Protecting Hydrology in the Snohomish River Basin
Presentation Abstract
The Snohomish Basin is a leader in the Puget Sound as the first to tackle the complex issue of watershed-scale habitat protection. The primary goal of this 2015 Snohomish Basin Protection Plan (SBPP) is to identify protection strategies that prevent the degradation of hydrologic processes that support salmon or salmon habitat. Since 2005, there have been many site-scale successes on restoration projects in the mainstems, estuaries and tributaries. However, many environmental indicators continue to decline, according to local data and the 2009 State of the Sound report (Puget Sound Partnership 2010). The continued degradation of hydrology in the Snohomish Basin, rapid urbanization, and threats from climate change motivated a new effort focused on the protection of the water resources in the Snohomish Basin and the watershed processes that support them. This Snohomish Basin Protection Plan identifies areas that are important to the goal of protecting hydrology, and examines new and existing tools to help support that goal. Through the protection of hydrology, the SBPP aims to ultimately protect habitat quality, quantity, and heterogeneity for fish and wildlife. This protection plan was developed at a time when there is recognition for the need to create watershed and ecosystem resilience in the face of growing populations and changing climatic conditions. This talk will present the technical approach and findings from this multi-year interagency planning process and discuss the first steps toward implementation.
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)
Aquatic resources conservation--Washington (State)--Snohomish River Watershed; Aquatic animals--Habitat--Conservation--Washington (State)--Snohomish River Watershed; Watershed hydrology--Washington (State)--Snohomish River Watershed
Geographic Coverage
Snohomish River Watershed (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
Protecting Hydrology in the Snohomish River Basin
2016SSEC
The Snohomish Basin is a leader in the Puget Sound as the first to tackle the complex issue of watershed-scale habitat protection. The primary goal of this 2015 Snohomish Basin Protection Plan (SBPP) is to identify protection strategies that prevent the degradation of hydrologic processes that support salmon or salmon habitat. Since 2005, there have been many site-scale successes on restoration projects in the mainstems, estuaries and tributaries. However, many environmental indicators continue to decline, according to local data and the 2009 State of the Sound report (Puget Sound Partnership 2010). The continued degradation of hydrology in the Snohomish Basin, rapid urbanization, and threats from climate change motivated a new effort focused on the protection of the water resources in the Snohomish Basin and the watershed processes that support them. This Snohomish Basin Protection Plan identifies areas that are important to the goal of protecting hydrology, and examines new and existing tools to help support that goal. Through the protection of hydrology, the SBPP aims to ultimately protect habitat quality, quantity, and heterogeneity for fish and wildlife. This protection plan was developed at a time when there is recognition for the need to create watershed and ecosystem resilience in the face of growing populations and changing climatic conditions. This talk will present the technical approach and findings from this multi-year interagency planning process and discuss the first steps toward implementation.
