Tychman Slough Assessment Project Update

Summertime is in full swing and the Task Force is busy with a wide variety of activity. Some of our projects involve habitat assessments, community outreach events, and working with private landowners to discuss and plan future projects. One of the Task Force’s current projects that include all of this activity is the Tychman Slough Assessment Project, funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.

The Tychman Slough Assessment Project focuses on gathering baseline habitat data along Tychman Slough, a side channel of the Skykomish River near Sultan, Washington. This data will be used to develop a flow model of the slough, identify areas where restoration could occur, and determine what restoration practices could be applied. The goal of the project is to improve habitat conditions for salmon while addressing erosion, invasive weeds, and flow concerns of private landowners along the slough.

Initial habitat assessments were conducted in April and May by Task Force staff and their Washington Conservation Corp field crew. The objective of the assessments is to get a snapshot of habitat conditions along the 2-mile length of Tychman Slough. Data collection included substrate surveys, large woody debris counts, riparian and canopy cover measurements, and stream habitat types such as riffle, pool, and glides. The Task Force will also conduct fish surveys to determine what species of fish inhabit the slough, and determine redd and carcass locations once salmon migrations begin.

During June and July, professionals from R2 Consulting and Snohomish County Surface Water Management (SWM), assisted the Task Force with a channel survey. Elevation, channel slope, and bank height data was collected using Real Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Positioning Systems (GPS) survey equipment. This equipment determined the elevation, latitude, and longitude of various points along the channel. These points will be used to create a longitudinal profile of the channel, and will guide the development of the flow model.

Another component of this assessment project was to develop a community outreach plan. All of the landowners along Tychman Slough have been contacted to discuss in general terms what we are doing along the slough. The Task Force teamed up with the Sultan Sportsman’s Club to introduce the Task Force to the Sultan community, develop a plan to promote community involvement along the slough, and generate interest in the Sportsman’s Club. This arrangement prompted the Club to share their “Burger Booth” with the Task Force at the annual “Sultan Shindig” in July. While the Sportsman’s Club sold juicy burgers, the Task Force educated carnival goers about the Task Force, invasive weeds, native plants and salmon. The Tychman Slough Assessment Project was also introduced to the shindig attendees.

The Task Force relies on community involvement for the success of many of their restoration projects. Developing opportunities for volunteers living in the Sultan area will be ongoing as the Tychman Slough Assessment Project continues. The next step is to develop the flow model and compile all of the data into a complete report. During this time, the slough will also be monitored for salmon use during the fall migration. If you are interested in additional details concerning this project, please contact Brian Boehm at (425) 252-6686 or brian@stillysnofish.org.

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Puget Sound Starts Here Campaign


This fall, the Task Force will join forces with the “Puget Sound Starts Here” campaign to save Puget Sound and the salmon (and people) that need it.

Puget Sound Starts Here – and “here” is where each of us live. It’s our backyard. It’s our driveway. It’s our neighborhood. It’s our home. But what we do here is having a serious impact on our local waterways and ultimately on Puget Sound.

Our actions pollute local waterways with yard chemicals, oil, grease, soap, and bacteria from pet waste and septic systems. When rainfall not absorbed by the ground flows over roads, sidewalks, driveways and yards, it picks up these pollutants. This contaminated stormwater goes down stormdrains and into ditches, emptying directly into streams, rivers, and lakes and ending up in Puget Sound – where it stays. Approximately 75% of all pollution in Puget Sound comes from stormwater runoff that starts in our neighborhoods.

We can fix the problem. There is hope. The solution starts here, as well… where each of us live and play. You are the solution to the problem. By changing a few of the things you do in your yard, with your car, around your dog and in your home, you will become part of the solution. Together, we can fix it. You can help save Puget Sound at its source.

Here are a few things each of us can do to help restore and protect our local waterways:

In Your Yard:
Use fertilizers and pesticides sparingly, or just use compost

With Your Car:
Take your car to a commercial car wash and have oil leaks fixed

Around Your Dog:
Pick up dog poop, bag it and place it in the trash (not in the yard waste bin)

At Home and More:
From cleaning products to septic maintenance, be aware of how you care for your home.

