PROTECTION PEOPLE RESTORATION. Innovative Funding Protects Mashel River p. 8 Mitigation Grants Support Salmon Recovery p. 8

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1 THE NISQUALLY WATERSHED SALMON RECOVERY NEWSLETTER WINTER 2009 RESTORATION Mashel Restoration Leaps Forward p. 4 Channel Restoration on Ohop Begins p. 5 Nisqually Refuge Estuary Restoration Completed pgs. 6-7 Tidal Slough named Leschi Slough p. 7 Largest Wetland Opened for Salmon p Planting Season Accomplishments p. 10 Over 200 Acres of Invasive Knotweed Treated p. 11 PROTECTION Innovative Funding Protects Mashel River p. 8 Mitigation Grants Support Salmon Recovery p. 8 PEOPLE New Stewardship Coordinator Joins Nisqually Land Trust p. 9 New Biologist Joins Salmon Recovery Team p. 10 Army Vet Defends and Preserves p. 10 Veterans Conservation Corps and Intel Adopt Braget Marsh p. 11

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 Director s Corner 4 Mashel Restoration Leaps Forward 5 Channel Restoration on Ohop Begins 6,7 Nisqually Refuge Estuary Restoration Completed 7 Tidal Slough named Leschi Slough 8 Innovative Funding Protects Mashel River 8 Mitigation Grants Support Salmon Recovery 9 Largest Wetland Opened for Salmon 9 New Stewardship Coordinator Joins Nisqually Land Trust 10 New Biologist Joins Salmon Recovery Team 10 Army Vet Defends and Preserves Planting Season Accomplishments 11 Over 200 Acres of Invasive Knotweed Treated 11 Veterans Conservation Corps and Intel Adopt Braget Marsh 12 Get Involved Calendar of Events 12 Spotlight on Volunteers Cover photo: A Nutter Corporation construction worker checks the excavator bucket as he prepares to reconnect a tidal channel in the Nisqually Estuary as part of the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge Estuary restoration project (see full story pages 6 and 7). Photo: Dean Koepfler, courtesy of the Tacoma News Tribune If you would like to learn more about the Nisqually watershed, visit the Nisqually River Council s website at nisquallyriver.org. The Nisqually River Council is implementing its Nisqually Watershed Stewardship Plan, which seeks to encourage sustainability efforts in the watershed while continuing the long legacy of working toward collaborative environmental management with watershed communities. Visit the website to find out more information about this and other stewardship efforts within the watershed. Printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Yil-me-hu, Nisqually word that means the salmon dance, on its first arrival. The first fish ceremony The first fish caught in the spring was prepared in an earth pit stove, shared and eaten by members of the village. The bones, left intact, were returned to the river, pointing upstream. This display was symbolic. It meant that the villagers were respectful to the fish spirits and wished that, because the ceremony had been done correctly, many more fish would come up the stream during that year. A dance followed the ceremony called the yil-me-hu, a Nisqually word that means the salmon dance, on its first arrival. * * Carpenter, Cecilia Svinth, Fort Nisqually: A Documented History of Indian and British Interaction. A Tahoma Research Publication p13. Nisqually Tribe Natural Resources Department Yelm Hwy SE Olympia, WA Phone: Fax: dperry@nwifc.org website: www. nisquallyriver.org Artist: Gabe Editors: Don Perry Jeanette Dorner Contributing Writers: Don Perry Jeanette Dorner Emmett O Connell David Troutt Christopher Ellings Joe Kane Photography: Don Perry Emmett O Connell Jesse Barham Maps: Jennifer Cutler Design: Nine Design Yil-me-hu is published by the Nisqually Tribe Natural Resources Department to provide information about activities associated with the protection and restoration of salmon and their habitat in the Nisqually watershed. The newsletter is distributed to persons and entities who are interested in or engaged in salmon recovery efforts, and to the community at large. 2 YIL-ME-HU n WINTER 2009

3 director S CORNER Sometimes we tend to focus on what is directly in front of us and we lose sight of where we have been and where we are going. The celebration of the estuary restoration project on the Refuge on November 12 really gave me reason to think about the amazing progress we have made in this watershed. We have been working toward a number of goals in our recovery plan, from habitat to hatcheries, and it is worth reflecting on our accomplishments. When we began our habitat protection efforts in 1990, less than 5 percent of the Nisqually River streambanks within the anadromous fish area in the watershed were in some form of permanent stewardship. In fact, increasing pressures from growing urban areas in and around the basin were resulting in threats to quality salmon habitat. Since then, due to the efforts of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, the Nisqually Land Trust, City of Tacoma, City of Centralia, U.S. Army at Fort Lewis, and many other partners