fish, and win the grand prize - a bicycle.

 

Little Cody - Big Winner!


                                                           (photo by Bob Walter)

      Eatonville Lion Ernst Wolf presents young Cody Hall with a new bicycle for catching the biggest fish Saturday morning - a 17-1/2 inch rainbow trout. Little Cody could barely reach the pedals, but immediately rode the bike around smiling, calling out to his friends in delight!

 

Fisherwomen...


                                                                  (photo by Bob Walter)

     Charlie Dockins, her best friend Janessa Spicer, and her little sister Stevie Dockins, pose for a group shot with the fish they caught at the Kids' Pond Saturday. For more fishing photos please see Kids Pond

Community Forum...

       by David Hymel
       May 1, 2006

      Dear Tanwax Creek and Nisqually Watershed Residents,

      Please join us this coming Thursday, May 4, 7 p.m. at the Eatonville Middle School for the Greater Eatonville Community Forum. This will be a combined monthly meeting of the Nisqually River Council Citizen’s Advisory Committee and an economic and community planning forum.  

     This event is sponsored by the Citizens Reclaiming the Ohop Watershed, a local group supporting the Ohop Creek and the Nisqually River Council, the organization working on issues for the entire watershed. The purpose of this public event is to promote improvement in the quality of life in the Eatonville School District through vibrant neighborhoods, a healthy natural environment, and a prosperous, innovative economy.

    In Tanwax Creek we have streamside water quality monitoring underway for various locations, and I just received the lake monitoring kit from Isabel Ragland. I will get that out to those on Tanwax and Rapjohn Lakes for their monitoring starting in May.

      We are making great progress on Rapjohn Lake for the lake outflow project. We are in negotiation with the landowner who intends to donate a portion of two parcels to the Nisqually Land Trust to place them in permanent conservation for salmon habitat and to improve the flood control. A grant was submitted by the Nisqually River Foundation for the Community Salmon Fund program, combining this project with a similar riparian planting further downstream in the McKenna Forest Reserve.

     There was an excellent meeting last Thursday on the Nisqually-Mashell State Park.  Sixty watershed residents attended, discussed and provided input as to what they wanted to see.  The next meeting will be Saturday, July 15th at the Pack Forest picnic pavilion, starting at 10 a.m.

    We hope to see you on Thursday for an interesting evening with watershed maps and residents from the Ohop, Tanwax, Mashell and the Nisqually and a lot of considered discussion.

 

New State Park Draws
 Citizen Interest...


                                                                                                                         (photo by Bob Walter)

     The crowd listened intently during a meeting to discuss plans for the new state park near Eatonville. The park is scheduled to be completed by 2013. 

Group gets "Virtual Tour" of  Nisqually River Corridor...

       by Bob Walter
       April 30, 2006

       Nearly sixty people attended a Nisqually-Mashell State Park, New Park Planning Meeting on Thursday, April 27 at the Eatonville Community Center. The massive state park, planned for opening in six or seven years, will become a major regional recreational destination. 
      Parks planners, including Nikki Fields and Randy Person, gave the crowd a virtual tour of the Nisqually River corridor, from above the confluence of the Mashell River and the Nisqually, downstream to the foot of Ohop Creek, and the forests and bluffs east and west of the river. An aerial photo of the park site was displayed. The park's boundaries are still being defined, as the purchases of some key parcels have yet to be finalized.
     The bulk of the meeting consisted of a lengthy question and answer session, along with the posting and reading aloud of dozens of questions, concerns and hopes for the park, as citizens attempted to grasp its scope and impact.
      A few of the many comments included: lots of trails; separate trails for walkers, horseback riders and bikes; keep it quiet; rustic campgrounds and facilities; native plant concerns; river access, warning systems for when water is released from Alder Dam, security both within the park and for local residents; historical interpretation of Indian-pioneer relationships and Indian burial grounds; and work with the Nisqually Tribe to protect sacred or sensitive lands. 
     The next meeting will be held at Park Forest on July 15, beginning at 10:00 a.m. It will include short trips to areas of the planned park, and will serve to provide further updates on park progress, and to gather further input. Updates will also be posted on the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission's Web page at http://www.parks.wa.gov/plans/nisqually/

 

State Park Field Trip...


                                                                                                    (photo by David Hymel)

     Members of the Greater Eatonville Chamber of Commerce board along with officials visited the site of a new state park outside of Eatonville. Within the park is the confluence of the Nisqually and Mashell rivers. A confluence is where waters flow together. 
     Pictured are, left to Right:  Steve Pruitt, Jeff Vassallo (Park Ranger), Eric Lewis (Park Ranger), Nikki Fields (State Parks Planner), Meredith Weilert, Louise Carson, Mike Jeffries, Tanya Dow.

Planning for New Park to Begin...

      by David Hymel
      April 3, 2006

     This is a calendar alert for the first of a series of public meetings on the planning for the new Nisqually-Mashel State Park. Thursday, April 27, 7 - 9 p.m. at the Eatonville Community Center, 205 Center Street West. The State Parks Commission received $500,000 for planning and now has cleared its schedule to begin the process for this newest Washington State Park.  
    The initial meeting will be to gather ideas and information from the communities that this complex will serve. This destination park is adjacent to the Nisqually River, and it is bordered by the Mashel River on the East and the Ohop Creek on the West, and Highway 7 to the North.  
    Your input is needed to further guide the park planners and to invigorate the other community members in building something that best reflects the character and the needs of our area. Planning is expected to conclude by June 2007 and then construction begins.  
     Below are some photos of a field trip last week to the site, just off of Highway 7. Updated planning information will eventually be posted at this website, http://www.parks.wa.gov/plans/nisqually/.  

Where Waters Meet...


                                                                     (photo by David Hymel)

The Mashell River enters the Nisqually below the bluffs.

Helping the Salmon...


                                                                                                   (photo by David Hymel)

     This human built log jam is one of several along the rivers. They are built to supply important habitat projection for salmon in a continuing restoration project to bring salmon bearing waters back to the days when salmon ruled the waters.

Chamber President Just Hanging Out...


                                                                                (photo by David Hymel)

      Chamber President and Planning Commissioner, Steve Pruitt, fools around during the field trip. For more photos please see State Park

Citizens Learn from Pierce Stream Team to Monitor Water Quality...

Photos and story by Bob Walter

     Isabel Ragland, at left, of Pierce Stream Team, explains to a group of citizen volunteers, the steps involved in testing stream water quality.

Our Streams are Living Laboratories...

