Restoration monitoring across the Snohomish River estuary, Puget Sound, Washington—project and landscape contexts
Presentation Abstract
Uncertainty around the justification, design, performance, and sustainability of delta restoration projects—alone and in aggregate—makes it imperative to understand biotic and abiotic responses at both project and landscape scales before and after restoration. Failure to do so risks undermining restoration effectiveness, and increasing public resistance to restoration. The Snohomish River estuary has the greatest potential in Puget Sound for proportional restoration of historical tidal wetlands. This includes 529 hectares of projects that are in process or have completed designs; 156 hectares of projects with 30-60% completed designs; and an additional 1,067 hectares of projects that are in the conceptual, feasibility, or preliminary design phase. While only a few relatively small intentional projects have been completed to date, approximately 500 hectares are planned for restoration in the next five years, and another approximately 1,000 hectares could be restored in the subsequent decade. In addition to available area for restoration, the Snohomish has wild salmon populations, including ESA listed populations, that could immediately benefit from restoration. Nearly 15 years of research and monitoring by a federal, tribal, and county collaboration in the Snohomish, and comparable experience by collaborators in the Nisqually and Skagit systems, give us confidence that we can quantify changes in juvenile salmon rearing and associated habitat variables from field measurements at local and landscape scales. For example, landscape relationships between fish abundance and hydrologic connectivity demonstrate the importance of landscape position in restoration planning and evaluation. This is a unique opportunity to compare the relative and cumulative benefits of existing and potential restoration actions, and to directly address critical restoration justification and effectiveness questions. Here we summarize results focusing on juvenile salmon abundance; fish assemblage composition; water level, temperature, and salinity; and elevation.
Session Title
Decision support tools to support adaptive management of Salish Sea restoration efforts
Conference Track
Protection, Remediation and Restoration
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
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)
Wetland restoration--Washington (State)--Snohomish River Estuary; Estuarine area conservation--Washington (State)--Snohomish River Estuary--Planning
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Snohomish River Estuary (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
Restoration monitoring across the Snohomish River estuary, Puget Sound, Washington—project and landscape contexts
2016SSEC
Uncertainty around the justification, design, performance, and sustainability of delta restoration projects—alone and in aggregate—makes it imperative to understand biotic and abiotic responses at both project and landscape scales before and after restoration. Failure to do so risks undermining restoration effectiveness, and increasing public resistance to restoration. The Snohomish River estuary has the greatest potential in Puget Sound for proportional restoration of historical tidal wetlands. This includes 529 hectares of projects that are in process or have completed designs; 156 hectares of projects with 30-60% completed designs; and an additional 1,067 hectares of projects that are in the conceptual, feasibility, or preliminary design phase. While only a few relatively small intentional projects have been completed to date, approximately 500 hectares are planned for restoration in the next five years, and another approximately 1,000 hectares could be restored in the subsequent decade. In addition to available area for restoration, the Snohomish has wild salmon populations, including ESA listed populations, that could immediately benefit from restoration. Nearly 15 years of research and monitoring by a federal, tribal, and county collaboration in the Snohomish, and comparable experience by collaborators in the Nisqually and Skagit systems, give us confidence that we can quantify changes in juvenile salmon rearing and associated habitat variables from field measurements at local and landscape scales. For example, landscape relationships between fish abundance and hydrologic connectivity demonstrate the importance of landscape position in restoration planning and evaluation. This is a unique opportunity to compare the relative and cumulative benefits of existing and potential restoration actions, and to directly address critical restoration justification and effectiveness questions. Here we summarize results focusing on juvenile salmon abundance; fish assemblage composition; water level, temperature, and salinity; and elevation.
