Local efforts to support salmon received a jolt in the arm from a state agency this spring that will see millions of dollars go toward a handful of projects in Pacific County.

The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office recently doled out $66 million in grant funding to 71 projects across the state through the Climate Commitment Act, which the legislature passed in 2021 and voters upheld in last fall’s election. The Pacific Conservation District was a recipient for two of the projects, while the Grays Harbor Conservation District received funding for one project within the county.

The law caps climate pollution and requires the largest polluters in the state to buy allowances, with the revenue from these purchases going toward projects aimed at tamping down drivers of climate change and preserving the environment — such as restoring streams and rivers critical for salmon.

The Pacific Conservation District received just over $1 million for one such project that will allow it to finish the first phase of restoration in the Middle Nemah River — the district is also contributing $90,000 in matching funds. PCD will place more than 40 logjams in the lower river, which creates areas for fish like Chinook, coho and chum salmon and steelhead trout to rest, feed and hide from predators. It also addresses the risk of the river becoming a series of disconnected gravel extraction ponds.

The logjams will slow the water, reducing erosion and allowing small rocks to settle to the bottom — creating areas for salmon to spawn. Additionally, the changes to the flow of the water will create riffles and pools, giving the salmon a more varied habitat. Part of an abandoned, decommissioned road will also be removed to improve floodplain connection.

PCD also received nearly $1.8 million in grant funds that will be used to map habitat and salmon use in Willapa Bay. Mapping estuary and near-shore habitats in Willapa Bay, combined with habitat data, will help with planning and salmon monitoring. Characterizing the habitat use of the bay will also be used to train community members — such as from conservation districts and community colleges — to conduct field work and mapping.

Other projects

The Grays Harbor Conservation District received just shy of $2 million to place log structures in up to 10 miles of Schafer Creek, which is a tributary of the Wynoochee River. Like the Middle Nemah River project, adding woody materials to the water will create places for fish to rest, feed and hide from predators, as well as reduce erosion and create spawning areas for salmon by slowing the water.

The project calls for the conservation district to partner with Trout Unlimited, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of freshwater streams and rivers, to train its staff in the development and implementation of these types of projects. Grays Harbor Conservation District will also create an outreach video to showcase the social, economical and environmental benefits of this and similar projects.

A project spanning both Pacific and a neighboring county also won grant funding through the Climate Commitment Act. The Columbia Land Trust received $5 million to buy about 800 acres of land in the Grays River watershed to permanently protect salmon and steelhead.

The area in question includes parts of the Grays River and its west fork in Pacific and Wahkiakum counties, and is mostly forestland that includes mature Sitka spruce stands, productive streambanks, emergent wetlands, broad floodplain valleys and river channels. These waterways are used by Chinook, chum, coho and steelhead, and the trust’s purchase of the land will enable them to improve the condition of the streambanks and reduce erosion and sedimentation.