     March 19, 2006:  For those willing to devote the time and learn the process, a fantastic opportunity exists, to learn how to monitor and protect our local waterways. In a program run by Pierce Stream Team, volunteers receive hands-on instruction in testing water temperature, pH level, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen content. Sounds complicated, but in about three hours, just about anyone can get the hang of it, and there is plenty of on-going support to ensure the accuracy of the work. 
      The opportunity has its rewards. A waterway is carefully examined and scrutinized over time. Volunteers become its true stewards.  They gather vital, on-going data on water quality, with training and quality assurance from Stream Team, which then shares the results with agencies ultimately responsible for regulating water quality. 
      Virtually all of Pierce County's streams are being monitored through the program, most of them by volunteers. To help facilitate the testing, volunteers can arrange to have the equipment dropped off at the local branch library. 
      On a recent weekend, two groups of volunteers learned the testing procedure, the first at Rapjohn Lake, the second on Tanwax Creek. I joined the second group on Sunday, March 12. We drove from Weyerhaeuser Elementary School, and followed the back roads to a secluded private road crossing upper Tanwax Creek, just off 352nd Street East. 
      Here the creek winds its way through a pristine, open swale, surrounded by forests.  David Hymel of the Tanwax Basin Group, who lives nearby, informs us this is a former eighty-acre homestead, divided into five-to-eight-acre parcels.     
      Isabel Ragland of Stream Team leads us from the dirt road across the meadow to a slow bend in the creek, where we begin to learn the process of scientific stream quality monitoring. We will measure the stream's temperature, and through a series of steps, get a pH reading (is it acidic, basic, or neutral?).  We also measure turbidity, or clarity, of the water. In what is perhaps the most intricate and complex test, we calculate dissolved oxygen content. We learn that pH level and dissolved oxygen vary with time of day, which is why it is best to test at about the same time of day, each time you collect samples. We learn how to interpret the data and how to record it, when to re-test, what to throw away and what to pack out.

Taking the Stream's Temperature...

     Instructor Isabel Ragland holds a calibrated thermometer in upper Tanwax Creek. Trees and shrubs which grow naturally along stream banks help to keep the water cool by shading it from the sun's rays. When those plants are cut down, the temperature rises, reducing the stream's ability to support trout and salmon. In a related volunteer effort, (covered elsewhere in ENN), numerous "stream stewards" have helped restore fish habitat in local streams by planting more trees and shrubs along and near the banks. 

Why Chemistry is so Important...

      Using a color wheel, a volunteer compares two columns of water to determine pH level in the stream. The two at left are holding up a white background to help her get an accurate reading.

More Problems about      Landfill Zoning...

     March 8, 2006

    Below is a letter to the Pierce County Planning Commission by area resident, Anne Norman, concerning a "spot zoing" issue at about "The Dump." Per the commission's request, written comments about the dump were sent to Toni Fairbanks, Clerk of the Commission.
      There were two public meetings recently, the last being March 1, to discuss a "special overlay intending to streamline approval for expanded use" of the landfill. Written comments had to be to the commission by March 3. The landfill sits atop a sole source aquifer which supplies water to close to half a million people.
       For more information about the zoning meetings please see The Water Front "County Gives Landfill Loophole with Spot Zoning" by George Wearn, President of Concerned Citizens on Waste Disposal, CROWD. 
      
   

"Clean Water is a Huge Public Concern..."

      March 2, 2006

     Toni Fairbanks,
     2401 S.35th Street,
     Tacoma WA 98409

      Dear Toni Fairbanks,

     It was a pleasure to meet the Planning Commissioners with an opportunity to express feelings and opinions freely without pressure of time. I thank them for their patience and courtesy. 
     It seems that any meeting concerning the 304 St. Landfill is announced at extremely short notice, usually at the end of the week, with no time to get information to the press or to notify people who would wish to attend. Citizen participation is evidently not wanted. The Supplemental Reports came as a complete surprise. No time was allowed to research or discuss the alterations of the plan or of the proposed management of the landfill. 
     Clean water is a huge public concern nationwide. In Graham, we have a landfill sitting in the aquifer upon which 400,000 Pierce County residents depend. Thanks to a health department which treats inquiring citizens as adversaries, it is extremely difficult and time consuming to get information. Originally we were told no *animal carcasses, no medical waste. We were told the dump would be screened by trees, invisible from the road, and there would be no smell. None of this is true. 
     Over the last few years science has listed electronic waste, some kinds of plastic waste, more dangers from certain chemicals and heavy metals. We do not know and cannot easily discover, if at all, what is being put in the landfill. We do know that waste is coming in from outside Pierce County. We did discover that thousands tons of contaminated sediment from the Tacoma Waterway was put in the landfill. The Tacoma News Tribune, (March 1, 2006), headlines that the Foss Waterway maybe re-contaminated. Can we expect more dangerous sediment at the 304 St. landfill?
      Where does the Clean Water Act play into this?  It can no longer be said that the dilution of toxic elements into the aquifer is so great that they are harmless. We know about the toxic pollution of Puget Sound and its effect upon marine life, mercury being of special concern.  Recent research has shown that even the world’s great oceans have been polluted with disastrous results. Where are the Pierce County environmental biologists? There is no information or interaction between them and a concerned public.
      Water conservation. The last seven years of drought after a series of mild dry winters without much snow pack seems to be a recurring pattern of our climate. The operation of the landfill requires 250,000 gallons of water to be pumped out of the aquifer ever day. This is totally unacceptable, we should be conserving water.
      Since it was obviously a terrible mistake to put a huge dump into a sole-source aquifer as the Army Corps of Engineers clearly stated at the outset of the project, how much longer is the landfill to continue operating and what is being done to attempt to ameliorate its effects? It is not acceptable for the landfill to be renamed a Public Solid Waste Facility. It is privately owned by L.R.I. and Waste Connections. The latter is a vast corporation with enterprises nation-wide and a bad reputation for violations. 
     To make 304th Street the boundary between Graham and Eatonville seems inappropriate at this time. The Community Plan was made by a diversity of people from all over the area. It took hundreds of hours of hard work over four years of regular meetings to get an agreed plan that suits the community’s needs. This means the community of people who live and work over this whole area, not simply the town of Graham. Eatonville can only benefit by feeling that it has a voice in the plan, especially as it has no such plan of its own and is unlikely to develop one.
      I would support the Graham Advisory Board in their request to have the language of the Plan left as it was written. It was only published in January 2006. If there are to be changes there should be full consultation and research into how the changes would affect the Plans stakeholders. Last night, Bud Rehburg, Chairman of the Graham Advisory Board, said “Gutting of the plan was a kick in the teeth.”  
      A change of attitude towards citizens, consultation, and transparency would go a long way to promote reconciliation and open the door to more positive progress.                  

      Sincerely,

      Anne Norman
      A.E.N
      Eatonville

      Another point made by Norman. This spot-zone overlay will enable the dump to gain access from 317th Street and add more buildings and maybe other facilities, It could also in future alter the zoning to extend the dump further south. With a possible rail link coming in from Fredrickson and the Port of Tacoma we would end up with a huge industrial complex on the skirts of Eatonville and the National Park’ Property values will go down. Who would want to continue living near this mess or buy property in the area? 
       Have also heard that the Solid Waste Advisory Committee intends to allow business owners to vote on its decisions.  This means that Norman LeMay will have a vote on matters concerning the dump.  