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Riparian Planting Wrap-up

The Task Force completed a busy planting season during fall 2008 and spring 2009. Thanks to the hard work of staff and volunteers, we succeeded in planting over 9,530 native trees and shrubs on 13.85 acres. Here are some highlights.

The Snoqualmie River was one area where we focused. At McCormick Park in Duvall, 526 plants on 1.4 acres wrapped up a 3-year partnership planting effort with the City of Duvall. At Stillwater Wildlife Area, volunteers planted a whopping 1,975 plants on 6.5 acres owned and managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Way to go! The Pilchuck River is another ongoing focus area for the Task Force. At two separate locations on private property, volunteers planted 1,500 plants on 0.8 acres. We rounded out our planting efforts in the Stillaguamish Basin by planting over 2,000 plants on 5.5 acres.

A special thank you has to be extended to the Washington Conservation Corps/AmeriCorps field crew and interns who dedicated countless hours to making the planting season a success. As you know, restoration grants and landowner support made this work possible. A special thank you to the following granting agencies: King Conservation District, Seattle City Light, Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation, the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Washington Department of Ecology Centennial Clean Water Funds. Plans are already in the works for the upcoming planting season so stay tuned for more details.

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Annual Meeting

The Task Force celebrated its 19th year of existence at the Manor House on May 11th. Seventy-five volunteers, members, partners, board, staff and guests enjoyed an evening of food, festivities, and fun. Native plants were given away to winners of our native plant trivia game, mainly to those from Tom Murphy’s Edmonds Community College class. The Task Force would like to recognize Tom’s class not only for their exceptional knowledge in native plants, but for contributing desserts to our “Dessert Dash.” Executive Director Ann Boyce kicked off the evening with a look at the year’s most exciting accomplishments. Board Member Kip Killebrew provided his famous salmon BBQ to compliment sides and salads prepared by the Washington Conservation Corps/Ameri Corps crew. Attendees also participated in a mini silent-auction where people won a variety of items from trips to gift certificates. A special thanks to Bruce Barchenger from Puget Sound Anglers for coming all the way from Whidbey Island.

The Task Force would not be the success that it is without the dedication of all of our volunteers, members, and partners, and the Annual Meeting is our way of expressing our appreciation!

2008 Award Winners
Bussiness of the Year:     Ian Bush
Landowner of the Year:  Jerry & Sharon McDowell
Volunteer of the Year:    Phil Taylor
Member of the Year:      Carolyn Tarpley
Group of the Year:         English Crossing Elementary

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A 21st Century Charybdis: Vortex of Trash Forms in the Pacific Ocean

On his journey home from the Trojan War in Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus was forced to make a choice while travelling through a narrow strait: pass near Scylla, a sea monster known for plucking sailors out of their ships, or Charybdis, a giant whirlpool. Odysseus chose Scylla, losing a few men, but keeping his ship from getting sucked into the swirling vortex.

While not as deadly to passing ships as Charybdis, a swirling mass of trash that has collected in the North Pacific Gyre (a circular ocean current) may be extremely dangerous for marine organisms. Hopefully this monster born of human carelessness will serve as an alarm bell, helping people to realize that once trash enters the ocean it doesn’t just disappear.

The garbage patch swirling in the gyre is thought to be about twice the size of Texas, but the patch is just the tip of the iceberg. Floating below the water’s surface is a high concentration of microplastics (plastic particles too small to see with the naked eye). Plastic doesn’t readily decompose, but it does physically break into smaller and smaller pieces, attracting oils and other hydrophobic pollutants as it floats along. Despite their small size, these particles can be deadly. Zooplankton eat small particles floating in the water, including microplastics. When other organisms eat zooplankton, they are also ingesting plastics and the pollutants it picks up. These pollutants accumulate as they move up the food chain, eventually being ingested by salmon, which are in turn eaten by people.


One way to help alleviate this problem is to participate in Task Force River and Beach cleanups, which occur every summer. This year Task Force volunteers cleaned up litter at Picnic Point, Kayak Point, and along the Stillaguamish and Skykomish Rivers. These volunteers played an important role in keeping trash out of the North Pacific Gyre, since all water eventually flows to the ocean. This floating mass of garbage is proof that a small amount of litter here, and a small amount of litter there, will eventually become a much larger problem.

