wria 9 watershed ecosystem forum€¦ · threat to orcas. salmon make up 97-98% of their diet, and...

WEFAgenda02-28-19

WRIA 9 WATERSHED ECOSYSTEM FORUM

TUKWILA COMMUNITY CENTER SOCIAL HALL

Thursday, February 28, 2019 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.

AGENDA Page Number

I. Welcome & Introductions Bill Peloza, Co-Chair, Deputy Mayor, City of Auburn 4:00-4:05

II. Public Comment Bill Peloza 4:05-4:15

III. Approval of November 8, 2018 Meeting Summary 4 Bill Peloza 4:15

IV. WRIA 9 Leadership Transition Planning 9 Dennis Robertson, Councilmember, City of Tukwila, Chair of WRIA 9 Management Committee

4:15-4:20

V. WRIA 9 Legislative & Congressional Priorities; Habitat Project Highlights 10

Doug Osterman, WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager Suzanna Smith, WRIA 9 Habitat Projects Coordinator

4:20-4:35

VI.

People, Watersheds, Salmon, and Orca: Ensuring the Puget Sound ecosystem is healthy and resilient….because of our actions in WRIA 9

Will Stelle, Former Regional Director, NOAA Fisheries 4:35-5:15

Break: Light Dinner will be provided 5:15-5:30

VII. Salmon Habitat Plan Update Matt Goehring, WRIA 9 Habitat Plan Manager 5:30-5:45

VIII. Juvenile Chinook use of non-natal tributaries in the Lower Green River

Chris Gregersen, WRIA 9 Science Advisor, King County Water & Land Resources Division

5:45-6:25

IX. Wrap Up/Next Steps Doug Osterman 6:25-6:30

Next Watershed Ecosystem Forum Meeting: Thursday, May 9, 2019, 4:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Tukwila Community Center, Social Hall

WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum 2/28/19 - of 21

WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum February 21, 2019

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M E M O R A N D U M February 21, 2019

TO: WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum FR: Doug Osterman, WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager RE: Watershed Ecosystem Forum Meeting – Thursday, February 28, 2019, Tukwila Community Center, 4 to 6:30 pm The winter meeting of the WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum (WEF) is Thursday, February 28, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Tukwila Community Center, Social Hall. The agenda for the meeting is included in the meeting packet. Review of Agenda Items: Management Committee membership and Leadership Positions for 2020 WRIA 9 is facing transition for 2020 largely due to imminent changes in leadership of the Management Committee and the WEF. Two of the long-time leaders of WRIA 9, Tukwila Councilmember Dennis Robertson, long-time Chair of the Management Committee, and Auburn Deputy Mayor Bill Peloza, long-time Co-Chair of the WEF and Vice-Chair of the Management Committee, are retiring from their public service roles at the end of 2019. By the end of this year, the WEF needs to decide how to replace these steadfast WRIA 9 leaders. This is a beginning discussion that is hoped will lead to interest from local governments and their elected officials to fulfill these roles beginning in 2020. The history of WRIA 9 leadership is included with the meeting packet. Legislative & Congressional Priorities Suzanna Smith, WRIA 9 Habitat Projects Coordinator, and I will update the WEF on recent meetings with Congressional staff and State legislators about the WRIA 9 2019 Congressional and Legislative Priorities. The state and federal priorities can be found online. Suzanna will provide an update on funding for and highlights of WRIA 9 capital and program actions slated for this year. Local Government Actions to Recover Salmon and Make Our Watershed Fit for a King Will Stelle, former Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries, will talk about the importance of taking actions at the local level to contribute to the recovery of Chinook salmon and orca whales. Local governments play a large role in managing stormwater, land use planning, regulatory development, implementation, and enforcement, managing park land, and many other daily business activities that contribute significantly to “Making Our Watershed Fit for a King”. Salmon Habitat Plan Update Matt Goehring, WRIA 9 Habitat Plan Manager, will update the WEF on the status of the Salmon Habitat Plan update. Juvenile Chinook use of Lower Green River Tributaries Chris Gregersen, WRIA 9 Science Advisor of King County Water and Land Resources Division, will give a presentation on studies of juvenile Chinook salmon use of the Lower Green River tributaries. A major component of the WRIA 9 strategy to recover Chinook salmon is improving the productivity of the watershed by improving survival juvenile Chinook. The information will help inform the Salmon Habitat Plan update.


https://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/pdf/WRIA_9_2019_State_Legislative_Priorities_and_Fact_Sheets.pdf

https://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/pdf/1809_9287m_W9_2019legis_PRIORITIES_FED_fctsht_D4.pdf

WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum February 21, 2019

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Not on the agenda, but included with this email are the WRIA 9 letter and comments on the scope of the Lower Green River Corridor Programmatic EIS. The letter and comments include or address the feedback received from WEF members—thank you for the helpful feedback. The letter and comments were transmitted to King County Flood Control District SEPA Official on February 21st. Lastly, there are two job opportunities of note. One is to help recover King County’s dwindling population of kokanee salmon as a Kokanee Recovery Manager. The other is a Technical Coordinator for the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8). Meeting Packet materials include:

1. WEF Agenda 2. Summary of November 8, 2018 WEF meeting 3. History of WRIA 9 Leadership 4. WRIA 9 Legislative and Congressional Priorities 5. 2019 WEF and Management Committee Meeting Schedule 6. February 2019 Salmon Recovery Manager Report Meeting materials are also available on the WRIA 9 website.