        *Publisher's Note: In November 2002 thousands of people were aghast to discover the partially dismembered remains of Cindy, an Asian elephant from Point Defiance Zoo, was buried in the Graham landfill. This animal, an Endangered Species, weighed approximately eight-thousand pounds. 

Advanced Planning in Pierce County

  The Advance Planning Division is responsible for comprehensive land use planning activities under the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA), including development and implementation of the Pierce County Comprehensive Plan, community plans, and Development Regulations. These plans and regulations are designed to provide a consistent framework for land use and infrastructure development within Pierce County throughout a 20-year period. Functions of the Advance Planning Division include:

  • Mandates of the Growth Management Act (GMA)

  • Comprehensive Plan amendments: area-wide map amendments; urban growth area amendments (UGA); text amendments

  • Drafting regulations and land use requirements to Comprehensive Plan policies, other land use laws, and protection of environmental critical areas regarding State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)

  • Community plans: detailed neighborhood planning

  • Coordinate / facilitate cooperation among local municipalities regarding land use

  • Shoreline Management Act

  • Historic Preservation

  • Census data

  • Committees and commissions: Boundary Review Board (BRB), Planning Commission, Pierce County Regional Council (PCRC), Growth Management Coordinating Committee (GMCC), Landmarks Commission, Farm Advisory Commission, Firearms Advisory Commission, and Tacoma Narrows Airport Advisory Commission (TNAAC)

    For more information about planning in Pierce County please see PALS Staff and Responsibilities

Learn to Monitor Lake Water This Weekend...

     by David Hymel
     March 10, 2006

 

     This is a reminder for our water quality training this weekend. The Pierce Stream Team will help us with lake water quality monitoring training Saturday, March 11, and a stream water quality monitoring training Sunday, March 12, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. both days. 
     We will meet at the Weyerhaeuser Elementary School parking lot and car pool to the sampling locations - Saturday we will go to Rapjohn Lake. Here we will learn how to measure a variety of water quality parameters,  including dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, nitrates, and temperature. 
     Our goals are to establish a network of sampling locations and then create a baseline of data on local streams and lakes, and educate citizens about stream and lake processes. The results of our testing efforts will be posted on the Tanwax Creek Web site www.tanwaxcreek.org  
    See you on Saturday, Sunday or both days.
 

 

County Gives Landfill Loophole with Spot Zoning...

      by George Wearn, President
      Concerned Residents on Waste Disposal ("CROWD") 

      Pierce County is misusing the Community Plan process to spot zone LRI’s 304th Street  landfill  in Graham with a new special overlay, intending to streamline approval for expanded uses of the facility. The Department of Planning and Land Services sprung a last minute staff report on February 22 which guts four years of work by the Community Planning Board and creates a new zone for the private landfill property, which it labels “Essential Public Facility – Solid Waste Facility Overlay.”
     The County wants this site-specific overlay to expedite the approval process for expanded and “accessory” uses on site, including a garbage transfer station, gas extraction systems, gas conversion to liquefied natural gas for vehicles, methane-fueled energy production, recycling processing, and self-hauled garbage hauling. The new zoning overlay would allow these new activities outright or through a “public facility permit process.”  
      The Planning Department is using our Community Plan to create a new zoning overlay for the landfill, describing it as a “template” for countywide implementation. This would allow other solid waste facilities anywhere in unincorporated Pierce County, including areas where such facilities are prohibited by existing community plans. This back room policy-making comes just days before the comment deadline.
     Help our community protect its rural character as envisioned by the Community Planning Board. Spot zoning, loopholes for private interests, and industrial-intensity waste handling facilities are inappropriate for our area. Your comments are critical to stop this.

Testify at this week’s meetings

     Tuesday, February 28, 2006, 7 p.m., Graham Library, 9202, 224th Street East, Graham  (half mile west of
     Meridian)

     Wednesday, March 1, 2006, 7 p.m., Graham-Kapowsin High School, 22100 – 108th Ave. East, Graham  
     (First stoplight east of Meridian on 224th Street)

Call and send written comments to Pierce County Planning Commission and Pierce County Council:

     Email comments to Pierce County Planning Commission by deadline Friday, March 3.
     http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/services/home/property/pals/landuse/grahamfeedback.htm

     Send written comments to Pierce County Planning Commission by deadline Friday, March 3rd:
     Pierce County Planning Commission c/o Toni Fairbanks, Clerk of the Commission 2401 So. 35th Street, 
     Room 228 Tacoma, Washington  98409

     Contact your County Council member at any time:

     Shawn Bunney
     District 1 sbunney@co.pierce.wa.us 253-798-3635

    Calvin Goings
     District 2 cgoing1@co.pierce.wa.us 253.798.6694

     Roger Bush
     District 3 rbush@co.pierce.wa.us 253.798.6626

     Timothy Farrell
     District 4 tfarrel@co.pierce.wa.us 253.798.7590

     Barbara Gelman
     District 5 bgelman@co.pierce.wa.us 253.798.6653

     Dick Muri
     District 6 dick.muri@co.pierce.wa.us 253.798.3308

     Terry Lee
     District 7 terry.lee@co.pierce.wa.us  253.798.6654  

     Don’t know your County Council member?  Find it here:
http://triton.co.pierce.wa.us/council/address/index.cfm

     More information on the Community Plan is available at:
http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/services/home/property/pals/landuse/graham.htm

Changing Face of Kid's Pond


                                                                               (photo by Bob Walter)

      The fierce, strong, east winds that blew recently took down a number of trees in the area.  Several trees were severely damaged at the Kid's Pond/Smallwood Park. This group of trees in Smallwood Park appeared ready to come down anyway. They shattered into pieces when they hit the ground changing the landscape of the lovely area forever.

Trees will be Used for Salmon Habitat


                                                                                                               (photo by Bob Walter)

      Many large trees, mostly cottonwoods, were also cut down recently at Smallwood Park near the Kids' Pond. The park was named for the late George Smallwood, a former mayor and the father of Eatonville's present mayor, Tommy Smallwood. Mayor Smallwood said only damaged trees were taken down and the logs will be used for salmon restoration to make log jams for salmon fry - the slower water and logs give the fry a safe haven for protection from the sun, predators and a place to rest.

Digging for Salmon
Photos and Story by Bob Walter...

