Project Background

Island County Creek Restoration Planning

 

Island County Watershed Assessments

Washington Trout was contracted by Island County to perform comprehensive watershed assessments on Maxwelton creek on Whidbey Island and Chapman creek on Camano Island, and to identify opportunities to improve conditions for salmonids in the watershed.  Project partners included the Maxwelton Salmon Adventure and the Snohomish Conservation District – both organizations assisted by providing historical information and acting as liaison between Washington Trout and the landowners in each watershed.  Funding for the project was provided by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, through Island County.

 

The project involved documenting fish distribution and species composition; inventorying and assessing instream habitat, fish passage at culverts, and water quality; and determining the distribution of spawning salmon. These parameters, along with historical information for the watersheds, were examined to identify and prioritize restoration and protection opportunities that will a) protect, maintain, and/or restore watershed processes that create habitat characteristics favorable to salmonids; and b) protect, maintain, and/or restore habitats required by salmonids during all life stages and maintain functional corridors linking these habitats. 

 

Field surveys were performed only where property owners had granted access to Washington Trout crews.  Where permission was not granted, information from past surveys, aerial photographs, public access points like County roads, and topographic maps was used.

 

Washington Trout has compiled the data collected during this study in an interactive internet-based geographic information system (GIS).  It is our hope that this GIS will help foster community support for salmon recovery in these two watersheds, providing landowners and public agencies with a science-based approach to protect and improve natural watershed processes. Actions identified as restoration and protection priorities are presented as recommendations.  A list of current opportunities for financial assistance to act on these recommendations is presented at the bottom of this page.  Landowners seeking technical assistance for applying for funding, designing, and implementing the recommendations may wish to contact Island County, Washington Trout, the Snohomish Conservation District, the Maxwelton Salmon Adventure, or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

 

 

Agency

Grant Program

Web Resource

FEDERAL

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Private Stewardship Grants Program

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/private_stewardship/index.html

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Grants

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/section6/index.html

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program

http://www.fws.gov/cep/cwgcover.html

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program

(1) Program overview: http://partners.fws.gov/pdfs/grantsgovpartners.pdf

(2) Home page: http://partners.fws.gov

(3) Washington State restoration needs: http://partners.fws.gov/pdfs/WA-needs.pdf

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

General Matching Grants Program

http://www.nfwf.org/programs/guidelines.htm

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Bring Back the Natives Initiative

http://www.nfwf.org/programs/bbn.htm

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Five-Star Restoration Matching Grants Program

(1) http://www.nfwf.org/programs/5star-rfp.htm

(2) http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/restore/5star/

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

Pacific Grassroots Salmonid Initiative

http://www.nfwf.org/programs/PGSI_RFP.htm

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

National Wildlife Refuge Friends Group Grant Program

http://www.nfwf.org/programs/nwrgp.htm

NOAA

Community-based Restoration Program Direct Grants

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/projects_programs/crp/partners_funding/

callforprojects.html

 

 

 

 

FEDERAL

NOAA

Community-based Habitat Restoration National and Regional Partnership Grants

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/projects_programs/crp/partners_funding/

natregpart.html

USDA

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

(1) http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/facts/html/crep03.htm

(2) http://www.snohomishcd.org/crep.htm

USDA

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/whip/

USDA

Conservation Reserve Program

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/crp/

USDA

Conservation Innovation Grants Program

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/cig/

STATE

Washington Interagency Commission for Outdoor Recreation

Salmon Recovery Funding Board Grant Program

Island Co. Lead Entity contact info: http://www.iac.wa.gov//srfb/leadentities.htm

Washington Interagency Commission for Outdoor Recreation

Aquatic Land Enhancement Account

http://www.iac.wa.gov/iac/grants/alea.htm

Washington Dept. Fish & Wildlife

Landowner Incentive Program

http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/lip/index.htm

 

NGO

Bullitt Foundation

Aquatic Ecosystems Program

http://www.bullitt.org/

Trout Unlimited

Coldwater Conservation Fund (will consider unsolicited projects)

http://www.tu.org/conservation/ccf.asp

EarthCorp (and NOAA)

Habitat Restoration Projects

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/projects_programs/crp/partners/earthcorps.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

NGO

The Nature Conservancy  (and NOAA)

The Nature Conservancy Grant Program

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/projects_programs/crp/partners/tnc.html

Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force

Habitat Restoration Project Funding

http://www.stillysnofish.org/funding/habitat_restore.html

Snohomish Conservation District

(Phone for Camano Island programs)

http://www.snohomishcd.org/restoration

FishAmerica Foundation

Habitat Restoration Project Funding

http://www.fishamerica.org/content/conservation/fishamerica/

Northwest Women Flyfishers

For program information, email: [email protected]

(1) NWF website:  http://www.northwestwomenflyfishers.com

(2) Description of a restoration project recently funded: http://www.stillysnofish.org/funding/grants.htm

 

Landowners seeking technical assistance for applying for funding, designing, and implementing the recommendations may wish to contact Island County, Washington Trout, the Snohomish Conservation District, the Maxwelton Salmon Adventure, or the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.