habitat restoration in the commencement bay nearshore & tidelands area
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Habitat Restoration in the Commencement Bay Nearshore &
Tidelands Area
Citizens for a Healthy Bay (CHB)
• Founded in 1990 to provide community oversight into the superfund remedial action.
• Over 900 members representing the commencement bay community and south Puget sound.
• Works cooperatively with all stakeholders:– Communities, neighborhoods and other public
stakeholders.– Potentially responsible parties.– Economic development and other business interests.– Local, regional, state and federal agencies.
Commencement Bay Circa 1994
Commencement Bay Circa 1894
Historical Landscape Structure
• Extensive tidal freshwater floodplain of a meandering Puyallup river accompanied by extensive off-channel sloughs and wetlands.
• Prograding delta with numerous distributary braided channels.
• Well- developed system of dendritic channels in an emergent marsh zone.
Historical Landscape Structure
• Extensive estuarine transition zone between upland habitats and emergent marsh zones.
• Broad, expansive mudflat habitat.• Extensive system of cross-delta
migration corridors.• Regular inputs of wood, cobble and
sand from adjacent hillslopes.
Current Landscape Structure
Less that 1% of historical estuarine habitat - disconnected and isolated
No cross delta migration Puyallup river channeled Steep armored banks
Commencement Bay Habitat Restoration Efforts
Superfund Natural resource damage assessment
(NRDA) Endangered species act (ESA) Landscape scale restoration vision Watershed restoration
Superfund
4 Tacoma domes of contaminated sediment Metals, PCBs, dioxins, PAHs, organics
Nearshore and tidelands a biological desert
Commitment to combine cleanup with habit restoration
Natural Resource Damage Assessment
Goal is to restore coastal and ocean resources that have been injured by releases of oil or hazardous substances and to obtain compensation for the public for their losses.
Watershed Restoration
Recovery efforts must also address Commencement Bay as the saltwater estuary of the Puyallup River. Mixing zone between salt and fresh waters Exceptionally high productivity
Estuarine – 800 – 3500 grams/m2/year Tropical forest – 1000 – 3500 grams/m2/year
Area where most plankton production takes place Cornerstone of healthy marine ecosystem
1999 - Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Puget sound Chinook and bull trout Superfund vs. ESA Engaged more entities – city, county,
region,
Commencement Bay Restoration Vision
Emphasis on baywide restoration through an ecosystem or landscape approach rather than creating isolated fragments of habitats
Mudflat and salt marsh restoration Foundation for the future
Commencement Bay Restoration Sites
YOWKWALA
Enhance intertidal area for juvenile salmonid migration.
Maintain marsh vegetation.
Protect the site for natural resources.
SKOOKUM WULGE BEACH
Design and construct intertidal habitat enhancements,
Capture high quality, year-round freshwater runoff from uplands and incorporate it into an intertidal marsh,
Restore subtidal areas to productive benthic habitats where impacted by wood debris from log storage operations,
Squally Beach
Establish backwater ponds
Create interstices for invertebrates and juvenile salmonids
Establish areas for salt marsh vegetation
Protect the site for natural resources
Sqaully Beach
Mowich
Enhance fish habitat for juvenile salmonids
Establish backwater pools
Establish areas for salt marsh vegetation
Protect the site for natural resources
Middle Waterway
Enhance intertidal area for juvenile salmonid migration.
Establish marsh vegetation.
Possible fresh water connection channel to/from Puyallup River
Upcoming Projects
Hylebos marsh Olympic view Sha-dax St. Paul Swan Creek Tahoma salt marsh
Overview
Baywide restoration Ecosystem/landscape
approach Provide corridors and
connections Salt marsh and off
channel habitats A work in progress for
the future
What Can You Do?
CHB provides many hands-on opportunities to get involved in habitat restoration Planting Site maintenance Site stewardship Site monitoring
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