      Another section of land along Ohop Creek north of Eatonville was being transformed by a volunteer tree planting work party Saturday, February 11, as part of on-going salmon habitat restoration efforts. Due to the recent heavy rains, the workers had to slog through pools of water just to get to the work site near the creek.  
      Habitat restoration project manager for the Nisqually Tribe, Jeanette Dorner, explained that over 20 work parties have been conducted, including work by students from districts throughout the watershed, through the Nisqually River Education Project. The students are also learning how to monitor water quality, and providing vital data for the project managers.
      These efforts would not be possible without the support of private land owners and many organizations, and without thousands of hours of volunteered labor, guided by the expertise of fisheries biologists like Florian Leischner. About two hours into the morning's work, as the group was digging the last of the holes for Saturday's plantings, Leischner explained to the group that the trees were frozen in their pots, and would need to thaw before they could be successfully planted.
      This might have resulted in the volunteer team standing idle, but Leischner, managing for the success of this huge project, needed them further downstream.  It seemed that the recent flooding along the creek had pushed over many of the seedlings, protected in tubes, planted earlier. The tubes needed to be placed upright again so the seedlings could grow properly. The group left their shovels where they stood in the holes, and headed downstream.

Labor of Love...

      Bob Zimmerman, who'll be 82 this July, takes great joy in helping restore and preserve the rich wildlife habitat of the Nisqually River Basin. Zimmerman, while older than the typical habitat restoration volunteer, exemplifies the dedication and enthusiasm of those who come from all over south Puget Sound to help. Bob's family moved west from South Dakota to Washington State in 1937, amid massive dust storms, after years of crop failure. 
     While he understands that you can't stop the spread of human population, you can help to protect ecological gems like the mountain-to-sea Nisqually Basin. Says Bob, "It's amazing, the numbers of organizations and individuals working together to preserve this river system." When asked about his age and the rigors of such work, Zimmerman said simply, "I'd like to help with this until my dying day. I'd rather die out here than in a nursing home somewhere." 
      With student groups from Eatonville and Yelm coming in on weekdays through the Nisqually River Education Project (one of the funders of the habitat restoration), and other volunteers pitching in on weekends, there are still more opportunities to participate. For more information, contact Don Perry at (360) 438-8687, ext. 2143, or dperry@nwife.org.

 

Welcoming Salmon Home
Photos and Story by Louise Kazda Carson...

 


     Bob Sison, Nisqually Tribal elder and chaplain for the Intertribal Warrior Society, gives the blessing for the return of the salmon in Muck Creek. The celebration took place Saturday, January 21 in the Roy City Park. He's wafting the smoking sage over the water with an eagle feather. This year the water was extremely high and moving fast so it was more difficult to see the salmon who had started their run weeks before.

 

Salmon Greeters...

 

 

      This bridge is designed to hold a maximum of five people in its center area. Bob Sison is in center and at the right is a boy looking into the water with polarized lenses, allowing the eye to see past the glare of the water and further into the depths.
     Other speakers during this overcast but dry day included, Roy Mayor, Kim Eldridge, Pierce County Executive, John Ladenburg, David Troutt with the Nisqually Basin project, and from Fort Lewis, Lt. Colonel Pete Helmlinger who explained how Fort Lewis is able to help in certain projects with their heavy equipment. Muck Creek runs through Fort Lewis.

 

Friends Connect...

 

 

     Warm greetings were exchanged between Patrick Whisler (Sambus Tei Sei in his native Apache, meaning "Son of Buffalo") and Bob Sison during the ceremony. Food was served and an ongoing activity was making a Salmon Life Cycle Key Chain with sixteen different colors and shapes of beads, including a black one that stood for oil pollution.

           Chum Heading Home to      Roy,Come and Greet Them!

            

                     Chum in Spawn Colors               Ocean Phase Chum

     by Emmett O'Connell
     January 6, 2006

    ROY (January 4, 2006) – Come welcome the chum salmon home as they make their way up Muck Creek this year!  The annual Roy Salmon Homecoming – hosted by the Nisqually Indian Tribe and the City of Roy – will be held Saturday, January 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Roy City Park. This year’s homecoming will feature the unveiling of a new educational sign at the park. The sign summarizes salmon habitat restoration efforts along Muck Creek during the last decade.
     The celebration will also include displays on salmon and salmon restoration, educational activities, and speakers from organizations involved in salmon restoration. Hot drinks, smoked salmon and baked goods will also be provided. Nisqually Tribal Chairman Dorian Sanchez and Roy Mayor Kim Eldridge will offer comments.
     The Nisqually Indian Tribe and other local groups in recent years have collaborated on habitat restoration projects up and down Muck Creek. One recent project restored fish passage through Muck Lake and lower Lacamas Creek just upstream from Roy City  Park. The Nisqually Tribe, in cooperation with Fort Lewis, also has planted over 14,000 native plants along Muck Creek to prevent a reinvasion of a reed canary grass, which hampers salmon migration.
     “Cooperation across communities is essential for salmon recovery,” said Jeanette Dorner ,  salmon restoration manager for the Nisqually Tribe. “ Roy is a great example of people coming together for salmon. The resurgent chum salmon runs in Roy during the last few years are a result of what can happen when we work together.”

    WHAT           Roy Chum Salmon Homecoming

    WHEN           Saturday, January 21   10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  

    WHERE        Roy City Park - Cedar Street just off Highway 507

     For more information, contact: Don Perry , volunteer coordinator, Nisqually Indian Tribe, (360) 438-8687, dprerry@nwifc.org

 

Fish Flingers Gather to Help Restore Health of River
Photos and Story by Bob Walter...

            

       Nearly 50 volunteer fish flingers received a short course on the natural history of the salmon by  restoration fisheries biologist Florian Leischner Saturday morning, before heading out to fling frozen salmon carcasses from the Clear Creek Hatchery into the Mashell, Little Mashell, and Nisqually Rivers. The group met at Smallwood Park near the Kid's Pond. The antique mill burner can be seen through the trees.
      The carcasses bring valuable nutrients back upriver to provide food not only for salmon fry but also for other animals and plants growing in and near the river channels. Over 100,000 pounds of fish have been flung into rivers in the Nisqually River Basin so far. On Saturday, another 400 Chinook Salmon carcasses were "fed" to the rivers.

Huge Tree in the Kid's Pond...

     A huge cottonwood tree recently fell into the waters of the Kid's Pond, giving it a whole new look. By Saturday morning the water's surface had taken on a whole new feel, having turned to ice. 

Kids Enjoyed Cuddling Dead Fish...

     The freezing cold nights and the stinking carcasses did not dampen the excitement of these three young volunteers in the least. They proudly held their chosen salmon and posed for a photo before traipsing over to the river's edge to toss the dead fish in.

Preparing for a Fling...

 

     The first location picked for tossing salmon carcasses was right underneath the Mashell River bridge adjacent to Smallwood Park. The kids eagerly took to the task. Before each carcass was thrown into the river, the tail was lopped off so other volunteers, who count the wild salmon returning to spawn, will not confuse them with the hatchery salmon.

 

 

Fling Accomplished...

 

 

   This youngster really got into the swing of the fling, hurtling the carcass far out over the rip rap into the waters of the Mashell.

 

 

Volunteers Plant Trees for River Restoration...


