|
|
Culvert Replacement on a Tributary to Carpenter Creek
 The Task Force replaced three barrier culverts on private forest land in the Woods Creek basin east of Machias during September 2009 with funding from the Family Forest Fish Passage Program (FFFPP) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Snohomish Basin Community Salmon Fund.
The undersized pipes were identified in 2004 as partial barriers that restricted fish movement. The new, larger culverts will make it easier for fish to move upstream, and natural materials like sediment and wood to move downstream. Two river miles were opened by creating the larger passageway. Revegetation was completed by Task Force staff and AmeriCorps interns in December, with special thanks to Anna Simpson from Edmonds Community College.
The most exciting part was that coho salmon carcasses were spotted (and smelled) above the second culvert, demonstrating that coho were already able to access and use the stream for spawning. Other fish utilizing the stream include cutthroat and rainbow trout.
The Family Forest Fish Passage Program is a cost-share program that was established in 2003 for small forest landowners in Washington to correct fish passage barriers on their forestlands. The FFFPP grants will cover 75-100 percent of landowner costs to remove barriers to salmon to viable spawning streams. They also assist landowners in finding organizations like the Task Force to work with, as replacing a culvert can be challenging.
For more information on the FFFPP, please contact the Small Forest Landowner Office at the Washington Department of Natural Resources at 360-902-1428, or Jason at the Task Force office at 425-252-6686.
BACK TO TOP
Project Update: Whitehorse Creek Riparian Enhancement Project
 The Task Force began work in 2009 on the Whitehorse Creek Riparian Enhancement Project after receiving a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Community Salmon Fund. Whitehorse Creek is a tributary to the North Fork Stillaguamish River, and is a smaller creek utilized by coho salmon, as well as chum and trout. The riparian project area adjacent to Whitehorse Creek was dominated by Himalayan blackberry and reed canarygrass, with almost no native riparian forest and zero conifer trees.
The Task Force has partnered with two landowners, the Berg – Scates family (see “Landowner spotlight”) and the Olson family, to complete a 3 acre riparian enhancement project along approximately 1,500 linear feet of both the right and left banks. The goals of this 18 month project include the removal of non-native, invasive vegetation and establishment of a 40-foot wide buffer along both sides of the creek.
In Fall 2009, the Task Force and landowners hosted three volunteer events, including United Way Day of Caring and Make-a-Difference Day, and four school plantings with Centennial Middle School students. Employees from several businesses volunteered at the Day of Caring planting, including employees from the Everett Herald and Intermec: 284 volunteers donated 515 hours to plant 1,500 native trees and shrubs – an astounding accomplishment in a very short amount of time! Volunteers and the Task Force’s Washington Conservation Corps/AmeriCorps crew will continue the planting effort this winter and spring by installing 1,000 livestakes.
If you have a stream that you’d like to see planted, please contact Jason Anderson at (425) 252-6686 or jason@stillysnofish.org.
BACK TO TOP
Volunteer Spotlight: The Berg-Scates Family
 There are many components to a successful restoration project, but two that are essential to almost every Task Force program or project are the landowners we work with and the volunteers who donate their time to complete project activities. In some cases, the distinction between “volunteer” and “landowner” disappears when the landowner jumps in to get dirty alongside the volunteers and Task Force staff. One such example of a landowner-volunteer is the Berg – Scates family: Jacquie, Darin, and their son Clarence.
Jacquie contacted the Task Force almost two years ago seeking information about how best to manage her streamside property. Jacquie is one of those streamside landowners who “just wants to do [her] part to keep the stream healthy.” The Berg-Scates family owns agricultural property near Arlington that has a small tributary to the North Fork Stillaguamish River, called Whitehorse Creek, running through it. The family has owned the property for about 10 years. Mr. Berg, Jacquie’s father, passed the property on to Jacquie and Darin, and Jacquie hopes to one day pass the property on to Clarence. “Now, going from a land owner to a steward of the land is my aspiration,” Jacquie says.
Prior to contacting the Task Force, the family undertook their own riparian enhancement project – they’ve spent several years trying (and succeeding) to kill the Himalayan blackberry growing along a few hundred feet of Whitehorse creek nearest their house. However, a 10 – 15 foot tall blackberry buffer still ran along over 1,300 feet of both sides of the creek that needed to be removed. Jacquie and Darin contacted the Task Force to find out how exactly to accomplish that goal, and a restoration project was born.
Jacquie and her family have been very proactive in their involvement in the project – from assisting with plant selection, to mowing down, chopping up, and burning massive piles of blackberry canes, to talking with neighbors and getting them involved with the project.
Thank you Jacquie, Darin and Clarence for your hard work and dedication!
