Latest News From Partners and Council

Take a look at our Quarterly Newsletter Lewis and Clark camped near the mouth of Salmon Creek. What would they think now? Elementary Students will Set Thousands of Coho Salmon Fry Free
January 22, 2010: In February-April 2010, the Salmon Creek Watershed Council will launch a new volunteer-led headwater stream reconnaissance to improve our stream maps and build our watershed knowledge of Salmon Creek. Interested volunteers are being recruited for a Saturday, February 6th training session. December 20, 2009: Watershed resident and board member Randall Pearl earns well deserved credit from his employer The Salmon Creek Watershed Council assists Dave Brown's Wild Fish Recovery efforts! The Salmon Creek Watershed Council has received funding for a water typing assessment! Watershed Stewards training starts in September. You too can "doo" something "pawsitive" for Clark County's streams and wetlands!
May 30, 2010
March 31, 2010
March 24, 2010
January 22, 2010
December 20, 2009
July 18, 2009
May 14, 2009
May 13, 2009
Mar 7, 2009
Dec 28, 2008 Migrating Eagles are roosting in the Felida area.
Nov 17, 2008 WANTED!  We are actively seeking volunteers and board members.
JUL 05, 2006 Salmon Creek currently exceeds state and federal standards for water temperature, turbidity, and coli form bacteria.
JUL 05, 2006 The Council is registered with the State of Washington as a non-profit charity. Federal 501c3 Non-Profit provisional designation is pending.

Ted Labbe from WDFW presented a Water Typing Assessment update at the August 12, 2010 monthly board meeting. >> MORE...

Reconnect with your inner explorer!
Become a Stream Steward!
The 2010 Stream Steward session begins on September 25th. Learn about local natural history, wildlife, stream restoration and more in our free hands-on Stream Stewards program.
September 25-October 31
Saturdays from 8:30am-2pm
3 Tuesdays (9/28, 10/12, 10/26) from 6:00pm-8:30pm
Stream Stewards are able to participate in special StreamTeam opportunities like walking streams looking for fish, wildlife monitoring, providing engaging community presentations, planting trees and more. For more information visit our webpage or contact me for an application. Reconnect with your inner explorer today!
Lisa Beranek
StreamTeam Coordinator, Clark Public Utilities
Phone: (360) 992-8585
>> MORE...

Take a look at our Quarterly Newsletter >> MORE...

Lewis and Clark camped near the mouth of Salmon Creek. What would they think now?

On November 4, 1805, the Corps of Discovery led by Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) and William Clark (1770-1838) camps on the Columbia River in what is now Clark County, beside a Chinookan Indian house near the entrance of Salmon Creek. The expedition has come nearly 4,000 miles from the mouth of the Missouri River, and is nearing its goal -- the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River.

Read more HERE ...

Elementary Students will Set Thousands of Coho Salmon Fry Free

Battleground, WA – Battle Ground residents Jim and Barbara Orander have opened their home to students from Hockinson Intermediate School, to release Coho salmon into an unnamed tributary of Salmon Creek. In all, over forty 4th grade students will participate in this salmon celebration. This private event will be held Wednesday, March 24th, 9 am until 11 am, at 18717 NE Risto Rd. Battle Ground, WA 98604. Students will release the little Coho salmon fry into the creek and watch them start their long journey to the ocean. As part of the release event, students will participate in other activities on site. Clark Public Utilities Stream Team will lead a salmon life-cycle game and Columbia Springs will assist students in a water quality activity.
Hockinson Heights Intermediate School are participants in the Salmon in the Classroom (SITC) program and have two aquariums at their school filled with Coho salmon fry. The Orander’s are participants in the Remote Site Incubation (RSI) program and in January received 10,000 Coho salmon eggs to place in egg boxes in an unnamed tributary of Salmon Creek. The purpose of the program is to acclimate the newly hatched salmon to waters of the Salmon Creek watershed.
The RSI program is a managed by Columbia Springs, a nonprofit organization that provides environmental education throughout Clark County. The program is funded by Clark Public Utilities and is in partnership with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. The eggs are donated from the Lewis River Fish Hatchery.

