Our Role In Washington’s Salmon Recovery
When Washington’s salmon populations were listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act in the 1990s, state leaders decided they did not want the federal government telling them how to recover and protect these iconic Pacific Coast species. Instead, they proposed a bottom-up approach that empowered local communities to write their own restoration plans. In each major watershed across the state, communities have written restoration plans, which are now being implemented by local groups known as “Lead Entities”. In the Chehalis Basin, a group of citizens and local technical experts wrote this region’s salmon restoration and preservation plan in 2004 and updated it in 2011. The plan is called “The Chehalis Basin Salmon Habitat Restoration and Preservation Strategy for WRIA 22 and 23.”
Today, the Chehalis Basin Collaborative for Salmon Habitat is the Lead Entity for the Chehalis Basin and coordinates the work of hundreds of professionals and volunteers to find ways to restore rivers for our salmon. Our strategy guides us through outlining seven ways responds to the major threats to salmon: The 7 Priority Approaches for Recovery Salmon.pdf. Our work to date has been to reduce the impacts of those threats, with a focus on restoring full fish passage to cool, headwater streams and protecting intact river habitat that provides refuge for multiple salmon and steelhead species.
What we have accomplished (1999-2018):
375 fish passage barriers corrected
463 Stream Miles made accessible
89 Miles of Riparian area treated
237 Structures placed in streams
123 Acres off channel reconnected
2,453 Acres of estuary, riparian area, and uplands conserved
Subwatershed Prioritized Restoration Plans (PWR)
Prioritized Watershed Restoration (PWR) is strategic, process-based restoration at the watershed scale. Research tells us that at least 20% of a watershed must be restored to see a response in fish numbers. The PWR work improves our chances of creating and maintaining salmon habitat at a meaningful spatial scale and is envisioned to be replicated across the Washington Coast Region. Since 2015, partners in the Chehalis Basin have been developing and now implementing a PWR plan in the Newaukum River Headwaters, and have nearly completed a strategy for the Cloquallum watershed. This work refines the recommendations in 2011 our salmon strategy through bringing in new scientific information and local knowledge to understand and improve watershed conditions at a finer spatial scale.
Newaukum River Headwaters:
The Newaukum watershed is home to spring and fall-run Chinook and coho salmon, winter steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. A legacy of timber resource extraction and declining summer low flows degraded fish habitat. Restoration will improve riparian conditions, fish passage, channel and floodplain connections, and summer stream flows. The Newaukum’s Prioritized Restoration Plan, released in 2023, has the goal to address the highest priority restoration and protection goals in a single watershed in a defined timeframe that will generate a detectable response in fish productivity.
Restoration Objectives
- 13.1 miles riparian restoration
- 12.7 miles instream wood placement
- 3 fish barriers (16.4 mi upstream)
As of 2026, 20 miles have been assessed for instream wood placement, 2 of the fish passage barriers have been removed, and the third is undergoing feasibility study through a grant. The power of having a plan is that it attracts energy for implementation and funding! The full plan is available for download here.
Caption: The Newaukum River
Cloquallum
Cloquallum and Wildcat Creeks support diverse runs of wild salmon and steelhead that contribute to the species’ genetic diversity in the Chehalis River watershed. Sandwiched between the Olympic Mountains and the Black Hills, these relatively low-elevation tributaries have a unique geology and flow regime. Their headwaters are cool, spring-fed wetlands that historically drained to meandering channels and lush riparian corridors.
Restoration Objectives:
- 33.4 miles riparian and/or wood restoration
- Correct barriers to open up 8.3 miles of blocked habitat
- Increased wetland protections
Stay tuned for a link to the final report!
