Achieving a Win-Win Restoring
Ecosystem Services
Kurt Nelson
Tulalip Tribes of Washington
December 10, 2008
Introduction
 Background – Tulalip Tribes
 Qw’loolt Estuary Restoration Project
 Coho Creek Restoration Project
 Snohomish Basin Biogas Partnership
 Summary
Background
 Federally Recognized
 Successors to the
 Snohomish
 Snoqualmie
 Skykomish
 Other bands
 Treaty of Point Elliot
 Tribes retained fishing
and hunting rights
 Co-manage fish and
wildlife resources with the
State of Washington
Historical Context
Present Day Context
Location of Various Tribal Projects
Qw’loolt Estuary
Restoration Project
A partnership between tribal, city, state, and federal
agencies whose purpose is the restoration of this
critical tidal wetland in the Snohomish River
Estuary
CITY OF MARYSVILLE
TULALIP
RESERVATION
qw’loolt
site
LANDFILL
Project Goal
Re-establish historic tidal influences and other natural
processes to the qw’loolt site in order to restore a functioning
estuary marsh system that benefits salmon and other natural
resources.
Ecosystem Benefits
• Restores 400 acres
of estuary wetland
and channel habitat
critical for salmon
rearing and staging
• Improve fish
passage to 16 miles
of stream habitat
“The quality and quantity of rearing habitat in the
nearshore, estuary, and mainstem rivers is the
primary factor limiting Chinook salmon and bull trout
recovery. ” 2005 Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery
Plan
Primary Restoration Actions
Project Goal
Goals
 Restore and enhance stream and wetland ecological
functions (e.g. nutrient and hydrologic dynamics)
 Increase salmon production
 Integrate stream and wetland enhancements with
prospective development planning
 Reuse and integrate waste water from a microbial
bioreactor treatment plant into the restoration plans
Coho Creek Restoration Project
Location and Alignment
Proposed Development Plan
Pre and Post Project Conditions
Restoration Includes Physical and
Hydrologic Modifications
Snohomish Basin Biogas Project
Snohomish Basin Biogas Partnership
 Formed April 2, 2003
 Lower Skykomish River Habitat Conservation Group
 Northwest Chinook Recovery
 Tulalip Tribes
 Skykomish/Snoqualmie Agricultural Alliance
 City of Monroe
Purpose
 Address water quality problems in Skykomish
and Snoqualmie rivers
Reduce bacteria and nutrient loading
 Assist local dairies by reducing waste
management costs
 Agriculture is a preferred land use in floodplains as
compared to other more destructive types of land
use (e.g. residential)
 Build or improve the relationship between
Tribes and the Agricultural Community
Dairies in Vicinity of Biogas Facility
Food Waste: > 80 Ton/Day
Flush Dairies: 1,572,000 GPD
Scrape Dairies: 26,775 GPD
Red
Hook
Ten-Mile Radius
Biogas Facility
Biogas Project Site
Project Description
 Cow manure is collected and piped or trucked to the
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


facility
Manure is pumped into the anaerobic digester
Methane gas is captured and piped to a generator
The generator burns the gas creating electricity
Bio-solids are composted and sold to local buyer
Effluent is treated and returned to dairy for irrigation
Products
 Methane and/or electricity
 Bio-solids for compost and/or fertilizers
 Treated effluent for farm irrigation
In Summary
 Ecosystems Services are being restored and used by The
Tulalip Tribes
 It is an integral part of habitat restoration
 Resource conservation through reuse
 Creating source of renewable energy
 Improve water quality
 In directing development plans on the Reservation
 In partnerships with the local farm community, local
municipalities, and state and federal agencies