Presentation Abstract
In 2015 the Department of Ecology led development of a new initiative to protect and restore riparian areas on salmon bearing streams across agricultural landscapes of the Puget Sound Basin. Using Environmental Protection Agency National Estuary Program funding through the Watershed Lead Organization, the initiative solicited grant proposals from local organizations to develop reach-scale plans for river reaches that provide the strategic basis for a subsequent phase of implementation funding to acquire riparian zones from willing landowners either through conservation easement or fee-simple purchase. Grants were awarded to an array of partnerships between land trusts, Native American tribes, local governments, Conservation Districts and non-profit organizations. In the development of the reach-scale plans for each focus area these partners conducted a number of different activities to identify, prioritize, and lay the groundwork for the acquisitions and additional restoration actions. Activities ranged from complex geospatial modeling, to development of landowner outreach and recruitment programs and tools, to beaver management planning. This presentation compares and contrasts the approaches in each of the eight focus areas and outlines some lessons learned from the initial phase of this initiative to develop an innovative approach to permanently protect and restore riparian zones in agricultural landscapes.
Session Title
Protecting Riparian Areas in Agricultural Landscapes: Reach-Scale Planning and Acquisition Projects from the NEP Watershed Lead Organization
Keywords
Protection, Riparian, Restoration, Grants
Conference Track
SSE1: Habitat Restoration and Protection
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE1-252
Start Date
4-4-2018 3:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2018 3:45 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Riparian restoration--Washington (State)--Puget Sound Watershed; Landowners--Washington (State)--Puget Sound Watershed; Salmon--Habitat--Washington (State)--Puget Sound Watershed
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Washington (State). Department of Ecology; United States. National Estuary Program
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound 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
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Protection and restoration of salmon bearing streams in agricultural landscapes of the Puget Sound basin: a synthesis of approaches to reach-scale planning for eight focus areas
In 2015 the Department of Ecology led development of a new initiative to protect and restore riparian areas on salmon bearing streams across agricultural landscapes of the Puget Sound Basin. Using Environmental Protection Agency National Estuary Program funding through the Watershed Lead Organization, the initiative solicited grant proposals from local organizations to develop reach-scale plans for river reaches that provide the strategic basis for a subsequent phase of implementation funding to acquire riparian zones from willing landowners either through conservation easement or fee-simple purchase. Grants were awarded to an array of partnerships between land trusts, Native American tribes, local governments, Conservation Districts and non-profit organizations. In the development of the reach-scale plans for each focus area these partners conducted a number of different activities to identify, prioritize, and lay the groundwork for the acquisitions and additional restoration actions. Activities ranged from complex geospatial modeling, to development of landowner outreach and recruitment programs and tools, to beaver management planning. This presentation compares and contrasts the approaches in each of the eight focus areas and outlines some lessons learned from the initial phase of this initiative to develop an innovative approach to permanently protect and restore riparian zones in agricultural landscapes.
