Presentation Abstract
Located on the North Olympic Peninsula, the Elwha River nearshore is a critical component of the Salish Sea. It is depended on by no fewer than six federally listed salmon species including chum, and numerous forage fish such as surf smelt and sand lance. The Elwha nearshore is impaired ecologically due to extensive shoreline armoring and in-river channelization and dams. The Elwha nearshore is undergoing an unprecedented restoration event with the removal of two large in river dams from September 2011 to 2014, exposing 21 million cubic meters of sediment. According to Foley et al. 2016, as of December 2016, approximately 70% has been eroded of which 90% transported to the Strait of Juan de Fuca equating 13.23 million cubic meters of sediment that has been delivered to the sediment starved Elwha nearshore. The Coastal Watershed Institute and partners lead long-term studies of the Elwha nearshore ecological function. In this presentation, we provide an overview of fish use of the Elwha and comparative nearshore areas, and observations of nearshore ecological function response of the juvenile fish migration and forage fish spawning to dam removal. Despite the sediment delivery from the dam removal, nearshore restoration is incomplete due to remaining shoreline armoring and lower river alterations. These are the focus of ongoing community collaboration and large-scale restoration projects presented by Michel et al. Finally, we provide an overview of linkages of the nearshore restoration event for the larger Elwha and Salish Sea ecosystem.
Session Title
Posters: Habitat Restoration & Protection
Keywords
Elwha Nearshore Restoration Watershed Dam
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-70
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Restoration ecology--Washington (State)--Elwha River Valley; Marine habitats--Washington (State)--Elwha River Valley; Dams--Washington (State)--Elwha River Valley
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Elwha River Valley (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
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Elwha River restoration: evolution of habitats and nearshore ecosystems during large-scale dam removal project
Located on the North Olympic Peninsula, the Elwha River nearshore is a critical component of the Salish Sea. It is depended on by no fewer than six federally listed salmon species including chum, and numerous forage fish such as surf smelt and sand lance. The Elwha nearshore is impaired ecologically due to extensive shoreline armoring and in-river channelization and dams. The Elwha nearshore is undergoing an unprecedented restoration event with the removal of two large in river dams from September 2011 to 2014, exposing 21 million cubic meters of sediment. According to Foley et al. 2016, as of December 2016, approximately 70% has been eroded of which 90% transported to the Strait of Juan de Fuca equating 13.23 million cubic meters of sediment that has been delivered to the sediment starved Elwha nearshore. The Coastal Watershed Institute and partners lead long-term studies of the Elwha nearshore ecological function. In this presentation, we provide an overview of fish use of the Elwha and comparative nearshore areas, and observations of nearshore ecological function response of the juvenile fish migration and forage fish spawning to dam removal. Despite the sediment delivery from the dam removal, nearshore restoration is incomplete due to remaining shoreline armoring and lower river alterations. These are the focus of ongoing community collaboration and large-scale restoration projects presented by Michel et al. Finally, we provide an overview of linkages of the nearshore restoration event for the larger Elwha and Salish Sea ecosystem.