BACK TO TOP
Happy 20th Anniversary Task Force and Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group
Yes, it’s so: 2010 is the 20th anniversary for the Task Force - and the Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group (RFEG) Program that spawned its existence! Back in 1990, the Washington State Legislature, and local fishing interests that included sport, commercial and tribal fishers, and community members, banded together to establish the RFEG program to involve local communities, citizen volunteers and landowners in Washington’s salmon recovery efforts.
And boy, things have changed! Starting with 12 regions led and supported by volunteers in 1990, the State-wide RFEG program has expanded to a solid 14 local groups, all with paid staff. With a common goal of restoring salmon populations and habitat in each region, the RFEGs have created dynamic partnerships with local, state and federal agencies, tribes, local businesses and landowners. Through these collaborative efforts, the RFEGs help lead their communities in successful restoration, education, research and monitoring projects.
Every group is a separate, non-profit organization led by its own board of directors and supported by their members. An RFEG Advisory Board, made up of volunteer citizens appointed by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife Director, advocates for and helps coordinate the efforts of the RFEG Program. Partial funding for the program comes from a portion of State commercial and sport fishing license sales, so if you’re an angler, a flyfisher, or commercial fisher, you help support our program! We also receive a small amount of federal funds to help with infrastructure costs.
Also established in 1990, the Task Force has gone from an all volunteer entity to a staff of 16. With this dramatic expansion, our organization contributes to the State’s salmon recovery efforts by leveraging local and private money, promoting stewardship through volunteer involvement, working cooperatively with diverse interest groups, and building on our past successes. Last year alone, we leveraged every state and federal RFEG dollar with five additional dollars donated from volunteers, obtained through grant writing, acquired through partnerships or received from memberships and cash contributions.
And your donations count! They help us purchase needed vehicles, equipment, tools and computers, pay for staff to provide educational opportunities for local students, and ensure the sustainability of the Task Force program during these economically challenged times. This year, for the months of January and February, all donations received will go to support education activities that aren’t funded by grant programs. We hope you’ll support this valuable program by giving generously.
BACK TO TOP
Task Force Wins Contract from Snohomish County to Provide Surface Water Education
 We are pleased to announce a new facet of the Task Force’s Education Program! Starting in October 2009, Task Force educators are under contract with Snohomish County Surface Water Management to provide education on water resources and aquatic ecosystems to K-12 students.
During the 2009/10 and 2010/11 school years, the Task Force will provide over 200 classroom lessons and 25 fieldtrips to students within Snohomish County. Classroom lessons focus on Pacific salmon, watersheds, native plants and water resources. Fieldtrips offer a range of activities including water quality testing to planting riparian trees to collecting and analyzing stream bug communities.
We’d also like to welcome a new member of the Task Force’s education team. Cari McKinstry is our new part-time educator to help the Task Force teach students under this contract. Look for her bio in this issue of the newsletter.
This Surface Water Education contract adds to a host of funding the Task Force has secured to provide watershed education and habitat restoration opportunities to K-12 students in our region. While many of our restoration projects grants provide some funding for K-12 lessons and fieldtrips, we’d like to count our blessings for the funding sources that provide money for the bulk of our watershed education efforts. In addition to this new contract, we’d like to thank these funders for supporting hands-on learning about salmon conservation :
• Washington State Department of Ecology Public Participation Grant ($65K for REYS for two years)
• Anne and Mary Arts and Environmental Education Fund ($1,000 for buses and/or materials)
• Puget Sound Anglers Sno-King Chapter ($2,000 for providing school lessons and activities)
• First Heritage Bank Employees Giving Fund ($500 for buses)
Are you a teacher or know one that would be interested in signing up for a lesson? Contact Cara Ianni at cara@stillysnofish.org and visit this website for more information: http://www1.co.snohomish.wa.us/Departments/
Public_Works/Divisions/SWM/Services/WaterLessons.htm
BACK TO TOP
Meet our 2009-2010 Washington Conservation Corps Field Crew
Jacqueline Platt
Having only lived in Connecticut, Jacqueline feels lucky to have a job with the WCC, living and working in Washington for the first time. She has a background in Early Childhood Education, and graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University (ESCU) with a History and Social Science degree and Sustainable Energy Minor. Her respect for the environment led to her involvement as an officer for the outdoor activity and environmental club at ECSU. She is looking forward to learning a new terrain and teaching about salmon while carrying out her year of service as an AmeriCorps member.
Danielle Larsen
Danielle grew up in Lakewood, Washington, near Tacoma, and has lived in Seattle for the last three years. She spent many years sailing, camping, hiking, snowboarding, and traveling. She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Environmental Education. As an intern with Washington Sea Grant she identified and created educational material about native plants along the Hood Canal shoreline. She joined the WCC because she wanted to increase her knowledge about native plants in different environments, save salmon and work outside.
