Presentation Abstract
The Blackjack Creek watershed, 12.3 square miles in eastern Kitsap County, is among the largest and most productive salmon watersheds in the south Kitsap subregion. The watershed supports genetically-distinct summer and late fall runs of chum salmon, and coho and Chinook, as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout. Historic and current land uses in many parts of the Blackjack Creek watershed have substantially altered processes that drive ecosystem functions. The Suquamish Tribe conducted a watershed assessment to identify critical ecosystem components and key ecological attributes (KEAs), their current status, and human-caused pressures on KEAs. The goal was to build a plan, including strategies and actions, to protect and restore watershed, riparian, floodplain and stream processes and habitat functions for salmonids. The assessment includes a review of existing research, local studies, spatial data (GIS), and field data on freshwater and estuarine habitats and salmonid populations. Hydrologic patterns are identified and analyzed using “down-scaled” spatial data from Ecology’s Puget Sound Watershed Characterization Project to understand water flow processes in the subbasins of the watershed. These data are consolidated in a comprehensive assessment of human induced pressures and ecosystem stressors. The 13 strategies and 45 recommended actions in the plan address these specific pressures and are intended to protect and restore watershed processes and habitats. Strategies and actions are evaluated using a prioritization framework based on the principles of process-based restoration and climate change considerations. The plan will be used by the Tribe and project partners including the City of Port Orchard, Kitsap County, Kitsap Conservation District, Great Peninsula Conservancy and others to implement future protection and restoration in the Blackjack Creek watershed.
Session Title
Achieving an Integrated Watershed Approach for Freshwater Ecosystems in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
SSE4: Ecosystem Management, Policy, and Protection
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE4-424
Start Date
4-4-2018 4:00 PM
End Date
4-4-2018 4:15 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)
Watershed ecology--Washington (State)--Kitsap County; Watershed restoration--Washington (State)--Kitsap County; Salmonidae--Habitat--Washington (State)--Kitsap County
Geographic Coverage
Kitsap 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
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Using a watershed approach to identify protection and restoration actions in the Blackjack Creek watershed, Kitsap County, Washington
The Blackjack Creek watershed, 12.3 square miles in eastern Kitsap County, is among the largest and most productive salmon watersheds in the south Kitsap subregion. The watershed supports genetically-distinct summer and late fall runs of chum salmon, and coho and Chinook, as well as steelhead and cutthroat trout. Historic and current land uses in many parts of the Blackjack Creek watershed have substantially altered processes that drive ecosystem functions. The Suquamish Tribe conducted a watershed assessment to identify critical ecosystem components and key ecological attributes (KEAs), their current status, and human-caused pressures on KEAs. The goal was to build a plan, including strategies and actions, to protect and restore watershed, riparian, floodplain and stream processes and habitat functions for salmonids. The assessment includes a review of existing research, local studies, spatial data (GIS), and field data on freshwater and estuarine habitats and salmonid populations. Hydrologic patterns are identified and analyzed using “down-scaled” spatial data from Ecology’s Puget Sound Watershed Characterization Project to understand water flow processes in the subbasins of the watershed. These data are consolidated in a comprehensive assessment of human induced pressures and ecosystem stressors. The 13 strategies and 45 recommended actions in the plan address these specific pressures and are intended to protect and restore watershed processes and habitats. Strategies and actions are evaluated using a prioritization framework based on the principles of process-based restoration and climate change considerations. The plan will be used by the Tribe and project partners including the City of Port Orchard, Kitsap County, Kitsap Conservation District, Great Peninsula Conservancy and others to implement future protection and restoration in the Blackjack Creek watershed.
