Project Description: This is a multi-phase project. With this project, the Land Trust and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will work to conserve priority parcels in the Elwha River, Little River and Indian Creek watersheds through conservation easements or fee simple acquisition, and restoration may also be pursued. Projects could be implemented as early as 2015. Phases will be guided by planning work being completed in 2014. By the end of 2014, North Olympic Land Trust and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will have a prioritized individual parcel plan for the Elwha River, Little River and Indian Creek watersheds. The plan will identify properties that are most important to restore and maintain physical processes that form habitat. A geomorphic approach will be combined with landowner interviews to identify the most important parcels for long-term conservation. This Project will implement that plan.

Why Project is Needed: Efforts to restore the Elwha watershed have necessarily centered around dam removal. While 83% of the Elwha watershed is protected inside Olympic National Park, critical floodplain areas and two large tributaries (Indian Creek and Little River) are in private ownership. The project partners believe that long-term conservation strategies for the Elwha River can be best addressed by protecting the best existing salmon habitat and ecosystem function while identifying and treating limiting factors on private land.

Limiting factors include habitat degradation and loss, floodplain modification, channel conditions, riparian conditions,water quality, and biological processes (Habitat Limiting Factors for WRIA 18, p. 154-161)

Benefits to Salmon: This project will implement a road map to protect and restore habitat for ESA listed species in the Elwha River, including Chinook, Steelhead and Bulltrout. Non-listed stocks of fish will also benefit, including Coho, Chum, Sockeye, Pink and Cutthroat.