The Squaxin Island Tribe is appealing to Gov. Chris Gregoire the decision by the state Department of Ecology to reject a petition to protect Johns Creek. ”Ecology’s inaction does further harm to our treaty-based fisheries,” said Andy Whitener, natural resources director for the Tribe. “Salmon recovery should not have to bear a disproportionate share of the fallout from tough economic times.”

This is the second time in two years that Ecology has rejected the Tribe’s request to protect Johns Creek, citing the need for study on the connection between ground and surface water in the Johns Creek watershed. The Tribe’s petitions were based on a state law that closes a watershed to new well drilling activity if not enough information exists to establish that water is legally available.

If the Gov. Gregoire is serious about protecting the waters of Puget Sound, then she will direct Ecology to act. “Ecology’s excuse is the lack of resources. It takes a commitment to their responsibilities, not money, to close the basin,” said Kevin Lyon, the Tribe’s attorney. “The rule is simple: if you lack information, you don’t take water – especially when minimum flows are not being met.

Read more here.

Anderson Good Choice to lead WDFW

The treaty tribes of western Washington look forward to continuing to work with Phil Anderson as director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

Anderson was named the department’s permanent director Saturday by the nine-member commission….(read more at NWIFC website).

Personnel from the Tribe and WDFW ready the truck for releasing fish.

The Tribe has been conducting habitat surveys, spawning surveys, water quality monitoring, fish trapping and life history modeling to identify survival bottlenecks. This work indicates that in recent years adult salmon have not been migrating to the higher reaches of the system, such as Gosnell, to spawn.

To test the hypothesis that Gosnell is suitable summer rearing habitat, coho provided by Minter Creek hatchery were marked with a fin clip, trucked to Mill Creek and released this past June. Fish that survive the summer will be captured in a smolt trap next spring as they out-migrate to Puget Sound.

Squaxin Island Tribal biologist Joe Peters stocking coho into Gosnell Creek.

Life history modeling predicts that if the habitat condition are suitable 830 of these planted fish should survive to be captured by the smolt trap. This simple experiment will provide valuable information for inputs to the model as well as indicating the best stocking options to assist depressed salmon runs.

I toured the Deschutes Watershed on June 4th with 17 other members of the Deschutes Advisory Group.  The group is charged with implementing measures to address water quality issues identified in the DOE TMDL technical report.

One highlight of the tour was stopping at the mouth of Huckleberry Creek not far downstream from the upper Deschutes falls.  Prior to a 1990 rain storm and subsequent landslide on Weyerhaeuser property, about 10% of all returning coho in the Deschutes River system spawned in Huckleberry Creek.

We spoke with Peter Schmid, president of the local homeowners association.  He described how sediment (likely still from the 1990 landslide) continues to aggrade the Huckleberry channel.  He said the channel is now at least three feet shallower than it used to be.  He asserted that was the cause of the ongoing flooding issues the community faces.  When asked about salmon, Peter reported that he has seen none in the last couple years–not in Huckleberry Creek and not in front of his house in the mainstem Deschutes River.

At another stop in Pioneer Park, we saw first hand what a river likes to do.  A new bend in the stream channel formed during last winter’s storms.   It took out a portion of the gravel path leading west from the parking lot near the artesian well.   It will be interesting to see how tolerant the City of Tumwater and park users will be to letting a river be a river.  On a very hot June 4th, the inner tubers at least seemed to relish the new twist in the stream channel.