Overview

Have you been approached about being a sponsor of a salmon grant for the first time? Have you sponsored a project before and just want a reminder about this year’s process? This section is here to help! The information below is for you if you are a:

• Local agency (County, City, Port)
• State agency working in the Chehalis Basin
• Native American Tribe
• Nonprofit (Land Trust or other Non-profit organization)
• Conservation District
• Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group
• Landowner with land in the Chehalis Basin

Types of projects funded through SRFB:

Acquisition, including purchase or other property rights

Restoration of degraded, damaged or destroyed habitat

Non-capital projects: assessments, design, inventories, studies

Design-only projects that lead to preliminary or final design

Combination acquisition/ restoration projects

Desired Projects

The goal of the Chehalis Basin Collaborative for Salmon Habitat is to help get funding for projects that will do the most to help salmon in the Chehalis Basin. The Habitat Work Group is working on  identifying the types of projects needed to address high priority needs. Contact the Watershed Coordinator to get the latest resources on what types of projects are high priority.

Steps for Getting Your Project Ready

Do you have a project in mind? This section will help. Salmon habitat projects and activities must employ one or more of the strategies listed in the Chehalis Basin Salmon Habitat Restoration and Preservation Strategy for consideration by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. If you don’t know if your project aligns with this Strategy, check:

• Download Section 9 of the Chehalis Basin Salmon Habitat Restoration and Preservation Strategy.

If you have a project in mind and you want to become a project sponsor:

• Download Manual 18, the official guidance on the Salmon Recovery Grants program.
•  This Manual is updated annually, so even if you are familiar with it, check for the latest version to make sure you are following all the appropriate steps.
• Review the project ranking Criteria to see how your project will be evaluated.

Things to consider in developing your project:

• If you plan to correct a passage barrier: What other barriers are there upstream? How much habitat is there upstream?
• What species of salmonids are present in the sub-basin?
• What is the landuse in the sub-basin?
• What is the future land use of this sub-basin? What other regulations might affect the future of this sub-basin?
• What is the water quality in this basin?
• What are the salmonid life-stage uses of this basin?
• What are the stream dynamics upstream that will affect this project over the long term?
• How do I develop a stream habitat restoration strategy?

Resources to help answer those questions:

• Stream Habitat Restoration Guidelines.  The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife’s aquatic habitat restoration guidelines manual.
• Salmon Stock Inventory: Washington State’s Salmonid Stock Inventory, by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.
• Statewide Washington Integrated Fish Distribution. – Find information with an interactive map of the watershed- shows which salmon species are in which streams, and much more. You can also use this tool to create print maps that show how fish use the streams in relation to your project.
• WADOT Fish Passage. This will show you if there is a passage problem on a state highway upstream or downstream of your proposed passage improvement project.
• Washington State Fish Passage. This site shows all recorded culverts and other fish passage structures in the state. Gives information for planning and coordinating barrier removal.
• Family Forest Fish Passage Program. Information about how to fund barrier correction on lands managed for small forestry operations.
• Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plans. Information about barriers on large industrial timber lands.
• Chehalis Basin Fish Passage Barrier Ranking. Everyone interested in correcting a fish passage barrier in the Chehalis should look at this resource to learn what a barrier’s priority is for correction, and learn important information about the site.
• Barrier Inventory WRIA 22&23 Ranking and coordinates. 
• Lewis Conservation District Culvert Assessment. Available in the Documents section.
• EPA Water Quality Data: To access water quality data collected by the Chehalis Tribe for the Chehalis River, look for organization code CHEHALIS_WQX.
• Department of Ecology’s Total Maximum Daily Load webpage for the Chehalis Basin. This website describes TMDL plans that cover all of the upper watershed in WRIA 23 and address 303(d) listings for dissolved oxygen (DO), fecal coliform bacteria, and temperature (T) impairments. The site describes current water quality issues, clean-up plans, and actions being taken to fix those problems.
• 2016 water quality monitoring in the Upper Chehalis. Department of Ecology. Site has data on current and historic water quality for a variety of locations throughout the Chehalis
• GIS tools

Steps for Application

Once you are ready to apply:

There are several steps to applying for a SRFB grant in the Chehalis Basin Lead Entity process. Chehalis Basin SRFB grant proposals must be submitted through the Chehalis Basin Collaborative for Salmon Habitat and must meet recovery goals as outlined in the Chehalis Basin Salmon Habitat Restoration and Preservation Strategy for WRIA 22 and 23. A full description of the local process is outlined in Section 9 of this plan.