Water Typing Training:

February-April 2010, the Salmon Creek Watershed Council will launch a new volunteer-led headwater stream reconnaissance to improve our stream maps and build our watershed knowledge of Salmon Creek. Interested volunteers are being recruited for a Saturday, February 6th training session. Trained volunteers will visit and survey streams at road crossings, documenting habitat with photographs, channel measurements, and site maps. All ages are welcome and no prior experience is necessary, but children should be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Volunteers will be loaned basic field gear and should be comfortable working in the field during inclement weather (and dress accordingly), but the work will not involve walking slippery streams.

First step is attendance of the training session. Training will be held in room 202/205 at the CASEE Center in Brush Prairie, WA from 8am-2pm on Feb 6. If you are interested, come on out!

CASEE Center Class room building
11104 NE 149 Street
Brush Prairie, Washington 98606
>> Click here for directions to CASEE...

If you need more information, please contact:
Randall.pearl@salmoncreekwatershed.org

Dave Brown Baker Creek Project

The Salmon Creek Watershed Council has provided funds for a Dave Brown's Wild Fish Recovery project in the Salmon Creek Watershed. As part of the effort, on July 18th council board members Mike Kerbs, Ben Dennis, and David Page assisted in the construction of a rearing pen on Baker Creek in the Hockinson area. We are excited knowing the prospects for sucess of this project, and more like it will lead to part of fulfilling Salmon Creek Watershed Council's mission.


The Salmon Creek Watershed Council has received grant monies ($10,700) through the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife's ALEA (Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account) volunteer stewardship grant program to support a Water Typing Reconnaissance project in the Salmon Creek Watershed.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Partnering with Clark County Clean Water Program, Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC), and Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, the Salmon Creek Watershed Council (SCWC) will lead a preliminary water typing reconnaissance in ten select Salmon Creek sub-watersheds during spring 2010 to correct inaccurate WDNR regulatory stream maps. This effort will be coordinated with Clark County Storm water Needs Assessment Program (SNAP) inventories and pinpoint select areas for water typing follow up surveys. With supplemental funding, SCWC will later contract with WFC to lead formal water typing surveys where needed, develop to 10% of design ten prioritized habitat restoration opportunities, and build an interactive web-based map product documenting our results (click here   for examples). The SCWC and others will utilize reconnaissance survey information to build watershed awareness, implement habitat restoration, and safeguard existing habitat strongholds in the watershed. Project outcomes include: enhanced habitat protection on private lands for sensitive headwater streams harboring ESA threatened Coho salmon, improved landowner and local government awareness of sensitive Salmon Creek watershed resources, and enhanced local nonprofit capacity and community engagement on conservation challenges. This work will provide greater regulatory certainty for stream-adjacent landowners, and ensure full protection for stream-riparian environments on which salmon and multiple other fish and wildlife species depend. With more accurate water typing information, private landowners will carry less financial burden associated with the hiring of private consultants to verify water type information prior to land use development proposals.

WHAT IS WATER TYPING?
Effective salmon recovery, water quality protection, and storm water system improvements require the restoration and protection of aquatic habitats. Local government and others rely on Washington Dept. of Natural Resources (WDNR) water type maps to identify fish-bearing streams, regulate critical areas, and prioritize habitat/water quality restoration projects. Existing water type maps have well-documented errors and typically under-represent the extent of fish-bearing waters. Many streams are mapped incorrectly, mis-typed, or not mapped at all. Consequently, many streams that warrant protection under existing regulations do not receive appropriate protection from land use impacts, and the accurate distribution of at-risk fish populations like threatened Coho salmon remains unknown. This limits resource managers' efforts to pinpoint needed habitat, water quality, and storm water system improvements.

Randall Pearl   randall.pearl@salmoncreekwatershed.org   is leading the council's efforts on the project.



You too can "doo" something "pawsitive" for Clark County 's streams and wetlands!

Many people do not realize that pet waste left on the ground often gets washed into storm drains, which lead directly to our streams and wetlands. This waste is essentially raw sewage, and carries harmful bacteria which can affect the health of not only aquatic wildlife, but ourselves and our children as well.   click here.

