DESCRIPTION
This project will be Phase 1 of restoration on the Skookum Ranch property, a
conservation site previously acquired by the Squaxin Island Tribe for conservation and
restoration in the Skookum Valley adjacent to SR 108, near Shelton, in Mason County.
A 60% restoration design for comprehensive restoration along ~2,200 feet of
Skookum Creek and the surrounding floodplain, wetlands, and tributaries was
completed in 2023 under a design phase with funding contributed by the Tribe.
Restoration is proposed to occur in phases due to the large-scale nature of the
proposed restoration and to accommodate likely funding scenarios.
Phase I of restoration covered under this proposal will include approximately 2,600
feet of channel realignment and enhancement, removal of a fish passage barrier,
installation of over 50 log structures, placement of a hyporheic channel, and other
restoration elements. Expected outcomes of the project include restored floodplain
connectivity, stream channel complexity, improvements to pool quantity and quality,
new hyporheic connections, and fish passage.
Proposed project treatments will include up to
2,600 feet of stream channel improvements within a 30-acre area, removal of a fish
passage barrier, adding wood and increased complexity, re-alignment and
enhancement of incised stream channels, and a net increase in side channels.
Projected benefits to salmon include increased rearing capacity for juvenile salmonids
of all species, improved gravel sorting and retention for spawning salmonids, reduced
flood scour for improved egg and juvenile life stages, and benefits to ecological
functions including floodplain connectivity, improved habitat complexity, hyphoreic
groundwater exchange, a net increase in channel length, and side channel
connectivity.