Please contact me with questions, I am happy to walk you through the packet information. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Doug Osterman, AICP Salmon Recovery Manager Green/Duwamish & Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9) 201 South Jackson Street, Suite 600 Seattle, WA 98104-3855 [email protected] New! 206-477-4793 Making Our Watershed Fit for a King


https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/kingcounty/jobs/2355373/kokanee-recovery-manager-program-project-manager-iii

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/kingcounty/jobs/2354031/wria-8-technical-coordinator-project-program-manager-iii?page=9&pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs

https://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/committees/archive/1902/default.aspx

mailto:[email protected]

WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum Meeting Summary Tukwila Community Center || November 8, 2018, 4:00 – 6:30pm

WRIA9WEFNotes11-08-18.docx 1

Members Present Affiliation 1. Josh Baldi King County 2. Al Barrie Mid-Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group (MSFEG) 3. Weston Brinkley GD-UWP 4. Councilmember (CM) Lisa Herbold City of Seattle 5. CM Marlla Mhoon, Meeting Chair City of Covington 6. Tyler Patterson Tacoma Public Utilities 7. Mayor Dana Ralph City of Kent 8. Brandy Reed King Conservation District 9. CM Dennis Robertson City of Tukwila 10. Chris Searcy City of Enumclaw

Alternates Present Affiliation 11. Maiya Andrews City of Burien 12. Larry Fisher WA Department of Fish & Wildlife 13. Noel Gilbrough Mid-Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group 14. Mike Mactutis City of Kent 15. Thomas Malphrus Covington Water District 16. Kathy Minsch City of Seattle 17. Mike Perfetti City of Tukwila 18. Vivian Roach WA Department of Natural Resources 19. Jon Sloan Port of Seattle 20. Ron Straka City of Renton 21. Theresa Thurlow City of Federal Way 22. Toni Troutner City of Kent 23. Greg Volkhardt Tacoma Public Utilities 24. Laura Wolfe Port of Seattle

Other Attendees Present Affiliation 25. Elizabeth Butler RCO 26. Michelle Clark King County Flood Control District 27. Peter Donaldson Sustainability Ambassadors 28. Matt Goehring WRIA 9 Planning and Technical Coordinator 29. Cindy Hansen Orca Network 30. Kollin Higgins King County 31. Janne Kaje King County 32. Sharon Leishman Duwamish Alive 33. Evan Lewis King County 34. Tara Luckie Environmental Science Center (ESC) 35. Steve Martin GSRO 36. Doug Osterman WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager 37. Stephanie Potts WA Department of Ecology 38. Larry Reymann ESC 39. Stacy Vynne WA Department of Ecology 40. Laura West WRIA 9 Administrative Coordinator 41. Cory Zyla Puget Sound Partnership

I) Welcome and IntroductionsMeeting Chair Marlla Mhoon called the Watershed Ecosystem Forum (WEF) meeting to order at approximately 4:05pm. GregVolkhardt announced that Tyler Patterson would be Tacoma Water’s primary WEF delegate going forward, and Greg wouldbecome an alternate.


WRIA 9 WEF Meeting Summary November 8, 2018


II) Public CommentMarlla Mhoon announced that Karen Bergeron, WRIA 9 Habitat Project Coordinator, is retiring and headed to the East Coast topursue farming. Marlla recognized Karen’s outstanding support of WRIA 9. Peter Donaldson announced that SustainabilityTalks produces ted talk performances and videos for local middle and high schools. A number of WRIA 9 staff haveparticipated in these ted talks and more are planned for May 2019. Peter invited anyone to attend. Tara Luckie announced that agroup of community citizens are raising money to establish a stone and plaque for Joan McGilton at Seahurst Park, where shewas instrumental in the restoration efforts. The group hopes to raise $5,000 on Go Fund Me with support from the community,and has currently raised $2,000. Marlla Mhoon expressed appreciation for Joan’s support of WRIA 9. Al Barrie commented thatexactly 20 years ago, the WRIA 9 WEF was first founded in this room and only three of the original members are stillparticipating in the WEF. Doug Osterman, WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager, thanked Al for his commitment. LarryReymann informed the WEF that Second Edition of Tom Quinn’s The Behavior and Ecology of Pacific Salmon and Trout isnow available. Marlla Mhoon made a motion to add a Salmon Recovery Manager report agenda item to the meeting agenda.The WEF approved the agenda change.

