Real Progress, Real Challenges: Working Toward Salmon Recovery and Watershed Health

July 2016 SNOQUALMIE WATERSHED FORUM TEN-YEAR STATUS REPORT 2005-2015 Real Progress, Real Challenges: Working Toward Salmon Recovery and Watershed Health The Snoqualmie Watershed Forum is a partnership of elected officials, citizens and representatives from conservation organizations supporting salmon recovery and ecological health in the Snoqualmie and South Fork Skykomish Watersheds. Member governments include King County, the Snoqualmie Tribe, Tulalip Tribes, the cities of Duvall, Carnation, North Bend and Snoqualmie, and the Town of Skykomish. Since 1998, the Forum and its many partner organizations have worked to protect and restore salmon habitat and improve overall watershed health through collaborative action. From 1998-2005, the Forum played a key role in developing the Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan, and since that time has led its implementation in the King County portion of the basin. The Forum’s work is funded by contributions from its member governments, as well as grants from the King County Flood Control District. In 2015, Forum member governments signed an interlocal agreement that renews this partnership through 2025. 3 I INTRODUCTION 4 I HOW ARE SALMON DOING IN OUR WATERSHEDS? 8 I HABITAT RESTORATION: PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES 14 I PROTECTING EXISTING HABITAT IS ALSO CRITICAL FOR FISH 16 I MONITORING EFFORTS TELL US ABOUT THE WATERSHED AND OUR RECOVERY WORK 18 I SUMMER 2015 TEMPERATURE STUDY MAY HOLD LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE 20 I WORKING ON PRIORITIES FOR FISH, FARMS AND FLOODS 22 I SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES 2 SNOQUALMIE WATERSHED FORUM Ten-Year Status Report 2005-2015 Skykomish Snoqualmie The encouraging gains made through restoration are still being outpaced by habitat KING COUNTY loss and degradation throughout Puget Sound. INTRODUCTION of tidal estuary habitat for the South Fork Skykomish & Ten years have passed since the first time in decades; witnessing Snoqualmie Watersheds “ juvenile salmon finding refuge completion of the Snohomish River Basin Salmon Conservation Plan from fast river flows right on the (Salmon Plan) in 2005. This Status footprint of the former levee at Report summarizes progress along the Lower Tolt River Floodplain” the 10-year recovery road map, Reconnection project; or watching with an emphasis on 2011-2015, tribal and non-tribal volunteers and a focus on the King County work side by side to restore portion of the broader Snohomish the riparian corridor along the River Basin. We also highlight some Snoqualmie River at Fall City Park, of the lessons learned and the a former tribal village site. emerging issues that will shape During the past ten years, our efforts in the next decade of Snoqualmie Watershed partners salmon recovery work. have leveraged more than $32 The Salmon Plan’s geographic million into over 100 habitat scope is Water Resource Inventory protection and restoration Area (WRIA) 7, which extends from projects, adopted more stringent the headwaters of the Snoqualmie environmental regulations, and Skykomish watersheds to investigated water quality the Snohomish River estuary and problems, engaged thousands of associated Puget Sound nearshore volunteers in hands-on restoration environment. The Salmon Plan activities, and delivered education laid out a roadmap for the first programs and other outreach decade of a projected 50-year activities to schools, community effort to rebuild populations of groups and landowners Chinook and other salmonids that throughout the watershed. have sustained the people and Moreover, scores of individual ecosystems of the Snohomish, landowners have undertaken Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers voluntary restoration efforts on for millennia. their residential properties and farms, demonstrating the depth These first ten years have provided of community commitment to many moments of celebration, protecting and restoring our such as the breaching of the levee environment for the benefit of fish, at the Tulalip Tribes’ Qwuloolt wildlife and people. restoration site in 2015 that allowed salmon access to 375 acres Ten-Year Status Report 2005-2015 SNOQUALMIE WATERSHED FORUM 3 But despite many successes, water ‘blob’ in our coastal ocean that caused the salmon food supply to salmon populations in the basin plummet have further exacerbated the situation for salmon in recent years. remain in a dire condition. A recent When salmon encounter poor or significantly impaired habitat conditions analysis by the Tulalip Tribes found during all phases of their lifecycle—in freshwater, estuary and marine areas that spawning populations of —the ability of their populations to ride out periods of extreme conditions Chinook salmon in the Skykomish is severely compromised. and Snoqualmie Rivers are failing If we lose the salmon in our watersheds, we will have lost a major part of to replace themselves from one our region’s identity, and a cherished and valuable renewable food supply. generation to the next, so that