The Role of Citizen Science in Restoring Salmon and Salmon Habitat to the Suquamish Tribe\u27s Port Madison Indian Reservation\u27s Cowling Creek Watershed

Cowling Creek is the largest watershed on the Port Madison Indian Reservation. The Reservation is located on the west side of Puget Sound across from Seattle, and is where Chief Sealth (Seattle) is buried. The Wild Fish Conservancy identified 5.46 miles of the 12.22 Cowling Creek stream miles as fish bearing in 2009. Intertidal culverts installed 75 years ago were 100% barriers and eliminated all historic coho, steelhead, sea run cutthroat, chum salmon and other fish populations. The culverts blocked safe wildlife access to the estuary. Additional older and newer culverts throughout the watershed further fragmented habitat accessibility for fish and wildlife. The Suquamish Tribe welcomed assistance from the Friends of Miller Bay, North Kitsap/Bainbridge Island Trout Unlimited, the Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group, the Great Peninsula Conservancy, schools, landowners, and local government programs to protect remaining high quality habitat, undertake restoration projects, begin to remove barrier culverts, implement small scale, local research and monitoring efforts, and begin a salmon reintroduction/public education and outreach program in 2008. A temporary 22-step fish ladder was installed through one intertidal culvert in 2013, allowing 1,251 returning adult chum salmon access to the lower stream to spawn naturally. Local citizen scientists of all ages witnessed not only the return of the salmon but the food web renewed with the attention of black bear, eagle, river otter, coyote, and other wildlife quickly focused upon the stream