WRIA 6 (Island) 2013 3-Year Implementation Work Plan Narrative 3-Year Implementation Work Plan (2013-15)

This document reviews the WRIA 6 salmon recovery program’s efforts over the past year, considers the current implementation status and strategies of our Multi-Species Salmon Recovery Plan (SRP), and outlines planned actions, needs, and priorities of the watershed over the next 3 years (2013-2015). This year, the regional guidance for the work program included the goals of:1) provide a format for watersheds to describe the current hypotheses that inform the recovery plan, the strategies based on those hypotheses, and to identify the near term actions needed for implementing the strategies; 2) allow for consistent documentation of changes to the Recovery Chapters (since 2005); 3) support the work of developing monitoring and adaptive management plans in all watershed chapter areas; and 4) allow for watershed chapter areas in the Puget Sound region to articulate priorities for implementation. This version of WRIA 6’s implementation work plan (IWP) addresses the stated goals. While WRIA 6’s Recovery Chapter, our SRP, has remained unchanged (goal 2), the IWP outlines WRIA 6’s efforts to address the SRP goals as written in 2005. The IWP includes many of the projects submitted in the 2012 version of the work plan as well as additional projects that have been started, or identified as important to local salmon recovery partners over the past year. Top tier projects are those that address priority actions, priority geographic areas, work to protect priority ecosystem processes, and priority habitats as identified in the WRIA 6 SRP. It should be noted that the work plan spreadsheet has inclusively listed projects sponsors are interested in attempting, and that many of the projects are unlikely to be accomplished without significant increases in funding resources and/or additional landowner/community support