DESCRIPTION
The Mason Conservation District will continue to work towards the goal of restoring natural riparian functionwithin the Skokomish Watershed to support ESA listed anadromous fish, including Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. This project will build upon work from the Southern Hood Canal Riparian Enhancement Project Phases 1 and 2 to continue the progress made towards restoring naturally functioning riparian habitats by: 1) conducting planting maintenance on nearly 400 acres of riparian plantings, 2) implementing additional high priority planting projects, and 3) implementing a watershed scale knotweed control effort. Moving riparian habitats to a later successional stage, and expanding the quality and quantity of riparian areas is a self-sustaining restoration technique--once they are firmly established. The establishment of a mixed conifer forest and knotweed control are the foundation for a long-term and self-sustaining solution to ecosystem degradation.
The Mason Conservation District worked towards the goal of restoring natural riparian function within the Skokomish Watershed to support ESA listed anadromous fish, including Chinook salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. This project was built upon work from the Southern Hood Canal Riparian Enhancement Project Phases 1 and 2 (Project #09-1665 and #13-1173), we continued the progress made towards restoring naturally functioning riparian habitats by: 1) conducting stewardship on nearly 400 acres of riparian plantings, 2) implementing additional high priority planting projects, and 3) implementing a watershed scale knotweed control effort.
We worked towards moving riparian habitats to a later successional stage, and we used a self-sustaining technique that will expand the quality and quantity of riparian areas once they are firmly established. The establishment of a mixed conifer forest and knotweed control are the foundation for a long-term and self-sustaining solution to ecosystem degradation. These actions were consistent with the highest priority actions as outlined by the Skokomish Chinook Recovery Plan, the Hood Canal Coordinating Council's (HCCC) Knotweed Control Strategy, and the Guidance for Prioritizing Salmonid Stocks, Issues, and Actions for the Hood Canal Coordinating Council.