we have over 73 percent of these areas in protective stewardship. This is amazing to think that nearly three quarters of the river is protected and will only get better over time and we are well on our way of achieving our goal of 90 percent. Our recovery efforts are also dependent on some significant restoration efforts of previously degraded habitats. These include areas on the Mashel, Ohop, and perhaps most importantly the estuary. Habitat alterations, in many cases dating back to the 1890 s, have greatly impacted the survival of our salmon. Since the completion of the Nisqually Fall Chinook Recovery Plan in 2001 we have been steadily making progress in each of these areas. Again with the leadership of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Nisqually River Council, we have nearly completed actions in all of these areas. The restoration work in the estuary is mostly complete! We have restored over 900 acres, increasing the amount of this critical habitat in South Puget Sound by 50 percent. The first mile of 6 miles of Ohop creek channel to be restored began this summer, and another phase of the Mashel River habitat restoration has been completed. It is reasonable to think that, with continued funding, we should complete our major habitat projects in the Nisqually in the next five years! Hatchery and harvest management issues are also being aggressively pursued consistent with the recovery plan. The Tribe is in the middle of the permitting process for a weir to better manage hatchery influence on the spawning population. The Tribe is looking at creative ways to manage its commercial fishery to maximize harvest of hatchery fish while supporting a sustainable wild population. All of these actions are moving together in concert to lead to recovery of a natural fall Chinook population. As we consider where we were, where we sit today, and how close we are to achieving the goals that we established in 1999 in the very near future, it is reason to celebrate our efforts throughout the watershed. It is also a time to recommit to getting the job done here and throughout the region so that recovery in the Nisqually becomes reality. Map by Jennifer Cutler Progress on the habitat restoration and protection priorities in the Nisqually Salmon Recovery Plan took a major step forward this year. Major projects were completed in each of the four priority areas this year. David Troutt, Natural Resources Director, Nisqually Indian Tribe WINTER 2009 n YIL-ME-HU 3

4 Mashel Restoration Leaps Forward Restoration work on the Mashel River in Eatonville took another major step forward when an additional 11 engineered log jams were constructed this summer by the Nisqually Tribe. This project adds to the restoration projects constructed in the past few years on the Mashel by the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group. The series of projects are part of a priority Nisqually Salmon Recovery plan initiative to restore salmon habitat in key areas along the Eatonville reach of the Mashel. This next phase of the work was accelerated by a major flood event last winter that threatened parts of state highway 161 and some local property owners. The Tribe reached out to local property owners and the Department of Transportation to encourage them to use engineered log jams rather than traditional rip rap along the eroded river banks so that the restoration initiative could continue to be implemented rather than taking a step backwards. Consequently a joint project was developed with the Tribe constructing log jams on the private property owner s land and the Department of Transportation agreeing to install engineered log jams to protect their highway. Half of the project was installed this year and the remainder of the project will be installed next summer. New log jams on the Mashel creating fish habitat. The Tribe s portion of the project is being funded primarily through a grant from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the Puget Sound Partnership using funds allocated by the Washington State Legislature this year for Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration. Additional funds to support the project came from the US Fish and Wildlife Service s Tribal Landowner Incentives Program, the Puget Sound Partnership, and Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Funds for Tribes. The projects will restore habitat diversity along 2,000 feet of one of the highest priority reaches of the Mashel River, and protect and restore over 6 acres of riparian areas, said Florian Leischner, restoration biologist and project manager for the Nisqually Tribe. This will be accomplished by ultimately installing over 25 engineered log jams and log structures that protect the banks from erosion and provide refuge and habitat for fish. Native trees and shrubs will be planted along 6 acres of adjacent streambank. The Tribe and the Enhancement Group plan to continue to monitor salmon usage and habitat conditions in this reach to evaluate the project. After the first log jams were installed at Smallwood Park on the Mashel, coho densities tripled within the restoration area, said Leischner. Another view of new engineered log jams on the bank of the Mashel River. 4 YIL-ME-HU n WINTER 2009

