By Brian Peck, Chehalis Fisheries Restoration Program, USFWS
In response to my last article in the June 2004 Drops of Water ("Are there Bull Trout in the Chehalis Basin?"), I received numerous phone calls from people who had fished in the Chehalis Basin their entire lives and had interesting accounts of bull trout presence. Thank you to all who called in with this information.
The enthusiastic response to this question caused me to give some more thought to Chehalis Basin fish stocks. Specifically, what is another salmon or trout stock that has declined and information on its distribution is lacking? The first stock that popped to mind was chum salmon, but only the portion of the run upstream from the Grand Mound area, near the mouth of Scatter Creek. I have heard reports that a large run existed historically; however, nowadays the run is nearly absent (or is it?).
Please give me a call or email if you have ever caught or seen a chum salmon upstream of Scatter Creek. In particular, do you know of any spawning locations that chum currently utilize?
Chum salmon, despite being large fish (over 20 pounds) and strong fighters when hooked, are poor leapers (relative to other salmon species). They are not able to jump over certain rapids and waterfalls that other salmon species are capable of swimming past. This poor leaping ability is part of the reason why chum do not occur in large numbers in the upper Chehalis Basin but are abundant in the lower Basin.
Chum typically spawn in pairs or in mass groupings from November to December in the mainstem Chehalis, major tributaries, and in the lower portions of smaller tributaries. Side channels that have an upwelling of ground water are preferred spawning locations.
After fertilization, the eggs remain in the gravel for approximately 3-4 months, depending on water temperatures, before emerging as alevins. These alevins reside in the gravels, later emerging as fry. The fry then out-migrate around April and enter Grays Harbor where they reside in the nearshore mudflats and eelgrass beds for several months before they exit to the ocean. They mature into adults and return to the Chehalis Basin typically after 2-3 years in the ocean.
Chum, like all salmon, die after spawning. Their decomposing carcasses provide a significant source of nutrients to the developing fry of other salmon species. Chinook and particularly coho salmon reside in their natal streams for up to two years and therefore depend on these nutrients in order to grow. In addition, these nutrients and the food chain they support wash downstream, entering Grays Harbor. The nutrients then fuel the productivity in the mudflats and eelgrass beds that chum fry will soon depend on.
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| Male chum with spawning colors |
Brian Peck is the coordinator of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Chehalis Fisheries Restoration Program. If you have an idea for a habitat restoration project, please give him a call or email at 360-753-9560; brian_peck@fws.gov.
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By Rob Schanz and Susan Lamoreaux, Lewis County Watch
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| Farms viewed from Ceres Hill, Lewis County Photo: Rob Schanz |
Land use conflicts in Lewis County often start with little common understanding about what we value in the rural landscape. Lewis County Watch, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public participation in government, recently conducted a survey to help remedy this. We think the results will be very useful to people interested in sustainable land use and economic development.
The survey focused on 31 citizens who are active in the community, but have stayed on the sidelines of recent Growth Management debates. The survey group was selected to represent a range of occupations and backgrounds, and roughly mirrored the geographic distribution of Lewis County's population.
We used the Delphi method to generate responses from a series of three written questionnaires. This method allows participants to react to the group's earlier responses as they filled out each subsequent questionnaire. As they work through this sequence of responses and new questions, you can begin to see consensus positions develop on some issues. You can also better define those issues where there is strong disagreement.
Our survey was completed in November 2003. Important findings include:
.People strongly valued privacy, peace and quiet, open space, opportunities to observe wildlife, and creating a unique living environment.
The freedom to "do what you want with your own land" was valued by all. Narrative responses emphasized the importance of this freedom, but included caveats such as "within reason" or "within sound community and environmental limits."
A large majority felt it was important to retain the ability to farm for a living in Lewis County.
Most participants had seen subdivision of farm and timberland into new housing developments. Much of this change happened within the last 10 years, at a moderate to rapid rate.
A large majority saw negative impacts to traffic, drinking water, and wildlife habitat.
Most people valued a sense of community. They also felt that growth was attracting people with new and diverse perspectives.
A small majority felt that growth was increasing opportunities for shopping. The group was divided on whether growth was adding local jobs.
Retail/service jobs were seen as the most common new jobs being created by growth. The group felt we should be trying to create more trade jobs, small businesses, and professional/technical jobs.
Water supply and sewage disposal were seen as the resources that most limited growth.
The entire group felt that new residential and economic development should be concentrated near urban areas.
Low-profile home-based industries were seen as appropriate in rural areas. Obtrusive businesses such as poultry processing plants and motorcross tracks were usually rated as not appropriate. An exception to this was lumber mills, which were strongly rated as appropriate in rural areas.
