We are currently accepting new project concept proposals and updated projects for our 2025 Four Year Work Plan.

We are extending our Letter of Intent deadline to Friday, Feb.7th

Submittal deadline is Nov. 5, 2024. Please refer to our How to Submit a 2025 Work Plan Project.

For more information, please email the Coordinator for the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity for Salmon at cbaumann@co.clallam.wa.us

Proposed Projects include:

Johnson Creek Triples            $600k Requested for additional costs.

The Johnson Creek Triple Culverts project is a restoration project that seeks to construct the replacement of three adjacent, fish barrier culverts #80001261 with a fish passable structure to open access to 15.6 acres of summer and winter rearing as well as 2.4 linear miles of spawning and rearing habitat. This is NOPLES #1 ranked culvert project in the Pysht HUC 10. Replacement of these structures will re-connect hydraulic processes within a wetland that is currently bisected roughly in half. Johnson Creek is a Hoko River tributary . Chinook, coho, steelhead, cutthroat trout, and lamprey all inhabit this area and will benefit from the project. The Johnson B tributary runs along the southern road edge in the road ditch, for ~700 before meeting Johnson Creek at the culvert outlets. This Johnson B reach and the road negatively impact one another. Johnson B suffers from straightening, no no left bank riparian, no instream wood and is actively eroding road aggregate into the channel. The Johnson B tributary has historically contained some of the highest redd densities for the area (WDFW-SSI Database). Funds would go to construction of culvert replacements, and the relocation of the B-Tributary into the adjacent forest where we will reintroduce sinuosity, LWD habitat structures and pool riffle sequences. Construction of the project without moving Johnson B is impractical from culvert correction constructability, roadway maintenance, and salmon habitat benefit perspectives.

Elwha Floodplain Restoration Design-McDonald Gauge            $350k Requested

Efforts to restore the Elwha watershed have necessarily centered around dam removal which was completed in 2014.  Complimentary habitat restoration is being pursued systematically by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe targeting floodplain and tributary restoration outside of Olympic National Park.  In this proposal we will conduct a geomorphic, hydrologic and hydraulic analysis on a 1.9 mile reach of mainstem Elwha River and associated floodplain.  That analysis will lead to a basis of design report that will support engineering designs to achieve restoration goals within the reach.  The reach targeted is located upstream of the Highway 101 bridge to the boundary with Olympic National Park.  The reach has been affected by chronic wood loss, channel incision and the construction of spur dike to protect a county road.

This project will restore habitat in a 1.9 mile reach for ESA listed species in the Elwha River, including Chinook, Steelhead and Bulltrout. Non-listed stocks of fish will also benefit, including Coho, Chum, Sockeye, Pink and Cutthroat.

Elwha Riparian Revegetation & Noxious Weed Control            $430k Requested

This project will support revegetation efforts associated with implementation of the Elwha Dam removals scheduled to begin in 2011. Under that project two hydroelectric dams will be removed on the Elwha River at River Mile 4.9 and 13.5. Dam removal will drain and expose two reservoirs surfaces that have accumulated ~21.5 million yd3 of fine sediment. A revegetation plan (Chenoweth et al. 2010) has been developed for the two reservoir surfaces, however due to limitations in project funding, only about half the monies necessary to achieve the project goals are provided. This project will supplement those efforts by funding a 4 person tribal revegetation crew to plant native vegetation in Aldwell reservoir following its draining in 2011-12 and to conduct control of exotic vegetation in the project area. The crew will be funded for seasonal revegetation activities in the calendar years 2012-2014, directly following reservoir dewatering. The crews activities will be guided by the goals of the Elwha Regetation Plan (Chenoweth et al. 2010) and directly supervised by ecologists at the LEKT and ONP.

Hoko River Watershed Riparian Restoration            $663,977 Requested

This multi-component, multi-partner project will improve salmon habitat and ecosystem functions on the Lower Hoko River and estuary (RM 1.75 to 3.75) and the lower reaches of the Little Hoko River (RM 0 to 1) . The project specifically targets riparian restoration across 37 acres of abandoned pastureland adjacent to the rivers.

