DESCRIPTION
This project sponsors by the Stewardship Partners conducted 17 acres of riparian restoration with 8 agricultural landowners along 3 miles of the Snoqualmie River between Fall City and Duvall. Weed control was accomplished on 17 acres and 12 acres were revegetated with native plants. The reach was identified as a priority salmon recovery reach in the Snohomish River Basin Salmon Recovery Plan (2005). The project assisted farmers in achieving and maintaining "Salmon-Safe" certification, an emerging Northwest labeling program that recognizes fish-friendly farming practices in the marketplace. Salmon-Safe certification provides credibility, exposure, and marketing opportunities for participating farmers, and also serves to educate a broad constituency about salmon recovery in the agricultural landscape.
The restoration projects established and maintained riparian habitat along the Snoqualmie River by removing invasive species and planting native vegetation. The target reaches are identified as prioity sub-basins in the Snohomish Salmon Plan and provide prime spawning habitat for Chinook salmon and rearing habitat for steelhead. The collaborative approach and market-based Salmon-Safe program is also identified as a target strategy in the Plan and other regional salmon recovery efforts. The projects are incorporated into Salmon-Safe marketing and promotional efforts and also serve as demonstration and educational sites for other landowners, consumers, and the general public, resulting in improved public awareness of the compatibility between farming practices and salmon restoration efforts.