                                                                                                                                   (photo by Arlen Paranto)

     November 20, 2005: Arlen Paranto joined "Thirty-five to forty volunteers" to help plant about two-hundred potted plants Saturday morning, November 19. He explained about "four different species were planted" along the Mashell River as part of the Nisqually Stream Stewards river restoration program. Paranto said he didn't see any Eatonville people that he knew helping with the planting. Volunteers planted native trees and shrubs to provide riparian cover for the river. (Riparian: "of, on, or relating to the banks of a natural course of water.")
   The project is designed to re-establish salmon habitat along the Mashell which is a tributary of the Nisqually River. During the summer of 2006 the Nisqually Tribe and the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group will build several logjams which will provide habitat for juvenile and adult salmon. For more pictures of the river restoration project please see below.

Restoring Salmon Habitat
Photos by Arlen Paranto...

     Volunteers braved the cold, foggy weather Saturday morning November 19 to plant a couple hundred native trees and other plants along the Mashell River. The planters were warned that planting would take place rain or shine. Planting tools were provided and the helpers were reminded to dress appropriately with gloves and proper footwear recommended.

 

Kids Give a Helping Hand...

     Arlen noted that among the volunteers were "...a bunch of kids that help their parents." He said, "It was good experience for the kids and it was nice to see the parents teaching them how to assist."

 

Tender Plants Protected by Plastic Tubes...

     The finished project on one side of the river. Arlen explained, "After we planted and covered the plants with protective plastic tubes we went over the the West side of the river and planted some more."

Tree Planting for Ohop Creek Salmon Restoration    

     by Emmett O'Connell
     October 13, 2005

     EATONVILLE (October 10, 2005) - Volunteers and students from across the Nisqually River watershed will improve salmon habitat by planting hundreds of trees along Ohop Creek. The planting is part of an effort by the Nisqually Tribe, along with a private landowner and other community partners, to restore salmon habitat in the Ohop Valley.
    "Ohop Creek is where we can do a lot of good for salmon," said Jeanette Dorner, salmon recovery manager for the Nisqually Tribe. "Having a private landowner so fully involved in habitat restoration is great." The trees will provide shade and cover for salmon along the creek. 
     Rowland Litzenberger, who owns the property through his homebuilding business, approached the tribe about the possibility of habitat restoration. "It's a win-win situation for everyone," said Litzenberger. "I'm hoping that the salmon can be restored and I'm hoping that my kids can fish here in the future."  
     The planting is funded through the Pierce County Community Salmon fund, with matching being provided  by the county's Stream Team. "This really is a community salmon restoration project," said Debby Hyde, Special Project Coordinator with Pierce County. "Restoring salmon habitat is most successful when it is approached as a team effort."

     What:          Ohop Creek Planting 

     Where:        Off Highway 161 at Ohop Creek.

     When:         Saturday, October 29, 9 a.m. until noon

More Pink Salmon Returning to Nisqually River...

       by Emmett O'Connell 
        October 13, 2005

     NISQUALLY (October 11, 2005) – The Nisqually Tribe’s salmon surveyors are seeing more pink salmon [also called humpback in the Pacific Northwest] in one day than they used to see in the entire year. “During one stretch we counted more than 200 pink salmon,” said Craig Smith , tribal harvest management biologist. “There were so many pinks, we weren’t able to count them all. There haven’t been this many pinks seen in 20 years.”
     “While we don’t know all the factors that led to the big run this year, we do know that one reason had to be good spawning habitat,” said Jeanette Dorner , salmon recovery for the tribe.  Pink salmon typically return to the Nisqually in such small numbers that little is known about the run.   
     Unlike other salmon species, pink salmon only spawn every other year. “Their offspring spend very little  time in freshwater and move out to the ocean very quickly,” said Dorner. “Then they spend two years in saltwater and come back to spawn.”
     The sudden resurgence of pink salmon in the Nisqually follows the boom-and-bust life cycle of pinks in other watersheds. The Puyallup River pink run nearly topped 300,000 two years ago after nearly a decade of runs peaking at 20,000 fish. “While Nisqually River pinks have much further to go until they reach the kinds of numbers we’ve seen in other places, its very heartening to see more come back this year,” said Dorner.  
     The tribe and its partners in the watershed are working on a recovery plan for that includes all species of salmon, including pink. The Nisqually Multi-Species Plan will help focus restoration efforts on habitat important to all species of salmon that return to the Nisqually watershed.
     “Each species of salmon has different habitat needs,” said Dorner. “We need to protect and restore habitat across a wide cross-section of the watershed to make sure salmon come back in strong numbers.”

Filtration Plant Cost Likely Higher than Estimated...

     From John Ryding
     September 25, 2005

    John Ryding is the Regional Engineer for the Department of Health's Northwest Drinking Water Operations. This is his answer to ENN's question regarding cost overruns concerning the planned water flirtation plant. "There are no cost overruns at this time and hopefully there won't be any.  The project has not gone out to bid yet.  I have not reviewed it yet but will soon.  What the Mayor is referring to is the possibility that the project may be more expensive than the original engineering estimate.  This was a preliminary estimate based on some assumptions.  The more recent cost estimates will be a little more certain because now they have a much better idea how much concrete, steel, etc. will be needed.  Costs of material have been going up lately, especially steel.  The second estimate was higher than the first.  However, until the bids have been sent in and opened nobody will really know exactly what the project will actually cost."

RH2 Water Filtration
 Plant Update...

     May 19, 2005

     Dan Mahlum with RH2 Engineering gave a update to the Eatonville Town Council and citizens regarding the new water filtration plant mandated by the State Department of Health. Cost of the plant is estimated at close to three million dollars. To view the presentation please see Filter Plant

 

Future of Boxcar Canyon? 

    by Dixie A. Walter
     September 20, 2005

     Contrary to a rumor floating around Eatonville, Boxcar Canyon, above the water intake for the town, has not been sold. Jeanette Dorner, Salmon Restoration Program Supervisor with the Nisqually Tribe explains:
    "The Tribe has not purchased the property around Boxcar Canyon . Some of the property parcels were the subject of an application to the Pierce County Conservation Futures Program for purchase for protection of salmon habitat. The Pierce County Council approved that application last year along with another 40 some applications. 
    "The county is currently in the process of contacting landowners to see if a sale of the properties included in the application can be arranged.  Nothing has been finalized yet. We are hopeful that the discussions will go well and that some land along the Mashell will be put into a protected status."    

