Project Description:
Baseline habitat monitoring is a basic need to understanding whether habitat conditions are improving or degrading. In 1993, JKT along with Jack Orsborn and Steve Ralph completed a Dungeness watershed-wide habitat survey. Since 1998, the Tribe, County, CCD, and others have engaged in habitat restoration throughout the lower 10 miles of river. What is the habitat trend for the Dungeness' The purpose is to redo the habitat survey, to look at trends in habitat conditions at a watershed level, and additionally identify areas of concern.
Why the Project is Needed:
Since the report was written in 1993 (17 years ago), we have had one 25-50 year flood event, three 10 year flood events, two 5 year flood events, and ten 2 yr flood events (some years have more than one major flood). Each flood brings a change to habitat conditions and potentially channel location. With four ESA-listed salmonids, it is important to update our knowledge of habitat conditions in order to better plan restoration projects.
Benefit to Salmon:
This is the habitat for the four ESA list salmonids in the Dungeness. In this survey, we will GPS habitat features for better ESA planning and discussion. Where should we target scarce restoration/protection resources' Where has habitat conditions significantly changed (better or worse) in the last 17 years'