NOPLE Salmon Recovery Newsletters

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Featured SRFB Project

Upper Dungeness Road Decommissioning
by
Clallam Conservation District/USFS
SRFB Round 2 (Late 2000)
for more info, click here

Before/during

After/now

December 2005, Volume 2 Edition 11
NOPLE Salmon Recovery

Humor

  • To read the totally irrelevant funny part, you will have to scroll down the rest of the newsletter to the bottom. Try reading some of it in the process.

Federal & WA State Salmon Recovery News

  • Federal Update re Appropriations, ESA overhaul, etc, from NWIFC, click here.
  • The next SRFB meeting will be held December 1 and 2. Funding decisions on the 6th Round SRFB project will be held January 5 and 6. For location, agenda and meeting documents for all SRFB meetings, click here.
  • Salmon habitat recovery funding issues to be explored by the SRFB before the 7th round are in the process of being identified. See memo.
  • The next Monitoring Forum will be held December 1, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the King Street Station in Seattle, click here.
  • The latest from Shared Strategy
  • NOAA News: For more information, click here.
    • Nov. 15, 2005: NOAA Fisheries Service announces decision to list Southern Resident killer whales as endangered under ESA
    • Nov. 4, 2005: NOAA Fisheries Service re-opens comment period on proposed steelhead ESA listings
  • The bistate Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership released its first state of the estuary report, click here.
  • The Guardian, London reports "We need to start caring about fish." To read more about it, click here.
  • State Forest Practices Board Votes to Enact Emergency Rules to Strengthen Spotted Owl Protection, click here.
  • State DNR and Nature Conservancy Sign First Aquatic Conservation Lease, click here.

Olympic Peninsula Watershed & Salmon News

  • Dungeness River Conservation District receives almost $100,000 from first round of Pioneers in Conservation grant, click here.
  • Trees Fall From The Sky To Aid Salmon, Makah improve salmon habitat in Sooes River, click here.
  • Elwha Nearshore Consortium Fall 2005 Newsletter
  • Before harvesting on the beach, check out the latest update to the Marine Biotoxin Bulletin at the WDOH website.
  • NOPLE Watershed pages that have recently been updated
  • From Scott Chitwood, a quick summary of the 2005 return of Chinook to the Dungeness River: There were 382 redds counted, which is a new high (one more than last year). This number of redds represents 955 adult spawners. The return of adult Chinook to the river totaled 1,078, which is a new high (64 more than last year). The difference between 1,078 and 955 is 123 which is the number of adult Chinook that were removed from the population for broodstock purposes. Those broodstock produced approximately 230,000 fertilized eggs which will become our fingerling and yearling releases in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Fully one third of the spawning population chose the lower most reach of the Dungeness to spawn. Of the 382 redds identified in the river during 2005, 127 of them were located in the river downstream of Woodcock Road bridge. There are a number of factors that contributed to this distribution of redds in the lower river. I think it is safe to say that low flow conditions during the spring and summer months were among them. The redd construction timing was a bit later in 2005 than in previous years. The later spawning timing works hand-in-hand with the lower river spawning locations. In other words, the later the spawning timing the lower in the river the redds will be located… and vice versa. Again, this can be attributed, in part, to the low flows. We will find, once the coded wire tag data is analyzed, that the greater portion of the adults on the spawning grounds were fish that were released from our hatchery production program. The specifics will be available in the coming months. We are working on size and time at release strategies with the hatchery program that we believe will counter this movement of spawning timing and lower river spawning location. However, there is a clear trend of Chinook using the lower river for spawning. The choices being made by these spawning Chinook shine an even brighter light on our efforts to improve fish habitat in the lower river and estuary. If you get a chance, please thank Randy Cooper and his crew for another year of quality survey work.