Puyallup Tribe Chinook Season Limited...

      by Emmett O'Connell
      August 19, 2005

    PUYALLUP  – The Puyallup Tribe of Indians has cut its chinook fishing season to a single 12-hour fishery to protect a run of weak, wild chinook salmon. That is a drastic drop from three 24-hour openings only last year. 
     The tribe agreed to shorten their season despite Puyallup tribal fisherman already having a small impact on federally protected wild chinook. “Non-treaty commercial and sport fishermen catch far more wild Puyallup River chinook because their fisheries are spread from Alaska to California and across the region,” said Chris Phinney, the tribe’s harvest management biologist. Non-tribal fisheries intercept Puyallup River chinook in so-called mixed stock areas, where salmon from more than one river are present. As a result Puyallup River chinook are caught along with other, healthier salmon stocks.
    “Puyallup tribal fisherman are bound by treaty and can only fish for Puyallup River chinook in Area 11, Area 11-A and the Puyallup River,” said Phinney. No directed chinook fishing outside the Puyallup River has been exercised by the Puyallup Tribe since the early 90s. “That means the tribes has to bear the brunt of conservation efforts to protect Puyallup River chinook,” said Phinney. Puyallup River chinook are part of the Puget Sound population listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act.
     Fishing restrictions will not, in the long term, recover salmon. Closing more fisheries will have little effect as long as these salmon have no spawning habitat to return to. Overall, salmon fisheries across Puget Sound have declined 80 to 90 percent over the past couple decades.
     Tribal and state fisheries managers have been changing the focus of salmon fishing away from wild stocks. “The tribe now fishes primarily on hatchery runs and healthy wild stocks, such as Puyallup River chum salmon,” said Phinney. “By moving our fishing effort away from stocks that need protection, the tribe can continue to fish while helping those weak stocks recover.
     Tribal enforcement and monitors will be present for the chinook opening on Sunday, August 21. Fisheries management staff, collecting important run size and harvest data, also monitor fisheries. “We keep a close eye on our salmon fisheries,” said Phinney.

New Reservoir Safety Issues


                                                                (photo by Bob Walter)

     by Dixie A. Walter
     June 12, 2005

     The new half million gallon reservoir built to serve Hamner Springs/Rath Addition and other new developments on the west side of Eatonville has safety issues. Originally designed with a spiral stairway the ladder you see above was installed instead, ostensibly to save money. 
     Included in this week's town council packet is the "To Do List for Mike Tiller." Listed on May 30 is the following: "Hired Ed Smith to climb new reservoir and add chlorine until deemed safe by town. Crew will not Climb (Emphasis added)..." Allegedly the crew refuses to climb the reservoir because of the danger involved.
     Reportedly a Labor & Industries "trouble shooter" inspected the area last week. When prices are cut, where safety measures are concerned, the solution usually costs more than money saved. And the safety trend is moving away from vertical ladders toward spiral stairs. Some industries are presently in the process of removing the vertical ladders and replacing them with spirals. 
      

Detail of Reservoir's Top...


                                                         (photo by Bob Walter)

     This is a close up of the ladder and platform the town crew refuses to climb for safety reasons resulting in the town hiring an experienced climber to add chlorine to the water.  

        

Nisqually Stewards To Hold Free Stewardship Training

   Press Release

 

      NISQUALLY (May 16, 2005) – Want to learn how to be a salmon recovery volunteer in the Nisqually watershed, while learning why it’s such a unique and special place? The Nisqually Tribe is offering a free Nisqually Stream Stewards training to all Nisqually watershed residents in an upcoming series of classes beginning June 11. 
     The classes will cover a variety of topics, including watershed hydrology and ecosystems, salmon of the Nisqually and their habitat needs, water quality and stream health and the cultural history of the Nisqually Tribe. Field trips to various parts of the Nisqually watershed, including Mount Rainier, various salmon habitat restoration sites, the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, the Clear Creek Hatchery and many more will also be featured.       
     In exchange for the free training participants are asked to pledge 40 hours of volunteer service, which may be in on-going watershed education and restoration projects or projects of their own.  Graduates of the training will also be treated to a salmon bake in late July.

    “Salmon recovery in the Nisqually can only happen with the help of the people that live here,” said Jeanette Dorner, Salmon Recovery Manager for the Nisqually Tribe. “The Tribe has done a lot in recent years to change harvest and hatchery management to recover salmon, but without good habitat for them to come back to we won’t be successful.  
    These classes are an opportunity for people who live in the Nisqually watershed to learn how they can help recover salmon by making sure the salmon have healthy places to spawn and live in our local creeks and river.”

    Volunteers for the Nisqually Stream Stewards Program often pitch in on local salmon projects such as removing invasive grass from stream channels, planting trees along stream banks, monitoring stream health and the well-known Salmon Carcass flings. In the last few years Nisqually Stream Stewards helped reestablish a chum run through the city of Roy, where no chum had been seen for almost 50 years. 
    “Volunteers are really the backbone for salmon recovery in the Nisqually River,” said Dorner. “Without their commitment and help, restoring salmon runs here would be almost impossible.”  

     For more information on what the Nisqually Stream Stewards do, please go to: http://www.nisquallyriver.org/stewards/index.html

     What:                                Stream Stewards Training

     When:                               Wednesdays and alternating Saturdays from June 11 to July 26

                                                 Wednesdays, 6 to 9 p.m.

                                                 Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

     Where:                              TBA

     For more information or to register for the training, contact: Ann Marie Finan, Nisqually Stream Stewards Coordinator, Nisqually Tribe Natural Resources Department  afinan@nwifc.org, 360.438.8687.


Volunteers Rediscover A Late Coho Salmon Run...


     Press Release 

     YELM (March 18, 2005) – Volunteer salmon watchers rediscovered a run of late coho salmon that hadn’t been seen in the Nisqually River for more than a decade.
      In late January volunteer salmon watchers started seeing dozens of coho salmon in Nisqually River tributaries, much later than normal. “On some of these streams, volunteers have gone out diligently for months and had hardly seen any salmon,” said Jeanette Dorner, salmon recovery manger for the Nisqually Tribe. “We asked them to keep looking for a few more weeks, and all of a sudden they started seeing coho.”
      Coho typically enter the Nisqually River in October, but those earlier fish are likely the products of hatcheries and other supplementation. “Nisqually River late run coho salmon are a unique, wild run of fish that probably has always been coming back to the river,”
said Dorner. “We just weren't sure they were still there.”
     “These weren’t coho returning to only one stream,” said Dorner. Late run coho were counted in Muck Creek near Roy, Toboton Creek in southern Thurston County, and the Mashel River near Eatonville, among other places. “These coho were all over the place.”
     “It’s possible that for the past 10 years these coho were returning in such depressed numbers that they were never seen,” said Dorner. “This year’s return could possibly be a strong run of late coho.”   