Steps for application:

• Fill out a Conceptual Project Form

• Submit your form to the Watershed Coordinator

• You will then get a PRISM number, which will allow you to interact directly with the State’s grant managers.

• Once you have a PRISM number, you can start filling out more forms, available on the State’s website.

Application Timeline

Every year, different components of the Salmon Recovery Funding cycle take place at approximately the same time. See the Calendar for the dates of this year’s grant round. The current year’s schedule can be found here: 2025 Grant Round timeline_CBLE_draft

Other Sources of Project Funding

Whether you’re looking for a match for your Salmon Recovery funding, or your project is outside the scope of Salmon Recovery funding, the list below will help you find financial resources to complete your project:

• Washington State – Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board (FBRB) Funding is available to address severe fish passage barriers.  Funds come from the legislature during its two-year funding cycle. Applications open November 1, 2021.
  
• Washington State – Family Forest Fish Passage Program (FFFPP) The Family Forest Fish Passage Program provides funding to small forest landowners to repair or remove fish passage barriers. Cannot be used as match for SRFB.
• Washington Coast –   Washington Coast Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (WCCRI). The grant program is aimed at proactively addressing the region’s highest priority restoration and resiliency needs and putting people to work restoring coastal lands and waters. Projects must address the region’s highest priority ecological protection and restoration needs while stimulating economic growth and creating jobs in coastal communities.
• Washington State – Washington Wildlife Recreation Program. Includes category for funding habitat conservation. Lead Entities may apply for riparian protection funding, but must provide a 50% match in resources contributed to the project.
• USDA/WCC – Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program pays landowners a lease fee in exchange for creating and planting fenced riparian buffer areas. These voluntary riparian buffers cannot be cropped or grazed, and must be maintained for 10 to 15 years, depending on the lease. In addition to the annual rental payment, the program reimburses the cost of fencing and planting. Funding is mostly from the US Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Administration, with a state cost share provided through the Washington Conservation Commission.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) –  Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Provides financial and technical assistance to landowners (farmers, ranchers and foresters) that will improve habitat for salmon. NRCS funds planting, fencing, irrigation improvements, barrier correction, instream habitat improvements, and more. Read more here.
  
• Chehalis Basin Strategy – Aquatic Species Restoration Plan Projects The Chehalis Basin Strategy is a program with a dual objective or reducing flood damage and improving aquatic species habitat. Learn more about  funding available for habitat projects on the Aquatic Species Restoration Plan page.
• US Fish and Wildlife Service. Grants for improving habitat for aquatic species are awarded annual. Click here for the latest grant overview.
• Water Quality Grants Applications for the following grants are due once per year, with applications accepted in September. See website for this year’s deadline.
• Department of Ecology – Centennial Grant Program This program is funded by state dollars, provided primarily via the State Building Construction Account. The Centennial program provides grants for water quality infrastructure and nonpoint source pollution projects to improve and protect water quality. Eligible infrastructure projects are limited to wastewater treatment construction projects for financially distressed communities. Eligible nonpoint projects include stream restoration and buffers, on-site septic repair and replacement, education and outreach, and other eligible nonpoint activities.
• Department of Ecology – Clean Water Act Section 319 Grant Program The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides Section 319 grant funds to Washington State with the state required to provide 40 percent match in funding. The Section 319 program provides grants to eligible nonpoint source pollution control projects similar to the state Centennial program.
• Department of Ecology – Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program Provided for by the federal Clean Water Act (CWA), the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program is funded via an annual EPA capitalization grant, state matching funds, and principal and interest repayments on past CWSRF loans. This program provides low interest and forgivable principal loan funding for wastewater treatment construction projects, eligible nonpoint source pollution control projects, and eligible Green projects.
• Department of Ecology – Floodplains by Design  Details about the RFP, the application process, and our new Floodplains by Design Funding Guidelines are available at Floodplain Management | SEA Program | Washington State Department of Ecology
  
• **New** A Funding Library for the Washington Coast!  This website has a comprehensive list of the above funding programs, and more! Includes upcoming funding program deadlines.