Watershed Stewards Volunteer Training:

When: Check the website link below for dates and times
Where: Clark County Operations Center Conference Room

Learn what you can do to maintain healthy watersheds for your community, fish and wildlife and future generations.

To apply or for more information please contact:
   jenifer.naas@clark.wa.gov 360-397-6060 x 7703   or click here.

Migrating Eagles are roosting in the Felida area.

Thanks to Felida area resident, Jeff Sacker, who has taken an excellent set of photos showing a pair of eagles in the trees just above the walking trail near NW 21st Avenue. Jeff graciously agreed to allow us to post a few in our Gallery.

SCWC board member, Bianca Steif, also a biologist for US Fish and Wildlife Service, has provided the following insights into the migration habits of the eagles.

Raptors including owls, hawks, and eagles establish their nesting territory in December/ January and some especially owls begin breeding in Jan-Feb (I am sure you have been hearing the great horned owls of late).

The eagles are migrating to their nesting area, some are just roosting along their migratory path south and a few will stay in the area. The ones that stay are setting up their nesting territory. They lay their eggs Febuary to early March, hatch March-May, and fledge May-June. Eagles often have 3-5 nests that they rotate and return to year after year. The past two years the nest has been in the area of the stream barbs where the creek makes a strong turn away from the trail. The USFWS tracks and monitors nest use annually. There is a volunteer with Audubon who monitors the nest along Salmon Creek. The foraging area for eagles is fairly large (30+ miles) and roosts are very important. I have seen two pairs of eagles plus the juveniles (who don't have the well developed white head and tail) in the area (they roost in the trees behind our home too and we see them foraging on the lake and wetlands).

Everyone can help them out by reminding your neighbors to not disturb them as they set up their household. They can be easily distressed by activities this time of year, things like loud equipment and vehicles, fireworks, construction, and tree removal and trimming. Also, since they eat rodents, fish, carcasses, etc., we as homeowners have the opportunity to avoid or minimize the use of pesticides and other poisons in our yards.

Below are some links to information on bald eagles:
Eagle guidelines
Eagle recreation guidelines
Bald eagles in Washington

The Salmon Creek Salmonid Evaluation Project.

See a photo of the weir in our  Gallery.

The project is described below. It is getting off to a good start for the second season.
The Salmon Creek Resistance Board Weir was up and fishing on Friday October 16th! The first fish have been caught, tagged, and released.


The Salmon Creek Salmonid Evaluation project is an important showcase for salmonid monitoring and habitat enhancement in an urban setting. This evaluation project will demonstrate to the public the dedication and commitment to salmon restoration by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Clark County, Clark Public Utilities and the Salmon Creek Watershed Council. The Salmon Creek project is part of Clark County's mitigation for the Klineline bridge replacement and will evaluate adult salmonid passage through the constructed roughened, pool-chute channel located under the bridge on Salmon Creek.

Fish passage through the roughened channel will be evaluated using two Resistance Board Weirs. One weir will be placed downstream of the roughened channel and the other will be placed upstream of the channel. The installation of these weirs will enable the enumeration of adult salmonids as well as demonstrate the residency and behavior of adults as they migrate through the constructed channel. Resistance Board Weir fish traps work by funneling fish into a live box. Once fish are trapped in the live box the fish can be enumerated, biologically sampled and passed back into the creek creating minimal stress on the fish. Weirs function well in rivers that experience high water events. The weir panels float and are made of flexible material, allowing for the safe passage of boats and other large floating objects over the top of the panels. When water velocity exceeds the limit of the weir panels they will temporarily submerge. The traps are installed by hand, without the use of heavy equipment, with minimal impact to the streambed and riparian area.

The traps would have ideally been constructed and installed in August, before the fall rains began. Budget shortfalls and permits have delayed the installation of the traps. Clark Public Utilities generously purchased the materials for both of the weirs and WDFW intends to be fishing the traps by the end of October. The traps will be fished during the coho and steelhead return timeframe as long as flows permit. The Salmon Creek Salmonid Evaluation project is funded for two migratory returns, but WDFW is seeking further funding to monitor and evaluate the creek for juveniles and adults in the future.

WDFW would like to thank the Salmon Creek Watershed Council for their efforts with this project and a special thanks to Jeff Wittler with Clark Public Utilities for his commitment and enthusiasm for improving ecosystems across Clark County.