To preserve rural character and improve economic opportunities, most people preferred actions they could take within their personal lives. Many would choose to manage their land appropriately or alter shopping patterns to help local businesses. A majority were also interested in promoting political actions and candidates
If you would like more details, the survey report can be obtained from Lewis County Watch at P.O. Box 175, Chehalis, WA 98532. Copies are also available at the Chehalis River Council office at 417 N. Pearl in Centralia, and can be downloaded from the CRC website (www.crcwater.org/issues15/20040618lcw.html).
This survey was partially funded by a grant from the Bullitt Foundation.
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By Tom R. Hulst and Joan Howden, ESD 113
The Educational Service District 113 Chehalis Basin Education Consortium (CBEC) has had a bellwether year during the past school year. Teachers from over 15 school districts participated in project activities during 2003-2004. Forty percent represented elementary classrooms and sixty percent secondary classrooms.
When asked why they participated in this watershed education consortium, teachers responded as follows:
"Water quality is the most important science teaching we can pass along to the kids. I have seen Europe. The world of pollution keeps people from the Baltic Sea. I have seen Mexico. We all know that story. We as a young nation can preserve and better our substance – water."
"I think it is important to have real-life ties in education. It is of high interest to students, and it may cause them to think about their actions when out in the environment."
"Allows students to do real science in the field. It is highly motivating and allows students to shine in a different setting. Water study is a great subject for integrating curriculum (reading, writing, art, etc.)."
"We participate, because I want students to see and feel that they are a part of a larger group focusing on an important topic."
CBEC participants trained students, parents and other volunteers in water quality monitoring and other environmental science field skills. Students learned about human impacts on the watershed, salmon recovery, stream flow, stream chemistry, habitat, weather, and flooding, riparian zones, and general ecology.
Teachers and students monitored water quality at over 20 sites including Allen Creek (Newaukum), Spruce Creek (Millersylvania), Satsop River (Highway 12), Vance Creek, Black River and Chehalis River (Porter). They studied chemistry, biology, and natural history and wrote in field books and journals; learned sketching, water color, and photography; composed essays, stories, and poetry ; and participated in a basin-wide Student Congress. The integration of curriculum has been one of the hallmarks of the program.
In 2003, ESD 113 became the center of the Washington chapter of "River of Words." "River of Words" is a K-12 watershed study sparked by former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass. Each year, in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book, "River of Words" conducts a free international poetry and art contest on the theme of watersheds. The contest is designed to help youth explore the natural and cultural history of the place they live, and to express, through poetry and art, what they discover.
Students have written beautiful poetry (some included in Drops of Water), completed works of art, and constructed science projects that have increased their basic skills as well as their content knowledge of science and social studies.
A powerful feature of the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium has been the civic activities and action projects in which students have been engaged. Following are some action projects that have been accomplished during the past school year.
Three hundred students planted 900+ trees along the Chehalis River near the Centralia steam plant. Students assessed salmon habitat (pool: riffle, large woody debris, shade, native vegetation, substrate, etc) of nearby streams.
They helped with the restoration of Alder Creek; planned a nature trail on district property; helped PUD build osprey nest platform – two new ones placed this year, Schafer Boom Rd (Brady) and Brady Loop Rd; spoke to an Environmental Education class at Evergreen; participated in a Coho salmon release project in which 300-500 Coho fish were planted in Stearns Creek; and picked up garbage at Black Lake boat launch.
Students, teachers, administrators, and community members obtained a greater respect and appreciation for the Chehalis watershed during the 2003-2004 school year. Students have experienced a sense of awe and wonder about "their" river, achieved a "sense of place," and contributed to the long-term health and well-being of the river through education and civic action.
We are grateful for the support and guidance of many partners including U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington State Departments of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology, Chehalis River Council, WSU Cooperative Extension, Grays Harbor College, Mason County, Weyerhaeuser Company, and the Mason Conservation District.
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This is a true accomplishment!
Just think of all that was involved:
Over 2600 square miles under the jurisdiction of eight counties, twelve cities and towns, two tribes, water districts, sewer districts, ports, multiple state and federal agencies,
Both public and private lands used for timber production, agriculture, business, homes, recreation, etc.,
Fish and wildlife that absolutely must have good quality water of sufficient quantity to survive,
ALL of them requiring water, affecting water or being affected by water in one way or another.
Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason and Thurston Counties approved the watershed plan on May 28th but there is still plenty of related work for the Partnership including:
Continued coordination among jurisdictions
Salmon Habitat restoration and Salmon recovery
Flood Damage Reduction
Ecosystem Restoration
Local prioritization of grants and loans
And last but not least Watershed Plan Implementation, including additional work on instream flows.
Remember, Chehalis Basin Partnership meetings are scheduled for:
July 23, location to be determined
August 27, location to be determined
September 24, location to be determined
October 22, location to be determined
November 19, location to be determined
December 17, location to be determined.
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The Chehalis River Aquatic Weed Management Group has nearly completed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which will finalize the group as a formal entity. Partners currently include the Pacific Cascade Region and Aquatics Division of the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Thurston, Grays Harbor and Lewis County Noxious Weed Control Boards, The Nature Conservancy, the Quinault Indian Nation and The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis.
A problem statement has been drafted which outlines the issues around which the group has formed and is focused. This document is available upon request. Please call 360.740.1218 for more information.
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By Candace Nelson, Vidette Reporter
May 13, 2004, The Vidette. [Reprinted with permission.]
Thanks to a donation from Monte's Jay Sterling, Trout Unlimited will develop an area near Twin Bridges for public river access.
Montesano resident Jay Sterling doesn't want to see more houses built along the Wynooche River at the cost of public access to the river.
In December 2003, Sterling backed up his commitment to preserving the environment and providing the public with water access with a $51,500 check to the Grays Harbor Branch of Trout Unlimited to purchase Brooks Pits, the former gravel pit just west of Twin Bridges on the Wynooche. The 31-acre parcel includes two lakes, beach access to the river and walking trails.
"Public (river) access is gradually disappearing," Sterling said. "This is one of the few areas still open to the public."
Trout Unlimited used the funds to purchase the parcel from Northwest Rock Inc. The group will create a park similar to its previous project, Friends Landing.
Sterling and the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife have been eyeing the site since 1997. Young and old alike used the area for swimming. More than once, teenagers and young adults have been seen challenging the trains going across the bridges jumping off just before the train crosses. These are just some of the issues Trout Unlimited will have to work out for liability reasons.
The property was valued at $90,000, but Sterling made a deal to purchase the property at a lower price and use it for the community.
"Basically, it's a unique piece of property with access to the water," Northwest Rock Inc. President Joe Stipic said. "It belongs to an organization that would provide public water access."
Neither the group nor Sterling has a timeline for when the project will be complete. The model, Friends Landing, is a project 12 years in the making.
Chuck Caldwell, a volunteer who helped with Friends Landing, will also help with the Brooks site, named for the original property owner. He said among the first improvements will be creating an access road to the water and cutting walking trails. One goes to the river, another goes around the small lake. The trails are already open for public walking. Caldwell has a disabled brother, so one of his top priorities is creating handicap accessibility to the water. Sterling and his partner, Anne Moisanen, have already established some trails on the site. As a former gravel pit, the once flat land is now rocky and bumpy. Sterling and Moisanen have spent time clearing brush.
The group doesn't have plans in writing just yet, but they have discussed working with the Department of Fish & Wildlife to stock the lakes for youth fishing.
Fishermen in the know have used the area for years. The larger lake is stocked with bass. One stretch of the river was secretly known for its good salmon.
The area is no secret to locals. Caldwell said all summer long, cars are parked along the road and the county's young are out swimming.
No one wanted to name names, but a story circulates around the older crowd of a group of teenage girls found skinnydipping in the river one night.
Jon Lewis, Trout Unlimited president, has concerns about keeping the area clean.
"The public has to keep it clean," he said. "Or it could be closed. It could be a problem, we just have to address it."
Sterling and Moisanen went to the site over the weekend to pick up litter. On a Wednesday trip to the site, Moisanen left with a handful of trash, including aluminum cans and a Styrofoam coolers.
"If this area stays clean, you can actually use it for swimming and sunbathing," Sterling said.
Caldwell said Trout Unlimited encountered a similar littering problem at Friends Landing because people were used to going out there and leaving a mess. He said once the public realized that Trout Unlimited created a nice place – and didn't have the funds to clean it – visitors began to take better care of the area. Friends Landing has a resident caretaker. The new site will not have one, at least not right away.
Caldwell said Friends Landing is the only public park of its kind. Trout Unlimited does not receive any assistance from the county. From campsite rentals, donations and recreational vehicle parking, the park brings in approximately $32,000 per year. Operating expenses total closer to $40,000.
The Brooks site will have a similar look and feel to it with the same ultimate goal in mind: "(The parks) are totally built to protect the environment," Caldwell said.
