Project Monitoring

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Intensely Monitored Watersheds
Current Status: Active

For IMW Final Report FY 2004

Proogram Description
In recent years, the citizens of Washington have made substantial investments intended to recover salmon and steelhead populations. Restoration actions have included habitat improvement projects, the use of selective fisheries to reduce impacts on wild salmon, and a revision of hatchery practices designed to aid salmon recovery. Land-use activities have come under increased scrutiny where they impact salmon production. While these projects and activities are designed to aid salmon recovery, the need clearly exists to demonstrate the cause-and-effect relationship between these measures and salmon population response. Thus in 2003, the Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology, and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe implemented the Intensively Monitored Watersheds Project to determine the response of salmon populations to habitat restoration and other management actions occurring in a few selected, well-studied, watersheds. The projects is currently being implemented in three areas and include ten small watersheds:

  • Hood Canal (Little Anderson, Big Beef, Seabeck, and Stavis Creeks),
  • Strait of Juan de Fuca (East and West Twin, and Deep Creeks), and
  • Lower Columbia (Mill, Abernathy, and Germany Creeks).

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Strait of Juan de Fuca Complex Description
The Deep Creek and East Twin and West Twin Rivers watersheds are located on the
northwestern Olympic Peninsula and covers a combined area of approximately 132 km2
(Figure below). The Deep Creek, West Twin River, and East Twin River watersheds are of
comparable size, 45 km2, 33 km2,and 35 km2, respectively. These watersheds drain directly
into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The headwaters of the stream systems initiate in the Olympic
Mountains and flow into gradually broadening river valleys. Stream channels generally flow
in a northeasterly direction in the upper watershed areas and then turn northerly to the Strait
of Juan de Fuca. Elevations in the watershed range from sea level to 1,142 meters atop Mt.
Muller in the headwaters of the East Twin and West Twin rivers. From Evaluating Watershed Response to Land Management and Restoration Actions: Intensively Monitored Watersheds (IMW) Progress Report, Prepared by the IMW Scientific Oversight Committee: Robert E. Bilby, William J. Ehinger, Chris Jordan, Kirk Krueger, Mick McHenry, Timothy Quinn, George Pess, Derek Poon, Dave Seiler, Greg Volkhardt July 2004, p. 15.

SRFB funded projects in the Strait of Juan de Fuca Complex include