How to Find Partners

The following resources may be useful in developing and implementing your project:

• Habitat Work Group.  Attend a Habitat Work Group meeting and learn what others working on restoration and protection in the Chehalis are doing. Meeting schedule can be found on our calendar.
• Washington Conservation Corps. The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group can provide a crew to implement riparian planting, large woody debris placement, and other projects. For more information, contact Tamara Cowles: tamara (at) pnwsalmoncenter (dot)org / (360) 275-3575, ext 24
• Other restoration and conservation groups. By working together we can combine skill sets and accomplish great things. Consider reaching out to another organization working in your area:

  Region	Sponsor	Contact
  Lower Chehalis/ Grays Harbor	Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force	http://www.cbftf.com/
  Lewis County	Lewis Conservation District	https://lewisconservation.wordpress.com/
  Lewis County	Lewis County Public Works	https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/public-works/
  Grays Harbor County	Grays Harbor Conservation District	https://www.graysharborcd.org/
  Thurston County	Capitol Land Trust	https://capitollandtrust.org/
  Thurston County	Thurston Conservation District	https://www.thurstoncd.com/
  Mason County	Mason Conservation District	https://www.masoncd.org/
  Basinwide	Trout Unlimited	Alex Gustafson alex.gustafson(at)tu.org
  Middle Chehalis	Chehalis Confederated Tribes	https://www.chehalistribe.org/
  Chehalis Basin	Chehalis River Basin Land Trust	http://www.chehalislandtrust.org/
  Chehalis Basin	Wild Fish Conservancy	http://wildfishconservancy.org/
  Chehalis Basin	Ducks Unlimited	https://www.ducks.org/Washington
  Lower Chehalis/ Grays Harbor	WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife	Megan Tuttle, Region 6 megan.tuttle(at)dfw.wa.gov
  Centralia City Limits	City of Centralia	http://www.cityofcentralia.com/

Get Technical Assistance

Planting along newly created channel, October 2016

Conservation Districts provide resources to help landowners complete voluntary projects on their land.  Each of the four counties in the Chehalis Watershed have their own Conservation District.

• Lewis Conservation District
• Thurston Conservation District
• Grays Harbor Conservation District
• Mason Conservation District

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program helps eligible landowners plant trees around streams. The Irrigation Efficiencies program helps private landowners save water and aid in salmon recovery.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has other resources to help you out. Their “EQIP” program can pay to replace fish-blocking culverts, plantings, fencing, stock watering, and more. Contact NRCS to get financial and technical assistance to make improvements to your land that will improve its function and benefit salmon. Read More here: NRCS Program Details

Chehalis Basin Streamside Landowner's Guide

Your stewardship of the stream on your property has a real, positive
impact in supporting clean water, abundant salmon, wildlife habitat,
drainage, flood control, and erosion control on your property –with
rippling impacts throughout the basin.

Check out: Chehalis Basin Streamside Landowner’s Guide

Chehalis Basin Streamside Landowner’s Guide_12_2024

How to Make your Property "Salmon Friendly"

Adding native plants to your land is one way to help recover salmon populations.  Below is information about some local native plant nurseries that can help you get started adding native plants to your land:

• Thurston Conservation District Annual Spring Native Plant Sale. thurstoncd.com; 360- 754-3588, ext. 105
• Black Lake Organic Nursery and Garden Store, 4711 Black Lake Blvd Sw Olympia, WA, www.blacklakeorganic.com 
• Rochester Greenhouse – Weyerhaeuser Company, 7935 Highway 12 SW, Rochester, WA (360) 273-5527
• SilvaSeed, 317 James St. Roy, WA, T: 253.843.2246, www.silvaseed.com 
• Aldrich Berry Farm & Nursery: 190 Aldrich Rd, Mossyrock, WA (360) 983-3138
• Watershed Garden Works. 2039 – 44th Ave. Longview, WA (360) 423-6456
• Tree Management Plus. Toledo, WA 98591. 360-978-4305
• WACD Plant Materials Center. $500.00 minimum order. 16564 Bradley Rd. Bow, WA:        (360) 757-1094, www.wacdpmc.org
• River Refuge Seed Company (native seed only) 26366 Gap Road. Brownsville, OR 97327; (541) 466-5309, www.riverrefugeseed.com