5 Map by Jennifer Cutler Channel Restoration on Ohop Begins Next summer Ohop Creek will flow through a new one mile long channel that was created this summer as a joint effort between the Nisqually Land Trust, the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group and the Nisqually Indian Tribe. The new channel which puts the creek back into its original floodplain will keep water cooler and cleaner for salmon and includes features like logjams that benefit both juvenile and adult fish by providing places for fish to hide, rest and feed. More than a century ago, Ohop Creek was ditched to clear the area for farming, stated Joe Kane, executive director for the land trust, which owns the 120 acre project site. It went from a shallow, meandering stream that was very good for salmon to a straight deep ditch during the early 1900 s, Kane said. After the new channel is finished, the project partners will wait a year before rerouting the creek into the new bed. If we rerouted the creek this year, there would be a risk of everything being washed away in a flood, said Kim Gridley, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group project manager. By waiting a year after digging the channel, creek-side plants will have time to grow and stabilize the bank. Looking downstream at the newly constructed channel on the Ohop Valley floor. This summer s one-mile-long restoration project could be the first step in restoring most of the Ohop Creek valley for salmon and other wildlife. Eventually, six miles of Ohop Creek might be restored under a plan being developed jointly with local landowners. This initial phase will teach us a lot about how habitat restoration might look throughout the valley, Gridley said. Before habitat restoration happens anywhere else along the Ohop, we ll need to find a way to balance the needs of salmon and people. The first phase of the project was funded by a combination of federal and state money allocated by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, local funds from the Pierce Conservation District, and additional dollars from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Ohop Creek is one of two major tributaries to the Nisqually River that can produce sustainable populations of Chinook and other salmon species and so is one of the two highest priority areas in the Nisqually watershed for salmon habitat restoration other than the Nisqually estuary. Existing and new alignment of Ohop Creek. Newly constructed channel with wood placed in the meanders. The banks and adjacent floodplain will be replanted with native trees and shrubs this winter. WINTER 2009 n YIL-ME-HU 5

6 Photo: Sheila McCartan, USF&WS View of western portion of restored estuary from I-5 NISQUALLY REFUGE ESTU Post-Project Monitoring After over a decade of planning, researching, building partnerships, and fund-raising, much of the earthwork is now complete on the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Estuary Restoration Project, the single largest estuary restoration project in the Pacific Northwest. Brackish tidal water now floods and ebbs over approximately 760 acres of Nisqually Delta for the first time in a century. 6 YIL-ME-HU n WINTER 2009 The Refuge project together with over 140 acres of estuary restoration implemented by the Nisqually Indian Tribe represents the near complete restoration of a large river delta in Puget Sound. Restoration of this magnitude creates a valuable opportunity to advance restoration ecology science, so an ambitious research program involving the Nisqually Tribe, the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge), Ducks Unlimited, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been initiated. The Refuge restoration project consists of four primary components. The project started in 2008 with the construction of a new dike that will protect existing Refuge infrastructure from floods and to enhance over 200 acres of freshwater wetlands. The estuary restoration phase of the project began early in the summer of 2009 and lasted through October, when the first tides flowed in from Puget Sound and began to reclaim hundreds of acres of previously lost estuarine habitat. An additional project element will be the planting of 37-acres of surge-plain riparian forest along the lower Nisqually River. Surge-plain riparian forests are dynamic habitats used extensively by songbirds, amphibians, and juvenile salmon that form when freshwater from the river floods the riparian forest during high tide. The last phase of the project will be the installation of a new estuary boardwalk trail so that the public will have the opportunity to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of a wild estuary. The total amount of dirt moved during the project is estimated at over 500,000 cubic yards, or enough material to fill a football field 250 feet high. The active removal of the 100 year old dike system with excavators, bulldozers, and dump trucks was some of the most dramatic work associated with restoring estuary habitat at the Refuge. However, the project did not end when the bulldozers left. Map by Jennifer Cutler Current status of restoration at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

