North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity
Selinda Barkhuis, Coordinator
www.NOPLEgroup.org
Clallam County Courthouse
223 E. Fourth Street, # 5
Port Angeles, WA 98362
Phone direct (360) 417-2430
North Olympic Peninsula Salmon Recovery Newsletter
V1 E4, October 18, 2004, “Events, News, Grants”
Access the electronic version of all NOPLE newsletters (and simply click on the links) at http://www.noplegroup.org/NOPLE/pages/newsletters.htm
Events
DNR Invites Public Comment on updating rules for recreation and public access. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is revising the rules that guide general public behavior on DNR-managed lands (WAC 332-52). The existing rules were written in 1970, as part of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC). Since then, there have been changes in the way people access and recreate on DNR-managed lands, as well as an increase in population. The Port Angeles meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, October 21, at Peninsula College, A-12, 1502 E Lauridsen Blvd. For more info, http://www.dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/adm/comm/nr04_099.htm
News
· Find the latest locally relevant salmon recovery news
q http://www.nwifc.org/newsinfo/newsrel.asp (news re local tribes)
q http://clallam.net (news re Clallam County Watershed Planning, Growth Management, elections)
q http://www.sharedsalmonstrategy.org/e-bulletin.htm (news on Puget Sound “Shared Strategy” Salmon Recovery Planning)
q http://www.tidepool.org/ (A daily compilation of locally relevant salmon related news)
q http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/index.htm (WA Fish & Wildlife emergency fishing and hunting rule changes; health advisories; wildlife alerts & cautions)
q http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/ (Mount St. Helens VolcanoCam)
q http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/Olympic/ (Olympic Region traffic and roads updates and news, including webcams)
· Dalco Oil Spill News. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/spills/incidents/dalco/dalcobase.htm A film coats the southern beaches of Vashon and Maury islands, which received the heaviest concentrations of oil, but patches extend to waters off the southern parts of Vashon and Maury islands, outside Ollala Bay, Clam Bay and east of Maury Island.
· Road Abandoned To Restore Salmon Habitat. CLALLAM BAY (Oct. 7, 2004) – It’s not often that removing a road will provide better access, but for fish it does just that. http://www.nwifc.org/newsinfo/newsrelsdet.asp?ID=271
· The Jim Creek bridge project is finished and SR 112 has reopened. A steel-plated arched pipe was replaced with a 10-foot high by 28-foot wide by 144 foot long, three-sided concrete structure. The culvert included 70 precast sections that were placed using a large crane. The Jim Creek culvert was identified by The Department of Fish and Wildlife as a top regional fish culvert replacement priority. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/olympic/news/2004/oct11_jimcreekopen.htm
· WSDOT declares that it has solved Hoh River erosion problems by wrapping up all in-water work on schedule and on budget despite high volumes of river water caused by September rainfall. DOT is spending $7.1 million with hopes of providing a permanent solution to ongoing erosion problems at a section of US 101 near the Hoh River. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/olympic/news/2004/hohriver.htm
· NOAA’s ESA hatchery listing policy. NOAA Fisheries is extending the comment periods to November 12, 2004, for its proposed ESA hatchery listing policy and listing determinations for West Coast salmon and steelhead. http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/AlseaResponse/20040528/index.html
· Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund Report to Congress Now Available. The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) was established in FY2000 to provide grants to the states and tribes to assist state, tribal and local salmon conservation and recovery efforts. The fund supplements existing state, tribal and federal programs to foster development of federal-state-tribal-local partnerships in salmon and steelhead recovery and conservation; promotes efficiencies and effectiveness in recovery efforts through enhanced sharing and pooling of capabilities, expertise and information. The goal of the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund is to make significant contributions to the conservation, restoration, and sustainability of Pacific salmon and steelhead runs and the habitats on which they depend. To access the report, and access project status and performance information on all PCSRF projects funded to date, go to http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/pcsrf/index.htm