How to Reduce Bank Erosion and Help Salmon

Eroding river banks are prevalent throughout the Chehalis River and its tributaries.  Erosion is a natural process, but changes we’ve made in our watershed can make increase the extent and magnitude of erosion. Fortunately, there are techniques for reducing the negative impacts of bank erosion on private property while improving fish habitat. These include:

• Protecting the existing “first defense” to bank erosion: native shrubs and trees along the river’s edge
• Looking after the “toe” of an eroding bank by leaving wood in a stream, or employing bioengineer approaches to enhance the bank, if needed.

Your local Conservation Districts can visit your property and help determine what sort of work you can do to slow bank erosion on your property. If you live in Mason County, contact Mason Conservation District, Thurston County, contact Thurston Conservation District, for Lewis County residents, contact: Lewis County Conservation District. In Grays Harbor County, contact: Grays Harbor Conservation District. The WA State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) can help determine what kinds of projects you can get a permit for on your land.  If you live in Lewis County, contact: Karen Adams, karen.adams@dfw.wa.gov. In Grays Harbor County, contact: Megan Tuttle, megan.tuttle @dfw.wa.gov. WDFW is working on an Erosion Management Program for the entire Chehalis Basin.  For more information: Erosion Management Program – Chehalis Basin Strategy. 

Living With Beaver

Beaver and their habit of creating ponds provide many benefits to watersheds and salmon, but their activities on the land can be distressing to landowners.  There is an organization called “Beavers Northwest” that has tips about how to co-exist with beaver.  They’ve put together a brochure, available for download here, with more information on their website:

Got Beavers? Coexistence Strategies.

For more information about Beaver in the Chehalis Basin, read these publications: Beavers: Vital for Salmon and a Healthy Chehalis Watershed and Beavers Build Climate Resilience and Help Salmon

Learn More about Your Stream

Do you know what kinds of fish use the streams near your property? Do you know if fish migration is blocked by barriers upstream or downstream? To answer those questions, check out “SalmonScape“, an interactive online map with information about fish in streams throughout Washington.

How to Find a Project Sponsor

If you want to get started on completing a salmon recovery project on your land, your first step is to find a Project Sponsor in your area. The Salmon Recovery Funding grant application process is complex and competitive, and having a Sponsor who has gone through this process before will increase your chances of getting your project funded. If the project is successfully funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the Project Sponsor also implements the project. Consider contacting a local Conservation District or Fisheries Enhancement Group in your region to ask if they would serve as your project’s sponsor. Sponsors of past projects in our watershed include:

Watershed Hero Stories

Everyone has a role in salmon habitat protection and restoration.  Below are links to stories about residents of the Chehalis Basin who are working to protect natural resources through work on their land and in their community.

Sammy Fletcher – Volunteering to help restore and protect his local natural community

Sabra Noyes – Creating a wildlife sanctuary as she restores prairie habitat

Lucas and Paterka Town – Owners of “Root Cellar” and “Salmon Safe Farm” in Onalaska

Laura Lopez and Sam Howell: inspirational couple join community conservation efforts

Robert and Lecia Criswell team up with neighbors to tackle invasive Japanese Knotweed in the Wynoochee Valley

Grays Harbor College Fish Labbers – passionate about sustainability

Montesano School Teacher is a Watershed Hero

Chanele Holbrook, a Tenino Watershed Hero

Long time Elma farmer nourishes land and wildlife

Lewis County juvenile detention work crew helps Adna landowners revitalize wetlands and salmon habitat

Rochester man enhances homesite to help preserve natural resources

McCleary resident a Strong voice for the Chehalis Basin

Homeowners association leads charge to enhance its backyard

Elma man helps restore local watershed for resurgent coho

High School scientists monitor and preserve lake for generations to come

Lake Lucinda community celebrates conservation success

Wisner Creek project restores channel, fight back reed canary grass

Oakville Resident transforms untamed pasture into lush oak savannah