John Newbery
John graduated from the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, with a Bachelors of Science in Biology and minor in Chemistry. In school, John enjoyed working with the environment and learning about different ecosystems. After John graduated he worked in Hext, Texas, on a deer ranch, performing multiple duties including deer breeding operations and regular ranch maintenance. This is John’s first time on the West Coast. John has greatly enjoyed his experience so far and looks forward to the rest of the year. He also likes soccer, movies, and long walks on the beach while it’s cloudy and wet.
Kevin Wilen
Kevin is an easy going guy who likes long walks on the beach. Growing up in Washington he learned to love a wide variety of outdoor activities including mountain biking and fishing. Kevin received his Bachelors in Environmental Science and Resource Management from the University of Washington. Kevin looks forward to sharing this year’s experience with the new crew.
Amy Witt
Although traveling is fun, Amy is excited to work for the WCC and live in the Pacific Northwest for the next year. She graduated from Warren Wilson College in Ashville, North Carolina, with a B.S. in Biology. For the last few years, Amy has traveled the U.S. working as a field technician for various bird and mammal species. Knowing that habitat is often the limiting factor for wildlife, Amy joined the WCC to learn about the habitat restoration process. In her spare time she likes to hike, dabble in art, drink piña coladas, and dance in the rain.
BACK TO TOP
Native Plant of the Season: Low Oregon Grape
 Low Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa), also known as dull Oregon grape, is a low-growing (to 60 cm tall) evergreen native shrub that provides year-round color and is an attractant for birds, butterflies, and some mammals.
This broadleaf shrub is easily identified by its green holly-like leaves with 5-9 leaflets that are dull green when young, but become darker green and shiny on older growth and sometimes take on a purplish tint during the winter. The clustered yellow flowers of dull Oregon grape appear from February to May and are replaced by the bright blue-purple grape-like clusters of fruit starting in July. Sometimes used in jelly, the fruits are edible but not often consumed on their own, as they are said to taste tart or bitter. The alkaloid bark was used to make yellow dye.
Well-adapted to dry, shady conditions and growing at low to middle elevations, low Oregon grape is commonly associated with Douglas Fir. However, this native shrub is tolerant of many conditions. Given its tolerance for a range of conditions, its value for birds and other wildlife, the short-stature and its wintertime color, low Oregon grape is often used as a landscape plant.
BACK TO TOP
Meet Our New Part-Time Educator!
 Hi, my name is Cari McKinstry! This is my first year with the Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force, and I’m very excited to be part of their education team. I’m originally from Boise, Idaho, and from there I’ve moved all over the Pacific Northwest, even Alaska. I got my Bachelors of Science in Zoology at Oregon State University and my Masters of Science in Experimental Psychology at Central Washington University. My thesis focused on the behavioral ramifications of group size versus enclosure size for group housed laboratory pigeons.
As the Task Force’s new Environmental Education Specialist, I am currently teaching water-related lessons to school children as part of the new Surface Water Education Contract from Snohomish County. I look forward to helping educate the young minds in our area about the little and big impacts they can make to improve our environment.
BACK TO TOP
Meet the New AmeriCorps Individual Placements
Abby Kuranz, Education and Outreach Assistant
 I am the new Washington Service Corps/AmeriCorps Individual Placement here at the Task Force. Originally from Wisconsin, the state of Washington offers a chance for me to learn about an entirely different landscape and lifestyle. I arrived at the Task Force at the beginning of September and will be here until mid-July doing mostly environmental education in the classroom and in the field. I have assisted with the Restoration Education for Young Stewards (REYS) program as well as Stillaguamish Hatchery tours and Allen Creek wetland classes. When I am not in the classroom, I will be working with other Task Force members to complete various habitat projects, such as our December fish flings and planting events.
I recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May 2009 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology and Spanish. I spent the last two years involved with a student outreach organization working to promote and improve science education in rural communities by working side-by-side with K-12 classroom teachers. While here at the Task Force, I hope to strengthen my background in education and gain experience in environmental field work.
Jessica Tupper, Habitat Restoration Technician
 On October 5th I joined the Task Force as the Habitat Restoration Technician. This will be my second year in the Washington Conservation Corps.
I’m originally from Bellevue, but I graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. While there I worked as an intern in the Vertebrate Fossil Preparation Laboratory, and assisted with paleontological field work in South Dakota. I spent the last year with the King County Washington Conservation Corps, planting native species and removing invasives.
Since joining the Task Force, my role has been to assist both the Habitat and Education programs with events and research, and to lead the native plant salvage program. I have surveyed for salmon on Tychman Slough, planted native plants, taught classes on salmon and wetlands, and restored streambanks. I love conservation and behavioral ecology, and the work in the Task Force allows me to use my experience to teach others and assist in restoration efforts.
I’m excited to be here and I hope to meet everyone at our upcoming events!
|
|