Opportunities to put in your two-cents worth

  • Citizens invited to comment on WDFW Enforcement Program, click here.
  • WDFW seeks nominations to sport fishing advisory group, click here.
  • The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is seeking suggestions from community groups, local officials and interested citizens regarding which polluted water bodies in Clallam, Jefferson, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Pacific, San Juan and Whatcom counties should be targeted for cleanup planning next summer. Comments are due by January 8, 2006. For more info, click here.
  • Washington State’s Forest Practices Board will hold five public hearings in November and December, Public Lands Commissioner Doug Sutherland announced. The Board is holding the hearings to receive public comment regarding proposed forest practices rules pertaining to road maintenance and abandonment planning requirements. The rules have been drafted pursuant to the legislative direction in Second Substitute House Bill 1095, passed in 2003. “The Forest Practices Board will welcome public comments on the draft rules as well as the draft Economic Analysis and Environmental Impact Statement. The proposed rules have been developed to limit the burden on small forest landowners while still protecting public resources in Washington’s streams,” said Sutherland. For more info, click here.
  • The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reviewing its management practices on state-owned aquatic lands to ensure compliance with the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), improve environmental protection, and increase certainty for lessees. Newly posted documents in November 2005 include the following: Draft Covered Species Technical Paper, Potential Covered Activities Technical Paper, Covered Habitat Technical Paper. Read more about it, click here.
  • IAC is asking for your feedback by December 9, 2005 on the draft rule changes they have prepared for consideration by the IAC when it holds a public hearing February 2-3, 2006 regarding its intent to update its administrative codes to provide for recently passed legislation (Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5396) which made a number of changes to the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP), including establishing a new Riparian Protection Account Grant Program and a new Farmlands Preservation Account Grant Program, and amending the Habitat Conservation Account Grant Program and the Outdoor Recreation Account Grant Program For more information and materials, cilck here.

Volunteer

  • Sequim-Dungeness Christmas Bird Count on Monday, 12/19. Contact the Dungeness River Audubon Center. 360-681-4076
  • NOSC has a special announcement: We have an Americorps National Civilian Community Corps crew working with us for the next two weeks. This is a crew of 12 young adults that come from all different places throughout the country. Their mission is to provide free service to communities and non-profit groups with special needs. Groups and communities that apply for a crew must meet specific criteria to be awarded a crew. Two of the requirements is that the work must have a lasting effect and that the crew gets to work side by side with members of the community they serve. This enables the crewmembers to gain valuable experiences and learn new lessons from the service they perform, which will likely influence their own lives for years to come. It is NOSC's goal to have resident volunteers joining us on the projects with the crew in order to put more power behind the work being conducted and to enrich the experience with personal interactions. Below is a schedule of events that we plan to conduct. In addition to people-power, trucks and vehicles suitable for hauling trees and/or litter is needed for each event. If you use your vehicle for these projects, NOSC can reimburse you for your mileage... Please let us know if you plan to be available. Changes in weather are expected, but extreme weather will postpone or cancel an event. Anyone who is interested in carpooling to any project site, or who may have questions, call or email. (360) 379-805, nosc@jefferson.wsu.edu. Specific directions will be provided upon request. Thanks so much for your dedication to community service, the environment, and salmon!
    • Friday, Dec. 2nd: We need volunteers for to join us for tree planting on E. Twin River, Joyce, WA (about 25 miles west of Port Angeles on Hwy 112). We especially need vehicles that can haul 4-6 foot trees that will be bare root and bagged. We plan to plant 200 trees at a restoration site, and so we need 2-3 more vehicles to help transport them. Please let us know if you are available to help transport and/or plant the trees. Due to the travel, expect it to be an all-day event; however, if you are only free in the morning and can at least help transport trees we'd appreciate the delivery. Prepare for changes in weather. Tools and gloves will be available on site, and snacks will be provided. THE PLAN: Meet at NOSC office at 8:00 a.m, pull trees from nursery until 9:30, arrive at E. Twin River site by 11:00 a.m., lunch at noon, plant trees until 3:00 p.m., back to NOSC office by 5:00 p.m. Carpoolers welcome and can be accommodated with pick ups to include Sequim and Port Angeles, but will only be scheduled if there is a specific request from anyone in those areas.
    • Tuesday, 12/6: Irondale tree salvage and litter clean up at Irondale Beach Park 9:00 a.m. until noon, tree planting on E. Fork Chimacum Ck 12:30 until 4 p.m. Trucks needed for a dump run and transporting trees we salvage to their final home-site. Meet on site. Directions to be sent upon request, but will be posted on NOSC's office door too.
    • Friday & Saturday, 12/9 & 12/10: Tree planting on Chimacum Ck at Shaw's Farm. 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Vehicles suitable for driving across pasture are needed for hauling trees and carrying volunteers to the planting site.
    • Tuesday, 12/13: Valley Creek volunteer day in Port Angeles, 12:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. Litter clean up, weed clearing, tree planting. Vehicles needed for transporting trees from Chimacum to Port Angeles and hauling debris to dump.
    • Wednesday, 12/14: Morse Ck volunteer day in Port Angeles, 10:00 a.m. until 4 p.m. Litter clean up, weed clearing, tree planting. Vehicles needed for tree transportation from Chimacum to Port Angeles and hauling debris to dump.

