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Recovering Salmon Habitat
on the North Olympic Peninsula

Cheryl Baumann, Coordinator
cbaumann@co.clallam.wa.us
(360) 417-2326

NOPLE is large with many ESUs and watersheds, with assessments, plans, and strategies relating to such ESUs and watersheds regularly being produced. The NOPLE Strategy Watershed Pages provide a mechanism of incorporating new information. Each Watershed Page contains a bibliography, which is updated when appropriate, and which lists and makes available on-line all relevant assessments, plans and strategies relevant to that watershed. Watershed stakeholders use this information to develop and update priority actions and areas to be recovered according to the prioritization strategy set forth in paragraph B of each Watershed Page.

The documentation contained on this page is only a limited selection of information available on stock status, watershed processes, and limiting habitat factors. Watershed-specific stakeholders should use the best available science and most relevant information available to them in determining priorities, whether or not listed on this page.

Salmon Stocks and their Habitat

• Local information regarding stocks status and trends, as well as hatchery influences, see Stock Status, Section B, NOPLE Strategy.
• "Status of Pacific Salmon & Their Habitats on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington March 1996" by Michael L. McHenry, Jim Lichatowich and Rachael Kowalski-Hagaman. Copies are available for $25.00 Fisheries Department (360) 457-4012, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, 2997 Lower Elwha Road, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
• "Roll Call of the Lost 1990" by Dick Goin. A list of weak or vanished wild stocks of salmonids in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Unpublished Report but accepted as authoritative by members of the NOPLE TRG.
• Federal ESA Listing Status and Critical Habitats
  • NOAA Fisheries; NOAA ESA Critical Habitat Designations; and StreamNet Critical Habitat Interactive Mapper
  • USFW Bull Trout; USFW ESA Critical Habitat Designations for Bull Trout
• NWIFC SSHIAP. The Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Inventory and Assessment Project (SSHIAP) began in 1995 as the natural complement to SASSI. SSHIAP is charged with providing watershed- and stock-level habitat information to assist tribal, state, and local planners in prioritizing habitat protection and restoration measures.
  • For more information
  • See also NWIFC State of Watersheds 2004 (depicting status and trends in salmonid habitat within WRIAs 1-23, using data from SHIAPP, WDOE, WDFW, WCC, USGS, DNR, IAC and others)
• WDFW SaSI Stock Reports. SaSI is a standardized, uniform approach to identifying and monitoring the status of Washington's salmonid fish stocks.
  • SaSI 2002
  • SaSI Coastal Cutthroat Trout (2000)
  • SASSI 1992 ("Bluebook")
  • Salmonscape Interactive Mapping
• WDFW Habitat Protection and Restoration Information
  • Priority Habitat and Species Program
  • Habitat Information and Links
  • Habitat Planner Newsletter 
  • WDFW Publications
    • Inventory and Monitoring of Salmon Habitat in the Pacific Northwest
    • Pacific Salmon and Wildlife: Ecological Contexts, Relationships, and Implications for Management
    • The WDFW Stream Catalogs: Vol. 1Puget Sound Region and WDFW Stream Catalog, and Vol. 2 Coastal Region (not available on-line)
  • WDFW Technical Applications (TAPPS) Division Publications
  • Stream Habitat Restoration Guidelines
  • Fish Passage Design at Road Culverts: a Manual for Fish Passage at Road Crossings,
  • Integrated Stream Bank Protection Guidelines
  • Aquatic Habitat Guidelines,
  • Culvert Hydraulics Related to Upstream Juvenile Salmon Passage
  • Fish Passage Considerations for Juvenile Salmonids Through Natural Channels and Culverts, and
  • Fish Passage Barrier and Surface Water Diversion Screening Assessment and Prioritization Manual.
  • Upstream Fish Passage at Dams and Culverts
  • Fish Protection Screens at Water Diversions

Shared Strategy Profiles summarize the respective Dungeness and Elwha Chapters of the Shared Strategy Plan.

• Shared Strategy Watershed Profile: Dungeness
• Shared Strategy Watershed Profile: Elwha
• Shared Strategy Regional Nearshore Approach (includes West Strait of Juan de Fuca)

Also see Relationship between NOPLE Lead Entity Strategy and ESU Recovery Planning with links to comprehensive Recovery Plan documents.

