Resources
for County Departments
The Board of County Commissioners, via the 2007 Salmon Policy Resolution
(R20070499), has instructed the Administrative Services, Health, Parks,
Planning, and Public Works departments to consider the Puget Sound Salmon
Recovery Plan before taking any action, and to consider adoption of measures
to implement the Plan’s recommendations whenever reasonable.
Puget Sound Salmon
Recovery Plan
The Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan, adopted by NOAA Fisheries, is a
two volume plan for recovery of threatened Chinook and other species of
salmon throughout Puget Sound.
Volume I is a user-friendly, high-level blueprint for how people across
the sound plan to recover salmon and preserve our regional culture and
quality of life.
Volume II contains fifteen local watershed recovery plans. The Skagit
Chinook Recovery Plan (SCRP) is the plan for our watershed. It is divided
into 16 chapters and 8 appendices.
Skagit County departments
should focus on the sections of the SCRP concerning salmon habitat.
- All Departments
should review Chapter
7 (PDF 93KB). Note, however, that Section 7.2.1, “Individual
Residential [Well] Use,” is already being addressed through the
2006 Instream Flow Rule, including via extensions of public water.
- Public Works should
carefully review and familiarize appropriate staff with Chapters
8-12 (PDF 9MB), which describes various habitat restoration projects
that the department should undertake when reasonable and when funding
can be obtained.
Salmon-Interest
Organizations
The Salmon Policy Resolution also instructs departments to collaborate
with others to implement the Salmon Recovery Plan. Suggested groups include
the following:
- Puget Sound Partnership
The new Washington State agency
in charge of Puget Sound protection and restoration.
- Skagit
Conservation and Education Alliance
SCEA is a non-profit organization working for the benefit of the greater
Skagit ecosystem to protect water quality and watershed functions.
- Skagit Conservation District
Composed of local farmers, landowners,
and concerned citizens, SCD is a governmental division dedicated to
maintaining Skagit County's renewable natural resources.
- Skagit Fisheries Enhancement
Group
A nonprofit organization formed in 1990 to engage communities in habitat
restoration and watershed stewardship in order to enhance salmon populations.
- Skagit Land Trust
A nonprofit organization dedicated
to acquiring land and conservation easements to protect wildlife habitat,
agricultural and forest lands, scenic open space, wetlands, and shorelines
throughout Skagit County.
- Skagit
County Marine Resources Committee
Funded by grants from the Northwest Straits Commission, the Skagit MRC
discusses marine issues, determines action items to enhance and protect
local marine habitat, and educates the public about these issues.
- Skagit Watershed Council
Community partnership organization
for salmon recovery, and DOE-designated lead entity for Water
Resource Inventory Areas 3 and 4.
- Sauk-Suiattle
Tribe
- Swinomish Tribe
- Upper
Skagit Tribe
- Western Washington
Agricultural Association
A grower-based
organization that advocates for, and provides services to, agricultural
interests in Western Washington.
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