· EPA announced that a new version (3.1) of the Better Assessment Science Integrating point and Nonpoint Sources (BASINS) software system has been released. BASINS supports the objectives of facilitating examination of environmental information, supporting analysis of environmental systems, and providing a framework for examining management alternatives. Installed on a personal computer, BASINS allows the user to assess water quality at selected stream sites or throughout an entire watershed. This invaluable tool integrates environmental data, analytical tools, and modeling programs to support development of cost-effective approaches to watershed management and environmental protection, including TMDLs. Like the previous release, BASINS includes a data extractor, projector, project builder, GIS interface, various GIS-based tools, a series of models, and custom databases. But instead of including the data on multiple CDs as in version 3.0, data are available entirely through a web data extraction tool. Find more info and download at http://epa.gov/waterscience/basins/
· DNR Adds 120 New Species to State’s Guide to Rare Plants. The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announces publication of additions to the Field Guide to Washington’s Rare Plants, adding 120 new species to the 160 species already covered. The Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP) (find it at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/index.html) within DNR was the lead agency in producing the field guide with funding shared by WNHP, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The guide is intended for botanists, ecologists, naturalists, planners, land managers, and anyone interested in the identification of rare plants.Find plant descriptions and photos at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/nhp/refdesk/index.html
· Want to find out about nonnative plants and animals found in Puget Sound marine and freshwaters? The US Geologic Survey created the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species web site. It is a central repository for information on distribution of nonindigenous aquatic species found throughout the country. The website provides scientific reports and fact sheets on species, it allows users to ask questions, and provides lists of regional contacts. The data is made available for use by biologists, interagency groups, and the general public. Check it out at: http://nas.er.usgs.gov/default.asp
· Maps. The Point No Point Treaty Council (PNPTC) and partners have been working on historical nearshore studies of Hood Canal and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. At this stage, most of the effort has been in geo-rectifying 1800s U.S. Coast Survey maps and getting them digitized. The University of Washington Puget Sound River History website, http://riverhistory.ess.washington.edu/, is an excellent source for historical maps and air photos, with a focus on the Puget Sound nearshore, estuaries, and lower rivers. Most maps and photos are available for download in geo-rectified format from the UW website. The PNPTC will now begin making available for download the digitized versions of the Coast Survey "T sheets" for the Hood Canal and Strait regions. Working in a GIS, the PNPTC has digitized the geo-rectified historical images, characterizing the historical maps according to vegetation and geomorphic features (e.g. channels, marshes, spits, forests, roads, etc.). For downloading, go to http://pnptc.org/.
· Olympic Peninsula Salmon Recovery Information. The website of the North Olympic Peninsula Lead Entity (NOPLE) contains links to local salmon stock info, local salmon habitat recovery resources, regional salmon recovery efforts, landowner habitat recovery resources, and an interactive map with local SRFB funded salmon habitat recovery projects. The website is rapidly growing towards its goal of becoming the North Olympic Peninsula clearinghouse for local salmon recovery resources. Find it at http://www.noplegroup.org
Grants
· 'Species at risk' private lands habitat protection. Washington state's private landowners can now apply for grants that can be used to help protect, enhance and restore habitat for fish and wildlife "species at risk" on their land. The funds are part of $760,000 in landowner incentive grants that will be distributed throughout the state by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Of the $760,000, $50,000 has been set aside for grants up to $5,000 each for smaller enhancement and restoration projects. For major projects, qualifying property owners can typically receive up to $50,000 in "Landowner Incentive Program" funds through an application process being administered by WDFW. All grants require landowners to make a 25 percent non-federal contribution, which could include cash or in-kind work. A "species at risk" is defined as any fish or wildlife species that is federally or state listed as threatened or endangered, is proposed or is a candidate for listing as threatened or endangered, as well as any other animal determined to be at risk by WDFW. Applications must be received no later than Dec. 31, 2004. Application forms and more information on the Landowner Incentive Program are available through WDFW regional offices, on the Internet at http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/lip/index.htm or by calling Ginna Correa, WDFW Landowner Incentive Program coordinator, at (360) 902-2478.