7 ARY RESTORATION COMPLETEd Photo: Emmett O Connell Research Begins Habitat monitoring research has been initiated that will build substantially on early estuary research efforts in order to track the development of the project at multiple scales, from invertebrates to changes in the shape of the delta itself. Early estuary restoration monitoring activities began over 10 years ago with the first phase of the Tribe s estuary restoration projects located on the east side of the Nisqually River. These initial monitoring efforts An excavator removes the dike separating Puget Sound from the former Nisqually estuary. provide an important baseline from which to measure the response of plants, fish, wildlife, and the landscape in general to large scale restoration. Current Nisqually River estuary research is focused on how both the physical and biological components of the delta respond to the reintroduction of the tides and the migration of the river. A few of the elements being assessed by the project are: the distribution and abundance of juvenile salmon, salt marsh development, invertebrate community structure, the deposition and erosion of sediment within the new estuary, and the fate of sediment throughout the Nisqually Delta and Nisqually Reach nearshore. The estuary research partners have started a website at so the partners and the public can track the latest research findings. The Nisqually River estuary now serves as a shining example of the types of actions needed in order to recover Puget Sound. Thanks to an evolving habitat monitoring partnership, research is being conducted that will take full advantage of the educational potential of such a large scale restoration project. The lessons learned from the Nisqually can then be applied to other river deltas throughout the region. Aerial view of footprint of old dike after restoration completed. Photo: Jesse Barham Congressman Norm Dicks, Nisqually Wildlife Refuge Manager Jean Takekawa, Nisqually Tribe Chair Cynthia Iyall, and Ducks Unlimited Conservation Director Tom Dwyer cut the ribbon to open the new dike trail as over 300 people join them to celebrate the restoration of the estuary. N I S Q U A L LY R E F U G E NAMES RESTOREd TIdAL SLOUGh LESChI SLOUGh AT CELEBRATION In recognition of the Tribal history and strong partnership with the Nisqually Tribe in caring for and restoring the Nisqually Estuary, the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge has named the longest restored tidal slough after the Nisqually Tribe s historic Chief Leschi. Leschi, one of the most famous Nisqually Tribe historical leaders, fought for the Tribe s rights and lands in the mid 1800 s and was unjustly hung by the early territorial government, accused of a murder he did not commit. The slough was renamed at a ceremony in November that the Refuge hosted to celebrate the return of the Nisqually Estuary. Tribal Chair Cynthia Iyall accepted the honor on behalf of the Nisqually Tribe at the event that had approximately 300 people in attendance. The Tribe s Canoe family also welcomed the event guests with a traditional Nisqually song as a bald eagle circled overhead and tribal elder Zelma McCloud blessed the event and the site. Other speakers at the celebration included Congressman Norm Dicks who played an instrumental role in securing federal funding for Puget Sound restoration and the Nisqually estuary, US Fish and Wildlife Service regional director Robyn Thorson who recognized Refuge manager Jean Takekawa for her instrumental work in making sure the project happened, and Ducks Unlimited s Conservation Director Tom Dwyer whose organization helped secure funds and was the restoration project manager. The event also included a ribbon cutting that opened the new dike trail alongside the restored estuary. This trail will be extended next year by the boardwalk that will be constructed out into the newly restored estuary. Photo: Steve Liske, USF&WS WINTER 2009 n YIL-ME-HU 7