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A Letter from the Executive Director

Nearing the end of my 10th year with the Task Force, and looking forward to next year’s 20th Anniversary for the Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group program, I have been fondly reviewing the Task Force’s accomplishments of late. I can’t help but smile to think that this program consisted of three staff jammed into 400 square feet in 2000, and now the Task Force program absorbs a 1,700 square foot building, plus two trucks, and a storage unit. Our staff has grown from two employees and an intern, to six staff, two AmeriCorps interns, and an AmeriCorps crew of six.

With this expanded staff, the Task Force is able to reach:

More Students –
Through the Watershed Education Program, which includes Restoration Ecology for Young Stewards (REYS), Fish and Forest for Kids, and Jones Creek Stream Detectives, the Task Force engaged more than 1,500 students in each of the last two years, up from just over 750 in 2006-07.

More Volunteers –
The Task Force connected with nearly 1,900 volunteers per year for the last three years, encouraging these community members through hands-on activities and providing watershed education, to become better stewards of their environment.

More AmeriCorps Interns –
The Task Force provides a well-rounded internship for seven young adults each year, many of whom have gone on to work for other local, state and national programs, supporting salmon recovery and other important environmental programs, one of whom is on our current staff.

In the last 10 years, the Task Force has created:

New Programs –
Carcass distributions, knotweed survey and control, and river and beach cleanups.

New Cooperative Groups –
The Snohomish-Camano Nearshore Cooperative Committee, a group that engages citizens about the nearshore and its importance to salmon recovery and human health through beach expos and hands-on activities. The Stillaguamish Knotweed Cooperative Weed Management Area, a group that works together to improve salmon habitat through controlling knotweed, an aggressive invasive plant, working with public and private landowners.

New and Expanded Partnerships –
With cities, counties, conservation districts, local businesses, tribes, fishing clubs, and schools.

The typical price of a project in 2000 was between $20-30k. Now, the “small” projects slide in at $50k, and the large projects average between $100 – 350k. The budget has expanded from $150k to nearly $1 million.

What amazes me most is how much the Task Force is able to undertake and achieve with such a small staff. Then I remember the reason: our volunteers, students, interns, members, partners and cooperators. By providing a well-rounded program that includes watershed education – the “why” of restoration – to those we engage, they understand the benefits and importance of working together to save species as complex as Pacific salmon.

Recently, an interviewee for an AmeriCorps internship asked me what I loved about my job. I knew instantly: 1) The Volunteers – There are some I met 10 years ago in my first year at the Task Force, and we are still friends, despite their moving out of town. And every time I attend our Annual Meeting, or a Saturday volunteer event, I am reminded of my connections to long-time volunteers, and I create new friendships with new volunteers; 2) My Staff – They are an incredibly dedicated, hard working group of people that give their all, and then some; and 3) I believe that every day this program makes a difference in many meaningful ways to improve salmon and wildlife habitat while instilling a stewardship ethic in the volunteers with which we work.

In order to continue to achieve these successes, however, the Task Force needs your help. Our infrastructure funding remains the same each year, yet infrastructure costs rise with increased staffing, space needs, and activities. All of the programs listed above would suffer if not for your membership dues and donations. Please consider donating to the Task Force today, to ensure the future of salmon for generations to come.

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Farewell to AmeriCorps



Blake Schnebly (Assistant Crew Supervisor): I started my year with the WCC and the Task Force with a limited knowledge of the native and invasive plants of the Pacific Northwest. I have since learned to identify many different species used in restoration ecology. I have strengthened my resume and learned many valuable skills. Thanks Task Force. I look forward to large healthy riparian forests and cool clean salmon bearing watersheds, and can't wait to see what our job sites look like in the years to come.

