DESCRIPTION
Salt Creek is located on the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the Olympic Peninsula. 15 acres of the 48 acre estuary & salt marsh are isolated from Salt Creek and the rest of the estuary by a 1920’s earthen dike road, Crescent Bay Lane, that is 1000 ft. long, 10 ft. high and 10-14 ft. wide. Two square 1 foot wooden culverts were installed when the dike was built. These undersized culverts are mostly collapsed and allow very limited fish access through the dike road, at times leading to fish stranding in the west estuary. The dike road is entirely on private land and provides sole access to 24 private parcels, 9 residences, and actively managed private forest lands. NOSC will partner with the community to achieve the project goal to reconnect 15 acres of salt marsh by breaching the dike and constructing vehicle crossings.
Project Objectives are: 1) Enhance 15 acres of salt marsh through restoring tidal hydrology and associated ecosystem processes 2) Provide fish access to 15 acres of salt marsh. 3) Improve tidal channel connectivity and complexity and decrease isolated pools in the marsh.
The project will lead to a 1/3 increase in habitat for juvenile salmonids out-migrating from Salt Creek a coho stronghold and for migrants traveling along the nearshore of the Straits of Juan De Fuca. Only 7 miles west of the Elwha mouth, the estuary is the first encountered by migrating Elwha juveniles. Non-natal estuaries are important habitats for ESA-listed chinook which have been documented in the estuary and for ESA-listed bull trout.