8 Innovative Funding Protects Mashel River The Nisqually Land Trust has announced the acquisition of three important salmon spawning properties in the high priority Eatonville reach of the Mashel River. Funding came from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Williams Pipeline Mitigation Fund and a new Transfer of Development Rights Program in Pierce County, facilitated by the Cascade Land Conservancy. Purchase of the largest parcel involved an innovative two-step process whereby the Cascade Land Conservancy purchased development rights from the landowners through Pierce County s Transfer of Development Rights Program, then the Nisqually Land Trust acquired all remaining rights, including title, with funding from the Williams Pipeline Mitigation Fund. This funding approach represents a new way to help support the focus of high density development in urban centers while protecting critical rural lands and to ensure that mitigation funds go to projects that will provide a substantial benefit to the resources of the watershed. The three parcels, along with a 3-year option to purchase an adjoining 70 acres, represent a critical acquisition for the Mashel Reach Protection and Restoration Initiative, a multipartner project to restore 2.2 miles of the Mashel River, a priority project in the Nisqually Salmon Recovery Plan. Map by Jennifer Cutler Nisqually Land Trust acquisitions are a key element of the Mashel Eatonville Reach Restoration and Protection Initiative Mitigation Grants Support Salmon Recovery Streamside forest on the Mashel River now protected by Nisqually Land Trust ownership. Photo: Nisqually Land Trust During 2009, the Nisqually Indian Tribe and the state departments of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology announced the award of five grants totaling more than $450,000 to be applied toward projects that will protect and restore over 60 threatened acres of the Nisqually watershed. The five grants are part of the Williams Pipeline Mitigation Fund, using mitigation dollars from the Williams Pipeline company and administered by the Nisqually Tribe. The fund s purpose is to minimize the environmental harm of a new 22-mile natural gas pipeline constructed in 2006 in Pierce and Thurston counties, including a section that was placed under the Nisqually River streambed. The fund is unique because the mitigation funds can be used to support projects outside the pipeline construction zone that will provide greater overall improvements and protection for the watershed. It was created as a condition of local, state and federal environmental permits for the pipeline construction. This is an example of how developers and environmental agencies are stepping back and finding ways to maximize environmental mitigation Site on the Nisqually River that was excavated for placement of the Williams Pipeline. that works. A grant program like this was possible because of the partnership between the Tribe, the Williams Pipeline Company, and the local, state, and federal regulatory agencies, said Josh Baldi, Ecology s special assistant who focuses on the Puget Sound, mitigation, monitoring, land use and salmon recovery. With this approach, the organizations collaborated to select the projects that will provide the greatest benefit in the watershed. 8 YIL-ME-HU n WINTER 2009

9 Largest Wetland Opened for Salmon After three culverts were removed and a one mile long logging road was closed permanently and planted with native trees and shrubs, 300 acres of off-channel habitat on Powell Creek are now available to salmon and steelhead species in the Nisqually River. Residents living near the restoration site and a school group from Rainier High School s Outdoor Class installed 2,000 native trees and shrubs on the former logging road. This Powell Creek project has opened and extended the largest offchannel wetland complex on the entire river, said George Walter, chairman of the Nisqually Land Trust, the organization that purchased the land for protection and restoration. The culverts, removed in a project managed by Kim Gridley of the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, were restricting fish passage and preventing fish from utilizing the off-channel habitat for adult spawning migration, and juvenile rearing. An assessment of off channel wetland habitat in the Nisqually River identified this site as one of the highest priorities for off channel wetland restoration. This collaborative effort between the Nisqually Land Trust, South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group and the Nisqually Tribe has resulted in 3 miles of spawning and rearing habitat being made available to salmon on Powell Creek. Funding for the project came from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Pacific Salmon Commission and the Nisqually Tribe. Upstream of this Powell Creek site, another set of culverts were removed and replaced with a concrete span bridge by the enhancement group, allowing fish passage to even more spawning and rearing habitat area. Funding for this part of the project was provided by Family Forests Fish Passage Program. Local residents who helped replant the old logging road at Powell Creek take a break for a photo shoot with Kim Gridley, SPSSEG project manager. l. to R. Ed Kenney, Arionna, Arlene Mitchell, Kim Gridley, Mark Kenney, Margaret Grimwade. NLT Stewardship Coordinator Kim