Watershed-specific Assessments and Analyses are available on the following watersheds

• Siebert Creek Habitat Assessment (10 MB)
• Salt Creek Habitata Assessment (7 MB)
• Deep Creek/Twin Rivers Watershed Analysis, USFS 2002. (Available on CD from NOPLE).
• Sekiu Coastal Watershed Analysis (available for downloading)
• Calawah North Fork Watershed Analysis (available for downloading)
• Hoko River Watershed Analysis (available for downloading)
• Quillayute River (Habitat Evaluation using Aerial Photo Analysis) (4.5 MB)
  • The USFS has completed watershed analyses for the Sol Duc (together with Rayonier and the DNR) and Sitkum South Fork of the Calawah, with the Quileute Tribe as an active partner in all of these.The DNR and Rayonier have also developed DRAFT watershed analyses for the East and West Forks of the Dickey. These documents are available at the Clallam County CDC and Forks library.

* A Watershed Analysis addresses the cumulative effects of forest practices (harvest and road construction over time and space) obn three types of public resources: fish habitat, water quality and public works (roads and bridges).

Limiting Factors. The major and minor factors that limit salmonid production of 45 salmonid-producing basins in Washington State were reviewed and summarized.

• NOPLE Summary of Limiting Factors and Action Recommendation Priorities for WRIA’s 17, 18, 19, or 20. These have been summarized by the NOPLE TRG specifically for the NOPLE Strategy.
• Limiting Factor Analysis Reports per WRIA
• Salmon Habitat Limiting Factors in Washington State (summary report of the 45 individual reports referenced above)
• See also NWIFC State of Watersheds 2004 (depicting status and trends in salmonid habitat within WRIAs 1-23, using data from SHIAPP, WDOE, WDFW, WCC, USGS, DNR, IAC and others)
  

Watershed Planning -- Technical Documents. Watershed planning occurs under the Watershed Management Act, passed in 1998, and is closely tied to planning for other water and watershed resources, including salmon recovery. Watershed planning is optional, but if watershed planning is elected, the Watershed Plan must address water quantity. Strategies for water supply; water quality, habitat and instream flows are optional. Instream flows may be referred to the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) for action, if desired. WRIA 18, 19, and 20 have all agreed to undertake watershed planning.

• WRIA 17 -- Quilecene Snow
  • DOE Rulemaking
  • Approved Watershed Management Plan
  • Watershed Planning
• WRIA 18 -- Dungeness Elwha
  • Rulemaking
  • Approved Watershed Management Plan. Sections 2.4 through 2.11 focus on habitat and water quality issues that are subbasin-specific. In conducting watershed planning, the planning units made choices as to where to focus their attention. Greater attention has been given to the Dungeness River, Bell Creek, Siebert Creek, Morse Creek, Ennis Creek, Valley Creek, and the Elwha River and its lower tributaries. Watershed characterization for the other small creeks of WRIA 18 largely integrates the Limiting Factors Analysis (Haring 1999), supplemented by other regional plans, studies, and data that were available.
  • Watershed Planning
• WRIA 19 -- Lyre-Hoko
  • Rulemaking
  • DRAFT Watershed Management Plan not yet available on-line
  • Watershed Planning
• WRIA 20 -- Soleduck-Hoh
  • Rulemaking
  • DRAFT Watershed Management Plan not yet available on-line. Available are the
    • Technical Assessment Level I Water Quality and Habitat
    • Annotated Bibliography
  • Watershed Planning
  • WRIA 20 GIS
  • Report on 2005 Knotweed Project by Clallam County Noxious Weed Control Board
    • Report.pdf (about 4 mb)
    • Attachments.pdf (about 1 mb)

Clallam County

• Interactive Maps
• Environment
• Comprehensive Plan
• Land Use and Development
• Planning Commission

Jefferson County

• Comprehensive Plan
• Maps

Aerial Photos

• DOE Shoreline photos
• USGS aerial photos to 1 meter resolution and topo maps to 2 meter resolution

Historical Maps & Reports

• Puget Sound River History Project
• Digitized Historical Coast Survey Maps of Hood Canal and Strait of Juan de Fuca
• The Salmon Fisheries of Washington's Coastal Rivers and Harbors (WA State Dept of Fisheries, 1955)
• Completion Report by Stream Clearance Unit on Ozette and Big Rivers (Stream Improvement Division, WA State Dept of Fisheries, 1953) (Available on CD from NOPLE).
• Completion Report by Stream Clearance Unit on Salt Creek (Stream Improvement Division, WA State Dept of Fisheries, 1952) (Available on CD from NOPLE).
• Survey Reports of Major Rivers and Streams of Northwestern Washington with reference to a stream improvement expenditure program (WA State Dept of Fisheries, 1951) (Available on CD from NOPLE).

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