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By Sara Carter, Lewis County Noxious Weed Control Board
Washingtonians are beginning to notice yet another prized garden plant showing up in the most unexpected places!
Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) is a shrub that grows up to 15 feet tall, with opposite, willow-shaped leaves which are dark green above and lighter below. The flowers, which form a cone shape, are generally purple with orange inside, although pink, yellow, white, red, blue, mauve and orange flowers can also be seen.
Butterfly bush blooms profusely with beautiful nectar filled flower spikes, attracting a variety of butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and other nectar seeking critters. Post-bloom, the flowers fade as seeds develop in their place. Wind and water carry the tiny seeds away to new ground, where they do their best to eke out an existence. With each plant producing an average of 3,000,000 seeds a year, the chances are good that several will find a place to survive, and possibly thrive.
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| Photo: University of Oregon Dept. of Horticullture |
Exhibiting many characteristics of noxious and invasive plants, butterfly bush enjoys rapid growth and maturation, adaptability to a wide range of moisture and soil conditions, prolific seed production and very few pests. As a result of all this, this plant is becoming a serious northwest problem. Successful plant invaders can be seen growing along highways, riparian areas and forest clearings, tapping into the resources required by native plants for survival. Invasive plants and noxious weeds upset the balance of the ecosystem, out-competing native plants, displacing wildlife, increasing soil erosion and reducing water quality.
Butterfly bush has become naturalized in many countries, including Europe, New Zealand, Ireland, Australia and parts of the US. (A naturalized plant is one that grows where it has not been planted.) Recently listed as a noxious weed in Oregon and a "species of interest/concern" in British Columbia, it also appears on the "most invasive" list of the Pacific Northwest Exotic Pest Plant Council. It is likely that Buddleja will be listed as a Washington State Noxious Weed within the next few years.
I won't ask you to rip out your butterfly bush and replace it with a well behaved lilac or nectar-producing native. If you would, however, be willing to simply clip the blooms before they go to seed, you will be helping to protect natural areas all around the state.
When gardening to attract butterflies, it is essential to remember that butterflies require a variety of native plants and habitat elements for a successful life cycle. These include nectar flowers, caterpillar food plants, hibernation spots and protective perches. For more information about butterflies and butterfly gardens, contact the North American Butterfly Association at www.naba.org or 973.285.0907.
If you have any questions about this or other invasive plants, please call 360.740.1218 or your County Weed Board.
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By Pete Holm, Chehalis River Council
A celebration of the environment was held at the Matrix Coffeehouse in Chehalis on Saturday, May 15. Participating organizations included the Chehalis River Council, Chehalis River Basin Land Trust, Lewis County Watch, Capitol Land Trust, CURED (Citizens United for Responsible Economic Development), the Farm Bank Project, The Heernet Foundation and the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium. All these organizations had members and leaders on hand to socialize with each other, eat great food off the Matrix menu, and hear an assortment of musical performers, poets, and brief presentations about several of the groups. Educational exhibits were also featured.
Musical performances included Who Are Those Guys (Steve Kelso and Pete Holm), Mudcat, Good Gaias (Sid Brown and Steve Amdahl), The Mushtones, The Notso Hotsos, and Portland artist Tre.
Poets included Janet Strong and Holly St.Clair.
Another similar celebration likely will occur next year.
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By Kathy Jacobson, Chehalis Basin Education Consortium Coordinator
Last October, the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium introduced teachers to how "nature is a catalyst for inspiration of art and poetry." Funding was provided by grants from the Environmental Protection Agency and Educational Service District's WAC Inservice Grant program. Throughout the school year, teachers have involved their students in the exploration and interpretation of their local watersheds and have guided their students in the expression of what they discovered using art and poetry. According to Poet Robert Hass, "Imagination runs through the places where we live like water. We need both things – a living knowledge of the land and a live imagination of it and our place in it – if we are going to preserve it."
Art and poetry lesson plans and activities are now integrated into the Chehalis Basin Education Consortium Watershed Program. A second "Words and Images from the Watershed: Washington's River of Words" teachers' workshop is planned for October 28 and 29th, again at Millersylvania State Park. For information on how to register for the workshop, please contact Joan Howden, ESD 113, at (360) 586-2967.
Below you will find a submission to the 2004 International River of Words competition from Khatsini Simani, 6th Grade, Lakeside Middle School. Amber Reid, 10th Grade, Onalaska High School, also submitted artwork. Khatsini was the 2004 International River of Words Grand Prize Winner.
Khatsini Simani, 6th Grade
Lakeside Middle School; Teacher: Lance King
International River of Words Grand Prize Winner
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