Protection and restoration of Skokomish River Valley riparian areas

The Skokomish River ecosystem, including critical salmon habitat, in the Skokomish Valley has been degrading for many years. For this reason, Mason County and the Skokomish Tribe requested the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) carry out a General Investigation of the Skokomish ecosystem. This investigation, completed in April 2015, determined the Skokomish ecosystem will continue to degrade unless restoration actions are taken, and that it is in the national interest for the USACE to develop and implement five ecosystem restoration projects. It is the responsibility of local partners to secure all real estate necessary for the implementation of these projects. In 2016, the Mason Conservation District received a grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to develop a reach scale plan, in partnership with Mason County and the Skokomish Tribe, which identifies riparian protection and restoration needs to support the five federal projects. This presentation will cover the environmental issues within the Skokomish Watershed, the five USACE ecosystem recovery projects, and the reach scale plan developed for restoring the focus reach