Bredensteiner New Stewardship Coordinator Joins Nisqually Land Trust With over 2800 acres now in Nisqually Land Trust ownership it is critical to make sure the lands are being taken care of. Kim Bredensteiner joined the Land Trust this year as their first full time Stewardship Coordinator, following in the footsteps of Linda Kunze the Land Trust s previous part-time Stewardship Coordinator and creator of the stewardship program for the Land Trust. Kim has the talent and ambition to grow our stewardship program to the next level, said Joe Kane, executive director of the Land Trust. She approaches land protection from a landscape perspective, and she s an experienced project manager. Bredensteiner comes to the Land Trust with extensive experience in developing and directing the implementation of habitat plans, having worked as the lead entity coordinator for salmon recovery in Island County for a number of years. She is also familiar with land trusts having served as the coordinator for the Washington Association of Land Trusts. Bredensteiner has plenty to keep her busy including coordinating with partner organizations the restoration of Ohop Creek and the adjacent valley floors on Nisqually Land Trust lands, developing and implementing stewardship plans for properties including the Wilcox Flats and the Powell Creek Management Units on the Nisqually River, and protecting properties from illegal dumping and encroachment to protect habitat. Photo: Nisqually Land Trust If you are interested in becoming a stewardship volunteer with the Land Trust, call Kim at , or her at nltsteward@nisquallylandtrust.org. WINTER 2009 n YIL-ME-HU 9

10 NEW BIOLOGIST JOINS SALMON RECOvERY TEAM Cathy Sampselle stepped into the native plant restoration biologist position at the Tribe this summer after the previous biologist, Jesse Barham, took a job at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge to manage the estuary restoration. Barham, the Tribe s first native plant biologist, worked for the last two years with the Tribe s native plant restoration crew to complete many high priority plantings along important salmon streams, including a major planting on the Tribe s estuary property. Sampselle continues the important work that Barham was doing designing native plant restoration projects alongside high priority salmon streams in the Nisqually and working with the Tribe s native plant crew to implement them. Sampselle came with a wealth of experience including most recently being the manager at Sound Native Plants, a native plant nursery and environmental consulting business located in Olympia. Before working at Sound Native, she completed a master s degree from the University of Idaho and a bachelor s degree in ecology from the University of Michigan. Cathy has also worked for Mount Rainier National Park re-vegetating alpine meadows, and as an agro forestry volunteer for the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa. Cathy Sampselle takes a break at the Ohop Creek planting. ARMY vet defends ANd PRESERvES After 22 years and 2 tours of Iraq during his time in the US Army, Mike Farnum decided to go back to school to be trained in the natural resources field. Farnum is a member of the Veteran s Conservation Corps (VCC), whose primary mission is to assist veterans by providing volunteer opportunities on projects that help protect and restore Washington s waterways. The VCC has a program known as the Veterans Conservation Academy, which provides monthly grants to eligible veterans to acquire specialized training in the natural resources field at Green River Community College. This has been the enabling mechanism allowing veterans in the program valuable opportunities to learn and eventually contribute to the continuing management of our natural resources, stated VCC Field Coordinator, Mark Fischer. GIS Intern Mike Farnum at work on a digitizing project. Farnum chose to specialize in learning Geographic Information Systems, which can be used to store, analyze, and display natural resources data on maps. While working on his AAS degree in natural resources at Green River Community College, Farnum completed an internship with Jennifer Cutler, the GIS program manager at the Nisqually Tribe. With Cutler s guidance he created a GIS dataset of habitat monitoring results on the Mashel river and another GIS dataset of the results of steelhead spawning surveys. In an article that he wrote recently for the Western Forester, Farnum said, Any country that is worth defending is worth preserving. He is completing work on his AAS Degree this year and is looking forward to working on natural resources projects in the future. Photo: Jesse Barham Restoration volunteer Mike Farnum and daughter Kelsey at a Braget Marsh restoration planting. 10 YIL-ME-HU n WINTER 2009 Nisqually Tribe s Native Plant Restoration Technicians take a break at the Braget Marsh site, L to R: Rachel Simmons, Ron Olin, Sam Stepetin, Eddy Villegas, Kyle Kautz.