     Next winter, the tribe plans to expand its efforts to try to more closely track late run coho. “We want to collect genetic material from these fish to see how closely related they are to other populations,” said Dorner. “We weren’t even looking for these fish before the volunteers rediscovered them. We’re definitely going out to find them next year.”
    The Nisqually Tribe’s salmon watchers program has grown sharply in the last three years. “Just about every salmon stream in the watershed has at least one salmon watcher,” said Dorner. “This is such a great way to get involved in salmon recovery. You only need to dedicate less than an hour a week.”
    Salmon watchers are trained to identify salmon at sessions offered by the Nisqually Tribe. The training includes trips to the tribe’s two hatcheries. Volunteers are expected to watch their assigned stream for at least fifteen minutes each time, even if they don’t spot any fish.  A count of zero fish can still provide important information about salmon habitat health and accessibility of habitat for salmon. “Salmon watchers give us a heads up when something, like a malfunctioning culvert, needs attention,” said Dorner. “We take the information collected by the watchers seriously.”
    “This is how community involvement in salmon recovery is helping to bring salmon back,” said Dorner. “Without these volunteers, there is no way that we could keep a close eye on every stream in the Nisqually River watershed.”
    “This is a good sign for salmon throughout the Nisqually River watershed,” said Georgianna Kautz, natural resources manager for the tribe. “These salmon obviously have habitat to return to, it’s important that we make sure they always do.”

Planting a New Forest...


                                                                                                     (photo by Bob Walter)

      Hundreds and hundreds of trees and native foliage were planted by a large group of volunteers Saturday, March 5 along Ohop Creek.

      by Bob Walter
      March 9, 2005

     A virtual army of volunteers descended on Ohop Creek just below Eatonville Saturday, March 5 from 9 a.m. to noon, as part of a truly massive salmon habitat restoration project. Last week, it was the Nisqually River. And before that, Muck Creek, Yelm Creek and the Mashell River had plantings.
    Bobbi Allison, town councilmember in Eatonville, invited her friend Karen Devereaux of Puyallup, Karen’s daughters Emily and Madeline, and Emily’s friend Katie Potasky, to come and help dig and plant. Karen was thrilled at the great lesson her daughters would get from the experience. The planting they were doing would be evident for decades. She plans to bring them back in ten years to see the effects of their work, and again in another ten years.
    Coordinator Florian Leischner, Salmon Restoration Biologist with the Nisqually Tribe, explained this one project on the Ohop will occur in three major phases and planting areas. This is the first. A sea of colored flags, of various bright colors, show the crew where each type of plant is to be set into the earth. Willow sticks are stuffed into augered holes in the water-logged grasses close to the creek, where they will readily root and help hold soil in place. Plants liking a little drier, drained soil, such as ninebark, are turned in further away from the stream.
    Pierce County Stream Team and Nisqually Stream Stewards, the same organizations that conducted the salmon carcass toss a few weeks ago in the watershed, were out Saturday with shovels, gloves, augers and bundles of plantings.
   Jeanette Dorner, Salmon Recovery Program Manager with the Nisqually Tribe, described how a seed grant for the project came from The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, which was matched by a Pierce County Community Salmon Fund Grant.
     On Wednesday, March 9 about 50 Eatonville High School students planted trees from 9 to 11 a.m. along Ohop Creek. And on Friday, March 11 two shifts of 75 fifth graders from Eatonville Middle School will be planting in the morning from 9 to 11 a.m. and during the afternoon shift from 12:45 until 2 p.m. Friday, March 11. 

  Councilmember Not Afraid to Get Dirty...


                                                                                             (photo by Bob Walter)

      Left to right: In front is Madeline Devereaux, Emily Devereaux, Katie Potasky and Eatonville Town Councilmember Bobbi Allison. The kids were invited by Allison to take part in the huge tree planting project so they will be able to watch their efforts grow through the years. Poet Lucy Larcom said, "He who plants a tree plants a hope..." Trees are a hope for the future, just as youngsters are a hope for the future. These kids worked hard for their future.
      During the Ohop planting project Jeanette Dorner asked Councilmember Allison if she would help "chaperone" students coming to help plant on Friday. Allison accepted the invitation. Allison also helped plant along the Mashell River previous to the Ohop Creek project. 

Salmon Enhancement Group Seeking Volunteers...

     Press release
      January 29, 2005

     The South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group (SPSSEG) is seeking volunteers for its active, nine-member Board of Directors. The Board provides vision and direction to the SPSSEG - a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration of salmon in the South Puget Sound area. (See attached fact sheet.)

     The SPSSEG Board of Directors has five available positions (one vacant). Directors will be elected at our February 16 General Membership meeting at the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Conference Center, 6700 Martin Way East, Lacey.  Positions are for two-year terms of service.

     Nominations, including self-nominations, are being accepted now and up to the formal nominations on February 16. You do not have to attend the February 16 meeting to be elected to the board.

     ·         Directors must be a SPSSEG member to serve.

     ·         Expertise in salmon biology is not necessary; however dedication to or interest in salmon restoration
     is  essential.

     ·         The Board is particularly interested in Directors with a business, financial, legal or other background
     that would complement the salmon biology and tribal affiliations currently on the board.

     ·         The Directors are very active and we are seeking team-oriented individuals with a passion for helping
     us build on our success.

     ·         Directors are expected to actively represent SPSSEG in the community, attend meetings, provide
     technical and/or organizational expertise, and participate in the financial wellness of the organization.

     Directors are in frequent (daily to weekly) contact with the Operations Director and each other concerning policy, project and funding issues. Email is a common form of communication. The Board meets monthly in the evening either in Lacey or Puyallup.

    In addition, the Directors are expected to attend retreats and special sessions as needed, and seven evening Membership Meetings per year. Membership Meetings are held throughout the SPSSEG service area, including Shelton, Olympia, Lacey, Puyallup, Tacoma and Gig Harbor.

    Our volunteer Directors are rewarded for their time and dedication by seeing on-the-ground salmon recovery in action. Through setting priorities, building partnerships, raising funds, and providing positive direction to hard-working staff, our Directors make a significant, meaningful and highly appreciated contribution to our community and future generations.

 

  Background...

     

    The SPSSEG’s geographic scope includes the Puyallup, Nisqually, Deschutes and Kennedy/Goldsborough watersheds, and part of the Key Peninsula. We have four paid staff ; an Executive Director and three project managers.  Additionally, we currently have two interns, a volunteer and a contracted accounts manager. Our membership includes individuals, families and businesses that contribute time and money toward salmon restoration, research and education. We are a non-political group focused on landowner assistance, cooperation and partnership building. Our mission is “to increase salmon populations in the South Puget Sound Region.”

     We receive $79,000 annually in state and federal base funding from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and leverage base funds with grants, in-kind and cash match, and private donations. We have an estimated budget of $3.0 million for the 2003-2005 biennium and currently manage 30 projects.

     Since our formation in 1991, SPSSEG has completed over 130 projects including culvert replacements and other fish passage barrier removals, fish ladder installations, and instream and riparian habitat improvements. A sampling of current projects include the Nisqually Off-Channel Habitat, WRIA 14 Culvert Inventory, Puyallup Feasibility Study, Perry Creek Culvert Replacement, and Minter Creek Watershed projects. Our public education efforts include the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail in Mason County, a quarterly newsletter, school assistance and general outreach to community groups.

