Project Sponsor:
Sponsor Contact Info:
Project Name:
Key Partners:
Project Location:
Include watershed
Project Description:
Wild Fish Conservancy
206.310.9302; Jamie@wildfishconservancy.org
WRIA 13 Water Type Assessment Phase IV
Thurston County
Prioritized sub-basins within the anadromous reaches of the McLane
and Deschutes watersheds
Effective salmon recovery requires the restoration and protection of
fish habitats. Thurston County stream buffer width requirements are
based on watertype. Existing watertype maps demonstrably underrepresent the extent of fish and fish habitat, and many streams are
mapped incorrectly or not at all. Consequently, many stream
channels that warrant protection may not receive appropriate
buffers. Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) will determine and correct
water type classifications in ~40 miles of streams in prioritized
portions of the McLane and Deschutes watersheds in WRIA 13 using
established protocols. In addition to providing data to ensure
informed and responsible management of these watersheds, this
assessment will assist with habitat restoration and protection project
identification and prioritization efforts by providing data on fish
species composition and distribution via field observations and use of
eDNA, and by identifying the five highest priority habitat restoration
projects encountered during the assessment. WFC will work with
project sponsors to develop and implement identified projects in
subsequent SRFB rounds. WFC will incorporate assessment results in
a web-based interactive GIS available to resource managers and the
general public. Data formats will be compatible with State, County,
City, and Tribal datasets. This project will complement WFC’s SRFBfunded Phase III WRIA 13 Watertype Assessment.
1500 character maximum
Project Cost:
Expected total match and
source:
List what 3-YWP action
and/or plan action the project
addresses:
Fish species benefitted:
Specific benefit to fish:
How the project builds upon
or relates to previous / current
projects:
Constraints or uncertainties
$130,000 (SRFB+Match)
$19,500; Thurston County, WFC, and/or USFWS.
A minimum of 15% match is required
WRIA 13 Watertype Assessments are specifically identified as an
implementation priority in the Work Plan.
The project is supported in WRIA 13’s Habitat Protection and
Restoration Plan, in that it will enable existing regulations to moreeffectively protect critical areas. The project will also identify and
prioritize restoration and acquisition opportunities, and address gaps
in our knowledge of fish populations, fish use, and condition of
natural processes (Strategic Goal #3).
Coho, chinook, chum, steelhead, cutthroat, sculpin, lamprey,
mudminnow, stickleback.
Increased likelihood of effective resource planning and critical areas
protection, filling fundamental fish composition and distribution data
gaps, and identifying and prioritizing habitat restoration and
protection projects.
We propose an expansion of the ongoing water type assessment in
McLane Creek and in prioritized tributaries to the Deschutes.
n/a
affecting the project:
Have you contacted DNR
n/a
concerning ownership?
360.902.1100
In addition to answering the questions above, please provide:
1) Provide a list of all potential stakeholders (landowners, adjacent landowners, and other interest
groups:
Organizations that have used or requested WFC water type results in WRIA 13 include Thurston
County, Thurston Regional Planning Council, SPSSEG, Squaxin Island Tribe, Capital Land Trust, WA
Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, WA Dept. of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the
City of Olympia, and the Thurston Conservation District.
Letters of Intent are due on or before March 28, 2014 to:
Amy Hatch-Winecka
WRIA 13 & 14 Lead Entity Coordinator
Email: amyhw@thurstoncd.com
Phone: 360.754.3588 ext. 103
2918 Ferguson St. SW
Tumwater, WA 98512
2015 WRIA 13 SRFB Letter of Intent Form
1) General Location Map. GPS points and updated hydro represent areas where WFC has
already assessed watertype; and all data collected during the project are available through
an interactive web-based GIS at www.wildfishconservancy.org. The McLane basin is
identified in the red box; as funds allow, the assessment will be expanded to include
prioritized tributaries in the Deschutes watershed. As in the previous phases, sub-basins
to be surveyed will be prioritized with assistance from the WRIA 13TAG.
2) Extent of ongoing WFC watertype assessment in McLane Creek. The proposed project
will expand the geographic scope of the ongoing assessment, which will be completed in
summer 2015.
3) Example of discrepancy between DNR modeled stream channel location (dashed) and
classification, and WFC field observations (solid). This is an unnamed right-bank
tributary to East Fork McLane. The proposed project will expand the geographic scope of
the ongoing McLane assessment.
4) In addition to correctly mapping and classifying stream reaches, this assessment will
include the identification and prioritization of habitat restoration and protection projects
within anadromous waters.
5) This assessment will also characterize fish species composition and distribution.
WRIA 13 Watertype Assessment Project, Phase IV
Estimated Budget
January 26, 2015
SRFB Request:
Match:
Project Total:
$110,500
$19,500
$130,000