Salmon are remarkably adaptable creatures, but we must redouble our fewer than one adult Chinook efforts to give them a chance to bounce back. By learning from our past salmon returns for each spawner of actions and adapting our strategies in the work we do, we believe that our its parent generation. As the Treaty goals for salmon and people are still within reach. Tribes of Western Washington concluded in their 2011 paper HOW ARE SALMON DOING IN OUR WATERSHEDS? “Treaty Rights at Risk,” the There are two distinct Chinook salmon populations in the Snohomish encouraging gains made through Basin. The Skykomish River population uses the Skykomish and its restoration are still being outpaced contributing tributaries and is an “integrated” population, including both by habitat loss and degradation hatchery and natural spawners. The Snoqualmie population spawns throughout Puget Sound. naturally and uses core spawning areas in the Tolt River, Raging River and In the Snoqualmie and South Fork in the Snoqualmie River itself. Skykomish watersheds, the overall A key measure of fish health is “escapement,” the number of adult salmon human population density is quite in a population that “escape” all other sources of mortality to return and low compared to the rest of King spawn in their home stream. In the Snohomish system, escapement varies County, with only 2% of the land substantially year to year due to fluctuating conditions during salmonids’ area located within cities or their freshwater and ocean life stages as well as changing harvest levels. designated Urban Growth Areas. Nevertheless, the combined urban It has been 15 years since Chinook were listed as threatened under the population across our cities has Endangered Species Act (ESA) and populations have fluctuated each year. grown by 14% in the past five While some years have had encouraging Chinook returns, the overall trend years, and additional growth is is static at best and declining at worst. expected as the area’s economy Current Chinook abundance is well below estimated average historical continues to improve, and a levels and significantly below the 50-year recovery goal established in the growing regional population Salmon Plan. In the Snoqualmie, the average escapement levels between looks for housing farther from 1999 and 2015 were 4.8% of the historical abundance and 6% of the 50- major cities. year target (Figure 3). This is a decrease from 6% of historical abundance in We are also learning that our 2009 as reported in the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum Salmon Plan Five-year watersheds and fish populations Status Report. are no longer as resilient to environmental extremes. A record drought year in 2015, higher peak flows and lower low flows due to climate change, and a recent warm 4 SNOQUALMIE WATERSHED FORUM Ten-Year Status Report 2005-2015 Snoqualmie Chinook 3,500 Snoqualmie natural 3,000 spawners 2,500 Four-year 2,000 geometric mean 1,500 1,000 Total Natural Spawners 500 0 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 Skykomish Chinook 8,000 Skykomish In light of these declining numbers, 7,000 natural spawners federal, tribal and state managers 6,000 have severely restricted Chinook Four-year 5,000 harvest. Chinook harvest numbers geometric have declined over the years from 4,000 mean a high of more than 70% in the 3,000 mid-1980s to rates closer to 20% 2,000 since the early 2000s. While there is Total Natural Spawners no current harvest effort directed 1,000 at the natural origin Snohomish 0 Chinook stock in Puget Sound, 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 these fish are vulnerable to harvest directed at other area stocks. Figures 1 and 2. Snohomish Basin Chinook escapement (1999-2015) Even with harvest rates at record lows, current research indicates that the population continues to 35,000 decline. Research suggests that 31,000 for Snohomish Basin Chinook, 30,000 Estimated historic each generation of spawning 25,000 Population salmon is smaller in number than 25,000 its parent generation. The 2005 50-year target Salmon Plan attributed decreasing 20,000 1999-2015 average productivity to poor conditions during the juvenile life stages that 15,000 include incubation and rearing in river, estuary and nearshore Adult Escapement 10,000 environments. Snoqualmie Chinook 5,000 1,511 0 Figure 3. Snoqualmie Chinook escapement and recovery benchmarks Ten-Year Status Report 2005-2015 SNOQUALMIE WATERSHED FORUM 5 Coho and steelhead at risk While the Salmon Plan is focused on Chinook recovery, we also consider other salmonid species in our restoration and monitoring efforts. Snohomish Basin Coho 300,000 Snohomish Steelhead, the anadromous version total 250,000 of rainbow trout, are also listed natural as threatened under the ESA. The 200,000 spawners Snoqualmie is home to the small 150,000 Four-year Tolt River summer run, which geometric spawns only in the Tolt and its two 100,000 mean forks, and the larger Snoqualmie 50,000 River winter run, which spawns Total Natural Spawners primarily in the mainstem 0 Snoqualmie, Tolt and Raging Rivers.

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