Nisqually Delta, South Puget Sound & Skokomish Watershed Flying for Fish Habitat Tours 2009

1. Nisqually Delta, South Puget Sound & Skokomish Watershed Flying for Fish Habitat Tours 2009

2. The Flying for Fish Habitat flight program Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission with support from LightHawk has been providing educational aerial tours throughout Puget Sound for over a decade to help officials and community leaders better understand and protect watershed habitat. In 2009 PSMFC provided flights for the Puget Sound Partnership’s Leadership Council, Ecosystem Coordination Board, and Science Panel over the Nisqually Estuary, south Puget Sound and the Skokomish River watershed. The Nisqually Tribe and Hood Canal Coordinating Council provide experts guides for their respective areas. Pam Goddard

3. Puget Sound Partnership • Puget Sound Partnership was created by Washington State Governor, Christine Gregoire in 2007 • The Partnership is mandated to coordinate the clean up of Puget Sound and Hood Canal by 2020 • It is a organized into 3 working groups: • Leadership Council • Ecosystem Coordination Board • Science Panel

4. Welcome to the Nisqually Estuary and Skokomish RiverWatershed Tour • . The Nisqually River enters the south end of Puget Sound just northeast of Olympia. With its head waters on Mt. Rainier the Nisqually is one of the South Sounds largest sources of fresh water. The Nisqually Estuary Restoration Project is the largest estuary restoration project in Puget Sound. The Skokomish River is at the Southern end of Hood Canal. With its headwaters in the Olympic Mountains it is the largest source of fresh water for the Hood Canal. Restoration of the Skokomish Estuary began several years ago with the removal of 3,000 feet of dikes. Other restoration efforts in the watershed include increased flow from Cushman dam, engineered log jams, and removal of the remaining dikes on the estuary.

5. Flight Path

6. Flight Path

7. Points of Interest • 1. Nisqually Delta • 2. Totten Inlet • 3. Shelton • 4. Skokomish River Estuary & Delta • 5. N & S Forks Skokomish River Confluence • 6. Lake Cushman • 7. Belfair-Union River

8. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Estuary Restoration Pam Goddard Beginning of Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge outer dike removal June 2009.

9. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge Estuary Restoration Jamie Glasgow Low tide on the delta illustrates the restriction of tidal flow due to the dike.

10. Nisqually Tribe Estuary RestorationLow Tide Pam Goddard The Nisqually Tribe has restored 140 acres of estuary habitat on the east side of the Nisqually River.

11. Nisqually Estuary Pam Goddard Remnant transitional forest can be seen on the Nisqually Refuge side of the river.

12. Squaxin Passage & Squaxin Island Jamie Glasgow

13. Skookum Inlet Jamie Glasgow Totten Inlet, Skookum Inlet, and Oyster Bay provide important habitat for Puget Sound’s shellfish industry.

14. Oyster Bay Jamie Glasgow Shellfish Farming in Oyster Bay

15. Skokomish River Estuary & Delta Pam Goddard Restoration of the Skokomish estuary began in 2007 and will continue in 2009 and 2010.

16. North & South Skokomish River Confluence Pam Goddard The Skokomish River is the most flood prone river in Washington State.

17. Lake Cushman Pam Goddard Construction of the Lake Cushman and Lake Kokanee dams eliminated water flow to the North Fork of the Skokomish River.

18. Hood Canal Marine Shoreline Pam Goddard Hood Canal shorelines include large estuaries, moderate sloped beaches and abundant eelgrass beds important for support of juvenile salmonids.

19. Belfair Union River Pam Goddard The Bremerton Water Utility owns 8,186 acres of land in Kitsap County that are managed to protect and enhance the water quality resource for public water supply. Sustainable levels of timber harvesting on these lands provides revenues.

20. PSMFC’s Fish Habitat Education Program offers educational aerial and ground watershed tours. • For ten years, this project has provided hundreds of participants with a vivid experience of local watersheds as well as a means to connect with people, resources, and information. • It strives to translate awareness into action on behalf of fish habitat.

21. Partnering with Flying For Fish Habitat Program • Contact Pam Goddard if you would like to partner with Flying for Fish Habitat. 5415 NE 54th Street Seattle, WA 98105 206.786.8245 p.goddard@thalassaconsulting.com Virtual flight tour on web at http://www.psmfc.org/habitat/virtual/

22. LightHawk provides aerial support for all Flying for Fish Habitat tours. • Champions environmental protection through the unique perspective of flight. • The view from above speaks for itself, providing breathtaking clarity of understanding.

23. Sources • Puget Sound Partnership (http://www.psp.wa.gov/) • Hood Canal Coordinating Council web page (http://www.hccc.wa.gov) • Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (http://www.fws.gov/Nisqually/) • Nisqually Delta Restoration (http://www.fws.gov/Nisqually/) • Nisqually Indian Tribe (http://www.nisqually-nsn.gov/naturalresources.html) • Shared Strategy for Puget Sound – (http://www.sharedsalmonstrategy.org) • LightHawk (http://www.lighthawk.org) • PSMFC (http://www.psmfc.org/habitat/)

24. Please Share Your Experiences • This aerial watershed tour has been a collaborative effort between our groups. Only a few individuals can actually fly. • We hope you will join us in sharing your experiences with others. This PowerPoint show is available at www.psmfc.org/habitat/virtual. • Working together we can prioritize tasks and accomplish good things for our fish, our communities, and our economies.