11 O v e r A c r e s o f I n v a s i v e K n o t w e e d T r e a t e d The area of invasive Japanese knotweed in the Nisqually water-shed attacked by the Pierce County Noxious Weed board s knotweed eradication crew was almost doubled this year to a total of over 200 acres thanks to some new funding from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board s Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Fund and some continued funding from the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The Nisqually Knotweed Project which has been knocking back knotweed in the watershed for the past two years had been in jeopardy of shutting down due to lack of funds this year. However with the new funding made available by the state the project was instead able to expand the area treated and monitored. We re happy to report that crew leader Nels Parvi and his eradication team covered a lot of ground this year, said Kate Reedy, Pierce County Noxious Weed education specialist. Photo: Jesse Barham Volunteers from Ashford and surrounding communities bending invasive knotweed plants. Since knotweed, a plant that uncontrolled will completely replace all the native vegetation along a streambank and significantly degrade the habitat, is spread by small pieces of the plant that float downstream, a major focus of the project this year was to check out the major tributaries of the Nisqually in the lower watershed that had not yet been surveyed in previous years. This year almost 34 river miles were surveyed for potential invasion sources, 110 acres of previously treated areas were surveyed for regrowth and retreated, and then over 97 new acres were treated. The project also involved the local community. The first annual No Knotweed Day in Ashford was organized where a host Knotweed eradication crew leader Nels Parvi checks on a dead knotweed bush that was successfully to help the crew prepare for the treatment of volunteers turned out from the community treated last season. by bending knotweed canes. Cane bending makes treatment easier, and more effective, explained crew leader Parvi. This year s knotweed effort continues to be a partnership project led by the Pierce Noxious Weed Board with participation and assistance from Lewis, and Thurston County Weed Boards, US Forest Service, Nisqually Tribe Natural Resources, Nisqually Land Trust, the community of Ashford, and others. Photo: Nels Parvi Cold, but smiling, Intel volunteers. L to R: Leo Liu, Willie Wen, Brian Williams, Mark Autry, Will Berry. Not pictured: Paul Gutierrez, Peter Jaworski, Biao Yan, Vu Tran. V e t e r a n s C o n s e r vat i o n C o r p s and Intel Adopt Braget Marsh Even before Intel Corporation set a goal of donating 1 million hours of employee volunteer service to communities worldwide to celebrate its 40th anniversary, Intel s employees at the DuPont, Washington, facility were volunteering to help restore an area of the Nisqually Tribe s Braget Marsh. At the Braget Marsh, Intel volunteers participated in planting an area to re-establish a surge-plain forest along the riparian zone adjacent to the Nisqually River. We enjoyed the planting activities, did some team building and bonding, and had a chance to meet some other volunteers from the Veterans Conservation Corps and the Stream Stewards, said Will Berry, organizer of one of the Intel employee groups. On the same day, Veterans Conservation Corps (VCC) volunteers joined Intel for the third time while braving the wind and rain to help restore the once-forested area of Braget Marsh. The VCC has been assisting the Nisqually Tribe in its restoration efforts in the Nisqually watershed for several years, and we have learned a great deal by working side by side with their staff, said Mark Fischer, VCC coordinator for the Department of Veterans Affairs. VCC restoration volunteers. (L to R kneeling): John Shore, Kyle LeMieux, Chris Sweet, Nels Parvi. (L to R standing): Lance Fallin, Jeremy Grisham, Franco Young, Karen Person, Corey Brass, Doug Hunter. 22,800 plants installed at Braget Marsh in the Nisqually Tribe s estuary property. 4,150 plants installed at existing restoration sites. 1,700 1-gallon plants installed by volunteers on NLT Ohop Creek/Peterson. 2,000 plants installed at the de-commissioned Powell Creek/Nisqually Land Trust Road. 10,000 live stakes installed on the middle reach of Ohop Creek. 6,250 plants at Tanwax Creek gallon plants at Mashel River log jams. In addition, another 18,000 plants are to be installed at the Ohop Creek restoration site between December 2009 and March WINTER 2009 n YIL-ME-HU 11

