DESCRIPTION
Effective salmon recovery requires the restoration and protection of aquatic habitats and the watershed processes that sustain them. Kitsap County and the state protects streams and riparian habitats from land-use impacts by requiring streamside buffers that are determined by each stream reaches' classification, or water type. Existing regulatory water type maps are modeled; they demonstrably under-represent the extent of fish and fish habitat, with many streams mapped incorrectly or not at all. Consequently, many streams that warrant protection under existing state and local government regulations (critical areas ordinances, forest practices regulations, HPAs, etc.) are not receiving appropriate buffers. Furthermore, unreliable and inaccurate watershed maps compromise West Sound habitat protection and restoration planning efforts. Using state-sanctioned field protocols, Wild Fish Conservancy will determine and correct water type classifications in an additional 36 square miles of prioritized watersheds of WRIA 15 identified as priorities in the Suquamish Tribe's East Kitsap Steelhead Recovery Plan (2020). With GPS, field data collectors (ESRI Fieldmaps), and a project-built GIS (ArcGIS Online), WFC will perform fieldwork to accurately map and classify streams prioritized for steelhead recovery.
State and local governments protect streams and riparian habitats from land-use impacts by requiring streamside buffers determined by each stream reaches' classification, or water type. The state's existing modeled regulatory water type maps are inaccurate, with many streams mapped incorrectly or not at all. Consequently, streams that warrant protection under existing state and local gov't regulations (critical areas ordinances, forest practices regulations, HPAs, etc.) may not receive appropriate buffers. Unreliable and inaccurate watershed maps compromise West Sound habitat protection and restoration planning efforts. Using state-sanctioned methods, Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) will groundtruth and correct water type in 44 square miles of watersheds identified as Tier 1 and 2 priorities in the Suquamish Tribe's E. Kitsap DIP Steelhead Recovery Plan (2020). WFC will perform fieldwork to accurately map and classify streams prioritized for ESA-listed steelhead recovery. In addition to providing data to enable informed and responsible riparian protection in these watersheds, we will submit water type modification forms to WDNR and generate species-specific distribution data for WDFW's statewide integrated fish distribution dataset. WFC will identify habitat restoration opportunities, and incorporate assessment results in a web-based interactive GIS available to resource managers and the general public. This project complements previous WFC West Sound water type assessments.