     History and Issues Facing SPSSEG...

     The SPSSEG was incorporated in 1991. Two of the original board members are currently on the Board and provide continuity and institutional memory for the organization. In 2002, SPSSEG received ten grants from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and hired its first Executive Director. Until the hiring of the Executive Director, the Board actively managed the daily workings of the organization. As SPSSEG enters 2004, we are completing a Policy and Procedures Manual, committed to diversifying our funding sources, and fulfilling our mission through attaining our strategic goals.  


 

Mashell River Planting Helps Salmon and Student Education...

      Press Release

    EATONVILLE – Make a difference for salmon at the Mashell River. Nisqually Stream Stewards, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, and Pierce County Stream Team are seeking volunteers for a morning of planting native trees and shrubs along the Mashell River Saturday, February 12, 2005 from 9 a.m. until noon. The planting is part of the Mashell River restoration project that will restore habitat in the river for salmon and trout.
   Seven log jams have been built and anchored to the stream bank in the river. Log jams are stable accumulations of woody debris in a stream channel which provide high quality habitat for salmon and trout. Log jams form deep pools with lots of cover important to fish. They also protect river banks and divert water flow into important side-channel habitat.
    Last summer the Nisqually Tribe and enhancement group added large woody debris to the river, which will help create spawning and rearing habitat for salmon.  Volunteers will plant native trees and shrubs to provide riparian cover for the river.
     The "Plant-a-Thon" will also help raise money for environmental education in the Nisqually River watershed. "Because of a funding shortfall this year the Nisqually River Education Project, which brings environmental education to students up and down the Nisqually River valley, is in danger of disappearing. For over ten years, 7,000 students throughout the Nisqually valley have benefited from the education project."
    Please be advised that there are no restroom facilities on site. Planting will take place rain or shine, so please dress appropriately. Gloves and proper footwear are also recommended.
    Interested volunteers should RSVP with Florian Leischner at (360) 438-8687 or fleischner@nwifc.org for directions.

Public Hearings at 
Planning Commission...

Critical Areas - CARA - Wetlands, Etc.

     January 29, 2005

     Citizens will have another opportunity to have their comments heard (see below) during the Eatonville Planning Commission meeting Monday, February 7. The meetings are held in the Eatonville Community Center, 305 Center Street West at 7 p.m.

      January 19, 2005

     No action was taken by the Eatonville Planning Commission on either of the two public hearings Monday, January 17. Please see below.

     January 16, 2005

     The Eatonville Planning Commission will hold two public hearings during their Monday, January 17 regular meeting. One hearing is about "A Procedural Ordinance for Land Use Permits and Appeals: The  ordinance shall apply to Chapter 17.17 (Planned Unit Development,) and Chapter 17.20 (Preliminary Subdivision/Plats.) This document is 14 pages long.
      Critical Areas Code (CAC) will be discussed at the other public hearing. Critical areas are: wetlands, CARAS (critical aquifer recharge areas,) floodplains, geological hazardous areas [landslides, erosion,] habitat conservation areas. 
      Wetlands Specialist Gretchen Lux with the State Department of Ecology reviewed Eatonville's draft CAC and made numerous suggestions and revisions which would provide more protection to the area's wetlands. Lux states in her review, "...as described above, we are concerned that the proposed CAC will not provide protection for wetland functions and values in the Town of Eatonville." A copy of the review was sent to Town Planner Mart Kask who drafted the CAC. Kask was asked to contact DOE if he had any questions. He did not contact the department. Kask also drafted the ordinance for land use permits and appeals.
       To read Gretchen Lux's comments about the CAC and protecting the town's wetlands please see Wetlands Planning commission meetings are held at the Community Center, 305 Center Street West at 7 p.m.  

Nisqually River Chinook Trending Towards Recovery

      Press Release
      January 20, 2005   

      NISQUALLY: A decade ago, only 400 chinook salmon spawned in the Nisqually River. This year more than 2,600 chinook returned. “Nisqually River chinook are making a comeback because of sacrifices by tribal fisherman and a dedication by the Nisqually Tribe and it’s neighbors to protect and restore salmon habitat,” said David Troutt, natural resources director for the Nisqually Tribe. 
      “Restoring and protecting habitat, along with restricting fisheries, are the reasons more chinook are returning to Nisqually River to spawn,” said Troutt. Nisqually River chinook are part of a larger Puget Sound population of chinook that were listed as “threatened” under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1999.
      To protect chinook, the tribe more than halved the number of days that fisherman can catch chinook. Tribal fishermen were also restricted to a smaller section of river. “Even though the non-treaty fishery is open all week, Nisqually fishers have been cooperative about the halving their fishing days to provide better future returns,” said Troutt. “But, cutting fisheries alone would be ineffective if we did not do anything about salmon habitat.”
       Acting as salmon recovery “lead entity,” the tribe has led a community-based salmon recovery effort in the watershed. “The watershed communities have rallied behind recovering chinook salmon,” said Troutt. “Because of their cooperation, we have made great strides in making sure salmon have the habitat they need when they return to spawn.”
      Over the last four years the Nisqually Tribe has restored almost 40 acres of estuary habitat at the mouth of the Nisqually River and has plans to restore 100 more acres this summer.
      Ensuring chinook salmon reach the spawning grounds is an important part of an effort by the tribe and state co-managers to develop a stock specifically adapted to the Nisqually River from the descendents of hatchery fish. Creating the “locally adapted stock” is important because wild chinook that are native to the Nisqually River were wiped out earlier this century by the consequences of dams and historic non-Indian over-harvest, said Troutt.
     “For several months out of the year, it wouldn’t be uncommon for entire sections Nisqually River to run dry,” said Troutt. “The dams also regularly released a deluge of water in the winter after the wild chinook had spawned, scouring out their eggs.”
     To build a sustainable, naturally spawning chinook stock the tribe is studying whether naturally spawning and hatchery fish can be trapped and sorted by their adipose fin, allowing only naturally spawned fish to proceed o the spawning grounds. The adipose fin on hatchery raised chinook is clipped before they are released. “We have been producing chinook at our hatcheries for years,” said Troutt. “By allowing only naturally born chinook to spawn in the wild, we can help them become adapted to the Nisqually River .”
     “From limiting fisheries to beginning the effort to restore important habitat, the Nisqually Tribe is doing its part to recover.

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"If there is magic on the planet, it is contained in the water."

~Loren Eisley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Wetlands have a poor public image...Yet they are among the earth's greatest natural assets...mankind's waterlogged wealth."

~Edward Maltby 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Life originated in the sea, and about eighty percent of it is still there."

~Isaac Asimov

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"...perhaps our grandsons, having never seen a wild river, will never miss the chance to set a canoe in singing waters...glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in."

~Aldo Leopold

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
 

 

 

 

  
 
 
 
 
 

    We Care!