Read more here ...

December 20, 2009: Watershed resident and board member Randall Pearl earns well deserved credit from his employer >> MORE...

Take a look at our Quarterly Newsletter >> MORE...

WANTED!  We are actively seeking volunteers and board members. >> MORE...

November 9th, 2007 - We need your help with water monitoring.

In order to assess stream water quality and identify potential pollution sources the Clark County Clean Water Program proposes to monitor bacteria and turbidity levels in streams feeding lower Salmon Creek. Starting this winter, small teams of dedicated volunteers will be trained to monitor water quality at six designated locations using equipment provided by the Clean Water Program. Monitoring during this year-long study will occur every couple of weeks and require a few hours of effort at a time. If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact Ron Wierenga with the Salmon Creek Watershed Council ron.wierenga@salmoncreekwatershed.org Follow this link for information on the Clark County Clean Water Program: Clark County Water Resources

July 5th, 2007 - Salmon Creek currently exceeds state and federal standards for water temperature, turbidity, and coli form bacteria.

Salmon Creek is on the Department of Ecology's list of Washington's polluted rivers. 1000 Friends of Washington has named it one of Washington's 10 most endangered places.

Salmon Creek and its tributaries support three species of salmonids: Coho salmon, winter-run steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife classifies populations of Coho and steelhead in Salmon Creek as "depressed". The cutthroat trout population is also assumed to be depressed.

Human activities in the Salmon Creek watershed have resulted in significant changes to its vegetation, land use, and hydrologic characteristics. One result of these changes is increased stream temperature. Though specific temperature requirements vary between species and from one life stage to another, salmonids as a group tend to be among the most temperature-sensitive biota in Northwest streams.

A variety of human activities, including the day-to-day activities of residents, threaten the health of Salmon Creek. A growing population compounds the problem. Some sources of pollution include failing septic systems, pet and livestock waste, pesticides and fertilizers from residential and agricultural use, and oils and other toxins from motor vehicles. Aquatic life is threatened by polluted storm water runoff from fields, roads, roofs, and parking lots, and by exposed soil that erodes into the stream.

Because Salmon Creek is fed from rain and groundwater sources, the amount of water in the creek is significantly lower in the summer than in the winter. Any direct withdrawal of water from Salmon Creek for irrigation or other uses, legal or illegal, also lowers stream flows. Septic system contamination that reaches Salmon Creek during the low-flow months can create conditions that are especially detrimental to juvenile fish; it also poses a health risk for people who have contact with the water.

In an interagency study temperature survey of the Salmon Creek Watershed completed in 2003 by Clark County Water Resources and Clark Public Utilities, 12 of 15 stations monitored during summer 2003 failed to meet current and proposed state water temperature criteria.

Temperatures regularly exceeded thresholds for detrimental thermal impacts to rearing salmonids. The state agency in charge of setting environmental regulations, Washington Department of Ecology, has set 64ºF as the maximum temperature to protect streams within Salmon Creek, temperatures exceeded the 64ºF standard for protecting salmon and sensitive aquatic life at 12 of 15 stations over a 35 day period and some sites temperatures exceeded 70ºF lasting 1 to 6 weeks. According to the study, stream temperature should be considered a limiting factor for salmonid rearing in the Salmon Creek watershed. Another study by Clark County Water Resources tested Salmon Creek and its tributaries have been tested for water chemistry, streambed life, bacteria and general water quality including temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen. Even though only 30% of the watershed was has been tested, the report rated only 1% a small portion of the steam has is rated as being in "good"overall health, and with 15% being in "poor" and 2% being in "very poor" condition.

For more information see Clark County's report. Clark County reported not assessing 70% of the watershed in the study and that 70% may have significant water quality and habitat issues.

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July 5th, 2007 - The Council is now registered with the State of Washington as a non-profit charity. Federal 501c3 Non-Profit designation has been approved.

The Salmon Creek Watershed Council is now registered as a 501(c)3 non-profit community based organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Clark County's most precious resource - water quality and fish habitat in Salmon Creek. now all donations to the council are tax deductible!

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