Historic land use practices in the lower Hoko River and Little Hoko River have led to simplified channel systems defined by a near complete lack of large wood, simplified plane bed channels, high stream temperatures, and little to no riparian cover and shade. The goal of the project is to address each of these limiting factors by restoring healthy riparian zones. The North Olympic Salmon Coalition, with partners at the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the Makah Tribe, and Washington State Parks; are targeting key parcels demonstrating some of the worst riparian conditions in the lower Hoko with this riparian restoration project. This work is needed to support the recovery of depleted stocks of Chinook, coho, and chum salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout, and river and Pacific lamprey.  With a large portion of the project occurring on State Park lands, maintenance of the areas as riparian forest and access for passive recreation are guaranteed in perpetuity.

Dungeness River Riparian Restoration & Acquisition            $350k Requested

This proposed project includes the following three elements:

Acquisition: $200,000 for partial acquisition of  just over 30 acres of key riparian parcels from willing landowners in the lower Dungeness River.

Planning,Assessment and Inventory: $50,000 to hire a consultant to evaluate low flow mitigation strategies in the lower  three river miles. This includes looking at lower river areas which have required fish passage assistance during the fall low flows during drought the past three years.

Restoration – In-stream Habitat: $100,000 to implement recommendations identified during the riparian assessment. The Tribe has received landowner permission from the County and WDFW to pursue grant funding for their respective ownerships, and the Tribe is the other landowner.

Little Hoko River Wood Restoration

The Little Hoko River is the largest tributary to the Hoko River, which is the largest watershed in WRIA 19. The river supports populations of chinook, coho, and chum salmon as well as cutthroat, steelhead and lamprey. The lower portions of the Little Hoko River were conserved in the early 1990’s when the Cowan homestead was purchased by Washington State Parks. Simultaneously, a large scale restoration project was implemented by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe between 1994-1998. In this project cattle were initially fenced out of the riparian zone (and later removed), extensive riparian plantings completed, several off-channel habitats created, and additions of wood made to the channel. The type of wood additions used in the 1990’s consisted of mostly single log structures and small logjams built with cut logs. While the original restoration effort as
improved channel and riparian habitats, the majority of wood placements have been buried under accumulated gravel. This has greatly improved spawning habitat, however additional restoration work using complexes of large wood are necessary to improve rearing habitat. Based on the results of the design process we propose to use a helicopter to place logs in complex accumulations at 25 locations between river mile 0-3.0.

Johnson Creek Triple Culvert Restoration

The Johnson Creek Triple Culverts project is a restoration project that seeks to construct the replacement of three adjacent, fish barrier culverts #80001261 with a fish passable structure to open access to 15.6 acres of summer and winter rearing as well as 2.4 linear miles of spawning and rearing habitat. This is NOPLES #1 ranked culvert project in the Pysht HUC 10. Replacement of these structures will re-connect hydraulic processes within a wetland that is currently bisected roughly in half. Johnson Creek is a Hoko River tributary . Chinook, coho, steelhead, cutthroat trout, and lamprey all inhabit this area and will benefit from the project. The Johnson B tributary runs along the southern road edge in the road ditch, for ~700 before meeting Johnson Creek at the culvert outlets. This Johnson B reach and the road negatively impact one another. Johnson B suffers from straightening, no no left bank riparian, no instream wood and is actively eroding road aggregate into the channel. The Johnson B tributary has historically contained some of the highest redd densities for the area (WDFW-SSI Database). Funds would go to construction of culvert replacements, and the relocation of the B-Tributary into the adjacent forest where we will reintroduce sinuosity, LWD habitat structures and pool riffle sequences. Construction of the project without moving Johnson B is impractical from culvert correction constructability, roadway maintenance, and salmon habitat benefit perspectives.

Hoko River Tributary Fish Passage Design

The project will complete a final design for the replacement of a Clallam County Road Culvert (#80001279) on an unnamed Hoko River tributary (19.0169) which enters the Hoko at river mile 9.4. This funding will match a funding request to the Fish Barrier Removal Board. The culvert is 0% assable with available spawning and rearing habitat upstream. This tributary stream is somewhat unique in the Hoko River watershed due to its watershed size and also in its relatively low channel slopes. It exhibits good sinuosity, adequate spawning gravels, good riparian cover, and large instream wood complexes. This is NOPLES 3rd ranked culvert correction in the Pysht HUC 10. The culvert is only 235 ft upstream from the tributary’s confluence with the Hoko River. Culvert replacement will open .85 Miles of salmon and steelhead spawning and rearing habitat.