Habitat Program
Habitat Program Plans and Implements Projects
The Habitat Program plans and implements projects that restore habitat for Chinook and other salmon in the Nooksack River. We also work with local, Tribal, state, and federal partners to guide and coordinate salmon recovery actions throughout the Nooksack River watershed.
Many of our salmon habitat restoration projects involve construction of large log jams. Historically, mature forest covered our river valleys, and large trees fell in as river channels meandered and migrated across the floodplain. The large, stable log jams they formed helped to create diverse, productive salmon habitat – scouring deep pools, stabilizing river channels and river banks, slowing river flow, and connecting floodplains. Floodplain forest clearing and removal of log jams, along with other land use impacts, have degraded Nooksack River habitats and led to the dramatic decline of her salmon runs. Our program helps to recover salmon by restoring the habitats they need most. The Tribe is recognized as a leader in the implementation of these large and complex river restoration projects. It takes several years, numerous grants, and generally multiple phases of construction to complete a project. Natural Resources staff seek funding, manage grants and budgets, conduct outreach to landowners and the public, oversee project design by engineering consultants, secure environmental permits, contract with construction and log supply contractors, oversee project construction, plant log jams and disturbed areas, and monitor the results. Through 2024, we have accomplished the following:
The vast majority of the log jams we have built are engineered log jams. These log jams are designed to persist over time, including through large floods. We work with qualified engineers, and design development involves extensive analysis of river processes and flooding conditions, including how the project might affect flooding of adjacent lands. Designs are refined numerous times, and project managers work closely with landowners and other interested parties to ensure and maintain their support for restoration. See below for a map of our project reaches and highlights of our most recent projects.
In addition to implementing priority salmon habitat restoration projects, habitat program staff engage in local and regional salmon and ecosystem recovery forums, such as the Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 1 (Nooksack Basin) Watershed Management Board and the Puget Sound Partnership, to ensure that Tribal needs and technical expertise are incorporated and that barriers to restoration are addressed. We have been and continue to be leaders in the development of technical resources that guide local salmon and ecosystem recovery efforts, including:
Habitat Program Staff
To learn about some of the work being done to restore salmon habitat, watch Restoring the Nooksack River, with former Tribal Council Member Lona Johnson
To learn more about salmon recovery in the Nooksack Basin, or Water Resource Inventory Area 1, visit the WRIA 1 Salmon Recovery Program webpage.
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