Presentation Abstract
The railroad right-of-way is a prominent modification along the eastern shore of the Washington portion of the Salish Sea. It runs along 52 miles of the shoreline, while another 73 miles of railroad is within 200 feet of the shoreline. In many places, the railroad forms a barrier between the coastal watershed and the shoreline, preventing the delivery of water, sediment, wood, and organic matter to the nearshore. This results in ongoing degradation of the habitat quality of the nearshore environment, which is important habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon and other salmonids. Because nearshore restoration along the railroad is expensive and requires extensive planning, restoration efforts should be focused on areas that would provide substantial benefits to fish habitat and nearshore processes. In order to identify these locations, this project completed a field inventory characterizing stream crossings and embayments along the railroad between the Nisqually delta and Canadian border. Field data was combined with available data to prioritize railroad stream crossings for existing function and restoration potential. Almost 200 stream crossings and 13 embayments were included in the final database. Thirteen data attributes were used to assess the habitat quality and potential of each site. An advisory team guided the development of the prioritization framework to ensure attributes were appropriately weighted and that it could support local and regional restoration outcomes of interest. Attributes were broken down into two categories: juvenile salmon use and upstream habitat quality. High scoring crossings in both categories represent ideal candidates for restoration attention. This assessment and prioritization of railroad crossings along the Puget Sound shoreline provides an important framework to guide strategic restoration in the Salish Sea.
Session Title
Restoring Connectivity in Estuaries and Floodplains
Conference Track
Shorelines, Estuaries & Rivers
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2020 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
2020_abstractID_4183
Start Date
21-4-2020 9:00 AM
End Date
22-4-2020 4:45 PM
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Coastal zone management--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Environmental protection--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Railroads--Environmental aspects----Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
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
Coastal Stream and Embayment Restoration Priorities along the BNSF Railroad: Results and Future Action
The railroad right-of-way is a prominent modification along the eastern shore of the Washington portion of the Salish Sea. It runs along 52 miles of the shoreline, while another 73 miles of railroad is within 200 feet of the shoreline. In many places, the railroad forms a barrier between the coastal watershed and the shoreline, preventing the delivery of water, sediment, wood, and organic matter to the nearshore. This results in ongoing degradation of the habitat quality of the nearshore environment, which is important habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon and other salmonids. Because nearshore restoration along the railroad is expensive and requires extensive planning, restoration efforts should be focused on areas that would provide substantial benefits to fish habitat and nearshore processes. In order to identify these locations, this project completed a field inventory characterizing stream crossings and embayments along the railroad between the Nisqually delta and Canadian border. Field data was combined with available data to prioritize railroad stream crossings for existing function and restoration potential. Almost 200 stream crossings and 13 embayments were included in the final database. Thirteen data attributes were used to assess the habitat quality and potential of each site. An advisory team guided the development of the prioritization framework to ensure attributes were appropriately weighted and that it could support local and regional restoration outcomes of interest. Attributes were broken down into two categories: juvenile salmon use and upstream habitat quality. High scoring crossings in both categories represent ideal candidates for restoration attention. This assessment and prioritization of railroad crossings along the Puget Sound shoreline provides an important framework to guide strategic restoration in the Salish Sea.
