Merrill & Ring used this funding to restore habitat for rearing and spawning of coho, chum, cutthroat, steelhead in the South Fork Pysht River. The work built on previous habitat restoration projects adjacent to this proposal and elsewhere on Merrill & Ring's ownership in the Pysht River watershed. The phases of the project included 1) removal of a fish barrier blocking access to a 1 acre pond/wetland and 1200 feet of stream (fully funded by M&R, exclusive of match); 2) construction of a channel between the pond and Pysht River for fish passage and spawning habitat, replacing a ditch; 3) placement of large woody debris along 3,000' of the South Fork Pysht River. Merrill & Ring owns 26,000 acres in the Pysht River watershed on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Merrill & Ring, tribes, state and federal agencies formed the Pysht River Cooperative in 1991 to assess habitat conditions and develop habitat restoration projects in the watershed. Five projects, starting in 1994, involved the harvest of alder-dominated riparian stands, placement of large woody debris, construction of off-channel ponds, and restoration of conifer stands in riparian areas.