Education and Resources

  • Macroinvertebrates Workshop. Streamkeepers is considering offering a full-day workshop where Art Frost will teach the sorting and identification of benthic macroinvertebrates, using "real-dead" Streamkeepers samples taken this fall. The idea wouldn't be to start asking volunteers to help with the sorting and ID work (though that might be a possibility down the road), but rather, to offer an educational workshop for folks who'd like to get more of a hands-on understanding of stream bugs and how to pick them out of the gunk and figure out what they are. Let them know if you might be interested in such a workshop. We'd try to schedule it sometime between January and March. They'll be limited by the number of decent stereoscopes they can get our hands on (they'd prefer boom-stand/industrial-base models if available). If you think you know of a suitable stereoscope that they could borrow, let them know. They could also use certain other equipment to borrow: Swiss-style forceps (both straight and curved); straight dissecting probes; divided Petri dishes with lids; wash bottles. If you have access to other equipment that might prove useful, let them know that too. Also, for those of you with entomology backgrounds, if you might want to help Arthur teach the class or to serve as a TA, let them know that. Ed Chadd & Hannah Merrill, co-managers. Streamkeepers of Clallam County, 360-417-2281 streamkeepers@co.clallam.wa.us.
  • November 2005 ssueof the WDFW Fish and Wildlife Planner Newsletter is out.
  • An Introduction to Invasive Plant Species in the West by Western Forestry Leadership Coalition, Invasive Plant Strategy Report.
  • Some educational posters for holiday presents perhaps, from Good Nature Publishing Company.
  • Olympic National Park announces 7th annual Perspective Series.
  • Winter schedule set for Hurricane Ridge 2005-2006.
  • Before and after Katrina pictures of coastal Mississippi by USGS, click here.
  • On 1/14/06, Julie Knight from the Island Oil Spill Assn. will lead a hands-on "Wildlife First-Responder Training" to teach the skills needed to save waterfowl in the case of an oil spill. There will be real guinea-pig ducks for you to play with. Limited to 35 people; RSVP to Margaret Owens, 928-3048. This class will be followed by an even more advanced class at a later date.
  • The 13th Annual Endangered Species Act. January 19 & 20, 2006 -- Seattle, WA by the Seminar Group.
  • New Facility Aimed at Ending Fish Farm Woes, from the Vancouver Sun, click here.
  • Making scientific posters using PowerPoint, click here for instructions and template.
  • The fall issue of the Climate Impacts Group's online quarterly newsletter, The Climate CIGnal, is now available. Here you will find information on the latest from the CIG, including the following:
    1. The Pacific Northwest climate forecast update
    2. Pacific Northwest streamflow forecast updates
    3. Download Washington State climate change conference documents
    4. New climate change scenarios for the Pacific Northwest
    5. PSAT's Puget Sound Climate Change Report (Uncertain Future) released -- A new report prepared by the CIG for the Puget Sound Action Team provides the region's first general overview of climate impacts on the Puget Sound ecosystem.

Grants

Humor

  • When I die, I want to die like my grandfather--who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car." --Author Unknown
  • Advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle:" Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children." --Author Unknown
  • "The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house." --Jeff Foxworthy
  • "If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base." --Dave Barry
  • "Relationships are hard. It's like a full time job, and we should treat it like one. If your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks' notice. There should be severance pay, and the day before they leave you, they should have to find you a temp." --Bob Ettinger
  • "My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said," Mom, they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.'" --Paula Poundstone
  • "A study in the Washington Post says that women have better verbal skills than men. I just want to say to the authors of that study: "Duh." --Conan O'Brien
  • "Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God.... I could be eating a slow learner." --Lynda Montgomery
  • "I think that's how Chicago got started. Bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.' --Richard Jeni
  • "If life were fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead." --Johnny Carson
  • "Sometimes I think war is God's way of teaching us geography." --Paul Rodriguez
  • "My parents didn't want to move to Florida, but they turned sixty and that's the law." --Jerry Seinfeld
  • "Remember in elementary school, you were told that in case of fire you have to line up quietly in a single file
    line from smallest to tallest. What is the logic in that? What, do tall people burn slower?" --Warren Hutcherson
  • "Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same." --Oscar Wilde
  • "Suppose you were an idiot . And suppose you were a member of Congress... But I repeat myself." --Mark Twain
  • "Our bombs are smarter than the average high school student. At least they can find Afghanistan." --A. Whitney Brown
  • "You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says, 'My God, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'" --Dave Barry