Salmon projects in Kitsap hook funding boost

Raising a family in Kitsap County is about to get easier — if you’re a coho salmon, that is.

The state office of Recreation and Conservation has announced $50.3 million in grants for fish habitat projects; Kitsap environmental groups will see about $750,000.

Some of the funding is earmarked for river and shoreline restoration. Fish like salmon, steelhead and bull trout require healthy freshwater ecosystems to spawn and shelter fry while they grow — which means ensuring that plenty of insects, shade and varied flow rates can proliferate in the river. Healthy forests also filter out pollution from stormwater and slow the flow of rain and stormwater before it enters waterways.

“When we restore salmon habitat, we also are restoring our waters, forests and shorelines—multiplying the benefits of salmon recovery many times over,” said Jeff Breckel, chair of the salmon recovery board. “We end up with more resilient land and water, reduced flooding, more salmon for tourism and the fishing industry, and more jobs in local and rural communities. It’s a win for all of us.”

In Kitsap, Dyes Inlet, Dickerson Creek, Finn Creek Estuary and the inland Kitsap Watershed will all see improvements.

The largest grant will go to Dickerson Creek near Bremerton. The Great Peninsula Conservancy received $477,972 to purchase a 162-acre conservation easement on two miles of the creek, which will establish a 400-foot buffer around the creek to protect the mature forest around it. Dickerson Creek is a major tributary of Chico Creek, the most productive salmon river on the Kitsap Peninsula. It’s known for its waterfalls, which attract many visitors during the spring, but it’s also essential habitat for chum, coho and steelhead.

Efforts to restore the historic location of the Finn Creek Estuary in Hansville will receive the second-largest project funding, with $140,328 for the Wild Fish Conservancy. Two miles of the estuary has been buried under fill for decades, blocking fish from accessing two miles of habitat, and a culvert and tide gate at the mouth of the creek that prevent salmon from entering the stream system. WFC hopes to remove the culverts, replant the area and add woody debris to reinforce the streambanks and slow the flow of Finn Creek, but because the project will likely be a heavy lift, the nonprofit is seeking additional money from the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund.

The Kitsap Conservation District received $15,756 to hire a Washington Conservation Corps team to help maintain treated streambanks in the Blackjack, Olalla, Chico, Curley and Clear watersheds. The WCC crew will remove weeds, install anti-browsing tree protectors and plant native species. Steelhead, coho and chum salmon also use the creeks.

Kitsap was also awarded $97,030 to remove 514 feet of rocky bulkhead and pilings that separate the Dyes Inlet Lagoon from the Salish Sea. Tidal nearshore habitat provides a crucial stopover for salmon to grow, rest and fuel up before transitioning to life in the ocean, but shore armor interrupts that process, county officials said. The county also will replant a three-acre lawn along the lagoon with native species and shrubs, which will prevent sediment from shifting onto spawning gravel and shelter the fish.

“These grants are crucial to salmon recovery work in Washington,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “Without this funding, we’d have no chance of returning salmon to healthy, harvestable levels […] It will take all of us pulling together to change the fate of salmon, which is inextricably linked to Washington’s economy and quality of life.”

Plantings along Clear Creek and a well-placed root ball will assist in salmon habitat restoration. KCCD courtesy photo