Zach Shirk (Crew Safety Officer): During my time with the WCC and the Task Force I have had a year of excitement, learning, growing, and of course hard work. My favorite memory from the crew was on a beautiful May morning and we were working on the Berg’s property. I heard the call of an eagle and looked up to the sky. As I was looking up three deer were crossing the property as the eagle gracefully passed over head. At that moment I knew that in some sort of weird connection that I was part of something really special by helping with the continued efforts to improve salmon habitat and the many species that are connected with salmon. I also just want to say thanks to everyone at the Task Force and every volunteer that made this year very special to me. I hope the great work continues to improve salmon habitat, and the continued education of people to the realizations of the problems and the things they can do to help salmon in the northwest.

James Watts (Crew Scribe): My favorite part when working with the Task Force was doing stream monitoring and various transect duties. Helping to save the salmon and trout that I love to fish for has been very rewarding to me. The experiences I have had and the knowledge I have gained by working on the crew will no doubt serve me well in my career in the environmental field. I really enjoyed working with the Task Force and hopefully can continue working for them in some capacity.

Claire Atkins-Davis (Education and Outreach Assistant): I would just like to thank the Task Force for a very exciting year. It has been a very rewarding experience and I have gained imperative skills needed to pursue my career in the environmental field. I appreciate the challenges I was given and the accomplishments that I achieved. This position was full of surprises and exciting attributes. The work had an excellent amount of variety and the field work was highly dynamic while simultaneously aesthetically pleasing. I enjoyed being part of an effort that inspired incentive and motivation. I hope the great work and determination will continue to improve salmon habitat and to educate the public of their importance to the Pacific Northwest.

Brian Slaby (Habitat Technician Assistant): I feel very fortunate to have been a part of this organization for the past 10 ½ months, simultaneously gaining valuable experience and contributing to the improvement of salmon habitat as an Washington Service Corps (WSC)/AmeriCorps Individual Placement (IP). With the conclusion of my term of service, I will set out to experience more of Washington State in the most thorough way possible: by backpacking along its beaches and rivers, through its valleys and over its mountains. As I stand at the headwaters of a mountain stream, I’ll know that far beyond in its lower reaches, a new IP will soon be teaching volunteers how to plant a tree for the first time. Perhaps the pinks will be swimming by, unaware of the shade that those trees will soon provide for generations of their great- great- grand-fry.

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Volunteer Spotlight - Bon Voyage Otis!



Ever wondered what happens when all the plants don’t get planted by the end of a planting event? Sometimes the Task Force needs to call in volunteer groups that can help out on a weekday on short notice. One such group of volunteers hails from the Naval Station Everett, and is led by Otis Elledge. An Engineer, Otis is well-known by Task Force staff for his sense of humor and his friendly, outgoing, and positive personality. Often times these Navy volunteers (and their families) are called upon to assist the Task Force with some of the less-desirable jobs (digging up tires on Jetty Island, anyone?). Otis never shies away from the dirty work, and keeps Task Force staff laughing at every event he attends. Through his Volunteer Coordinator responsibilities, Otis also played a key role in involving Navy volunteers in Task Force activities and events. He has organized groups to come out and help “in a pinch” on more than one occasion. We’d like to extend a thank you to Otis for all his hard work over the years.

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Tolt Restoration Project is Underway

Seattle City Light (SCL) and the Task Force have partnered together on a 5 acre riparian restoration project on the Tolt River near Carnation. The project is designed to control non-native plant species including Buddleia (commonly called butterfly bush), the primary species of infestation, as well as Himalayan blackberry, Scotch broom and purple loosestrife (secondary species of infestation) in the riparian area.

The Task Force has started phase one of the project which involves mechanical and herbicide treatments to the invasive weeds. Initial mechanical removal began in June, followed by herbicide treatment to the remaining stump. Another herbicide application using backpack sprayers occurred at the end of July. Once satisfactory results of invasive plant removal are achieved, treated areas along the Tolt River will be replanted with native vegetation. The Task Force will conduct community volunteer and student planting events in spring 2010.

The Task Force is excited to conduct salmon restoration along the Tolt River. If you would like additional information or would like to get involved, please contact the Task Force. If you have any questions about the management of the property, please contact Denise Krownbell at Seattle City Light at (206) 615-1127 or denise.krownbell@seattle.gov.