Presentation Abstract
The Fisher Slough Freshwater Tidal Marsh Restoration project, located in the Skagit River Delta, was designed to improve habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon as well as provide benefits to the Skagit agricultural community in the form of improvements to drainage, irrigation and flood protection infrastructure. This was the first estuary restoration project completed on private lands in the Skagit Delta. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) collaborated with local diking and drainage district partners to establish and ensure that the project met its common, and equal goals of; 1) Create tidal rearing habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon; 2) Improve passage for coho and chum spawning access; 3) Increase flood storage to protect agriculture and; 4) Create a diversity of native habitats. TNC, and NOAA worked with ECONorthwest to conduct a socioeconomic study of the project to estimate the non-fish benefits that would be derived from the project. In addition to providing improved passage to 15 miles of stream and restoring 60 acres of freshwater marsh habitat, the $7.7 M project is estimated to provide $9-$21 M in benefits to the community over the next several decades. These benefits were derived from both green and grey infrastructure elements of the project. Fisher Slough was also found to create trust between sectors of the agricultural and restoration communities and build Social Capital. This presentation will provide an overview of the project, a discussion of the socioeconomic benefits as well as some of the ecological benefits as time allows, while also discussing how these results and the trust generated between parties is being leveraged to create future multiple-benefit projects in the Skagit.
Session Title
Session S-10G: Green Infrastructure to Achieve Ecosystem Recovery Goals and Natural Hazard Mitigation
Conference Track
Shorelines
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2-5-2014 1:30 PM
End Date
2-5-2014 3:00 PM
Location
Room 6E
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Restoration ecology--Valuation--Washington (State)--Skagit River Delta; Salt marshes--Valuation--Washington (State)--Skagit River Delta
Geographic Coverage
Skagit County (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Estimating Socioeconomic Benefits from a Multiple Benefits Project: The Fisher Slough Case Study
Room 6E
The Fisher Slough Freshwater Tidal Marsh Restoration project, located in the Skagit River Delta, was designed to improve habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon as well as provide benefits to the Skagit agricultural community in the form of improvements to drainage, irrigation and flood protection infrastructure. This was the first estuary restoration project completed on private lands in the Skagit Delta. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) collaborated with local diking and drainage district partners to establish and ensure that the project met its common, and equal goals of; 1) Create tidal rearing habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon; 2) Improve passage for coho and chum spawning access; 3) Increase flood storage to protect agriculture and; 4) Create a diversity of native habitats. TNC, and NOAA worked with ECONorthwest to conduct a socioeconomic study of the project to estimate the non-fish benefits that would be derived from the project. In addition to providing improved passage to 15 miles of stream and restoring 60 acres of freshwater marsh habitat, the $7.7 M project is estimated to provide $9-$21 M in benefits to the community over the next several decades. These benefits were derived from both green and grey infrastructure elements of the project. Fisher Slough was also found to create trust between sectors of the agricultural and restoration communities and build Social Capital. This presentation will provide an overview of the project, a discussion of the socioeconomic benefits as well as some of the ecological benefits as time allows, while also discussing how these results and the trust generated between parties is being leveraged to create future multiple-benefit projects in the Skagit.
