Washington Department of Wildlife employee, Amy Edwards, makes tally marks on a piece of PVC pipe on her arm as to how many, and the number of, species of fish that she saw while snorkeling a portion of the Chehalis River in August 2013 outside Pe Ell.
Twenty-eight habitat restorations projects in the Chehalis River Basin are scheduled to receive about $6 million in state grants this spring.
The projects in Lewis, Thurston and Grays Harbor counties are the initial phase of the long-term effort to restore habitat and reduce flood damage, according to a press release.
Lawmakers included the funds in the 2015-17 capital budget as part of a $50 million overall allocation.
Most of the projects are scheduled to be complete by July 2017. They aim to restore fish passages that are currently blocked by culverts or dams, opening more than 130 miles of streams throughout the basin.
Eight culvert projects in Lewis County proposed by the Lewis County Conservation District will open 68 miles of streams to fish passage.
The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Chehalis Basin Lead Entity’s Habitat Work Group conducted the grant process.
Biologists, engineers and habitat restoration professionals from WSDW, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Quinault Indian Nation and a representative with the work group’s citizen advisory committee selected the grant recipients.
Those considering the proposals evaluated projects based on potential benefits for aquatic species, value to local communities, implementation time and how cost effective they were.
“I appreciate all the hard work that the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force and the county engineering staff have done to make these habitat restoration and protection projects happen,” said Grays Harbor County Commissioner Frank Gordon. “These improvements will be made without using county funds and will benefit the local environment and aquatic species for decades. We are grateful for state and legislative funding to restore our natural resources.”
Funding is administered by the state Recreation and Conservation Office.