12 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID OLYMPIA, WA PERMIT # 78 Nisqually Natural Resources Yelm Highway SE Olympia, WA RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED RESERVATIONS ARE BEING TAKEN FOR THE 2010 NISQUALLY STREAM STEWARDS SUMMER TRAINING COURSE. Each year, the Nisqually Tribe offers the 7-week course (one evening a week and four Saturday fieldtrips) during June and July, to students who agree to return at least 40 hours of volunteer time to the Nisqually watershed. Topics include estuary, prairie, and forest ecosystems, salmon and wildlife of the watershed, how to collect information about the health of the watershed, watershed geography, stream restoration principles, history of the Nisqually Tribe and early settlement of the watershed, and how to build your own Rain Garden to filter stormwater. The course includes guest speakers, hands on activities and fieldtrips to visit various parts of the watershed. Full attendance is required in order to graduate as a Nisqually Stream Steward. Seating is limited to the first 25 registrants. For more information or to reserve your spot, contact Don Perry, Nisqually Stream Stewards Coordinator at , extension 2143, dperry@nwifc.org, or perry.don@nisqually-nsn.gov volunteer CALENdAR JANUARY 23 n SATURDAY Roy Salmon Homecoming FEBRUARY 6 n SATURDAY Red Salmon Creek Nisqually Land Trust Work Party* FEBRUARY 20 n SATURDAY Wilcox Flats Nisqually Land Trust Work Party* MARCH 20 n SATURDAY Powell Creek Nisqually Land Trust Work Party* MAY 15 & 22 n SATURDAYS Hands-on Building a Rain Garden JUNE 2 - JULY 17 Stream Stewards Training Course ADDITIONAL TRAININGS AND EVENTS WILL BE SCHEDULED THROUGHOUT FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Don Perry, Salmon Recovery Outreach Coordinator (360) xt 2143 dperry@nwifc.org or perry.don@nisqually-nsn.gov *Nisqually Land Trust event. For times and directions contact: Joe Kennedy at landsteward@nisquallylandtrust.org or volunteer SPOTLIGhT STREAM STEWARdS TRAINING ChANGES LIvES Since graduating from the Nisqually Stream Stewards course in 2008, Myrna Lopas is finding out that the Stream Stewards training experience can change lives. After moving to the Nisqually watershed in 2008, Lopas saw a newspaper ad for the Stream Stewards training course and thought it could be a perfect opportunity to find out more about the area, and an opportunity to do volunteer work. As a result of her training Lopas is now working as a part-time volunteer coordinator for Stewardship Partners, helping to make the Nisqually Rain Garden Challenge a reality in the Nisqually watershed. The Nisqually Stream Steward Myrna Lopas potting plants at Pack Forest. Nisqually Rain Garden Challenge is a program to install ten demonstration rain garden projects throughout the watershed. Locations for Nisqually rain gardens include the Eatonville Library, the UW Pack Forest, Roy Elementary School and DuPont. Lopas s position with Stewardship Partners was made possible through the work of a previous Stream Stewards graduate, David Hymel, who created the Rain Garden program with Stewardship Partners as part of an effort to bring low impact development to the Nisqually Watershed. My suggestion to future Stream Stewards students is to complete all of the classes, because missing even one will take away from a wonderful experience, said Lopas. To graduates, she recommends volunteering for everything so they can find those activities that they are most passionate about.