III) Approval of Meeting Summary

IV) Southern Resident Orca Population: Ensuring the Puget Sound Ecosystem is healthy and resilient enough tosupport a thriving whale population

Cindy Hansen, Education and Outreach Coordinator at Orca Network, presented to the WEF with the goal of connecting her work with the WEF’s goals. Cindy explained that Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) are genetically and culturally distinct from marine mammal eating orcas. Similarly to humans, SRKWs have a long life cycle and are intelligent mammals with developed brains. They have strong family bonds and stay in family groups their entire lives. Historically, orcas were feared and mistrusted and it was common for them to be shot on sight. In the 1960s-1970s, humans started capturing SRKWs and realized their intelligence, leading to a change in the perception of them. It is estimated that 1/3 of the SRKW population was removed over 12 years, severely impacting the remaining population. Only one of the whales from those captures is still alive and currently lives at Miami Sea World. With the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1972, captures and shootings became illegal. The historical population was estimated to be 120-150 whales, which declined to around 70 after the captures. The SRKW population has fluctuated since then and is currently at 74 whales. SRKWs were listed as endangered in Canada in 2003 and in the U.S. in 2005. NOAA has listed SRKWs as a species in the spotlight, meaning they are one of the most threatened populations. Some of the threats facing SRKWs now include vessels, prey depletion, and toxins and contaminants. Vessel noise interferes with orcas ability to hunt and communicate. There is a debate whether the impact stems from shipping, ferries, recreational boats, whale watching, or a mixture. The whale watching community has taken steps to reduce their threat. A federal regulation was adopted in 2011 requiring boats to stay 200 yards away and in the path of the orcas, which will likely change with the Task Force recommendations. Cindy suggested that prey depletion is probably the biggest threat to orcas. Salmon make up 97-98% of their diet, and Chinook make up about 80% of their diet. Chinook salmon have declined precipitously in the last 100 years or so. Cindy showed a graph that displayed orca mortality and salmon abundance. Cindy pointed out that spikes of salmon abundance correlated with low orca mortality. In terms of toxins and contaminants, orcas are at the top of the food chain and bioaccumulate toxins. Toxins are stored in the blubber layer and when orcas don’t get enough food, they metabolize their blubber, releasing the toxins into their bodies. Transient orcas, which eat exclusively marine mammals, have even higher levels of toxins because they eat higher up the food chain, but their populations are thriving, despite the toxins. Cindy explained that inbreeding and low genetic diversity is another threat to the orcas, although the extent of that effect on fitness is unknown. Recent research has shown that 50% of the Southern Resident population was fathered by two males, one of whom is no longer alive. Another threat facing the orcas is reproductive failure. Almost 70% of SRKW pregnancies are ending in miscarriage, due to the lack of food supply and concentration of toxins. NOAA is using drones to evaluate the health of orcas and Conservation Canines are tracking miscarriages by collecting orca poop and analyzing stress hormones and pregnancy hormones. Cindy noted changes within their social structure recently as well: SRKWs are not spending as much time in the San Juan Islands and they’re not gathering in super pods because there isn’t enough food for them in one place. Cindy emphasized that there are a lot of recovery efforts taking place, which Steve Martin will talk more about. Cindy invited groups to partner with Orca Network for Orca Awareness month in June.

Thomas Malphrus heard the orcas have never returned to Penn Cove, where they were captured and asked Cindy if this was true. Cindy confirmed and added that only a few orcas are still alive that witnessed those captures.

The Watershed Ecosystem Forum unanimously approved the meeting summary for the August 9, 2018 meeting.




Steve Martin, Executive Coordinator of the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office provided an update on the Orca Task Force recommendations approved at the November 6, 2018 Task Force meeting. The 48-person Task Force has met five times since being formed under the Governor’s Executive Order in March 2018. The Governor asked the Task Force to assess projects funded by salmon recovery groups and evaluate the effect on Chinook and orcas. 80% of state funding for salmon recovery has been targeted at Chinook, which aligns nicely with the orcas’ needs. Steve emphasized that salmon recovery groups have been working on these issues for more than 20 years with watershed-specific expertise and there will be a reliance on these groups in the Orca Task Force recommendations. The final 36 recommendations were released on November 6th and will be folded into the final report due November 16. Over 13,000 individual public comments were received throughout the process. The Task Force used four criteria to evaluate the recommendations: affordability, ease of implementation, magnitude of benefit, and time length of response. The majority of draft priority actions are already in existing recovery plans and there is no silver bullet. Steve emphasized the need to make the investments in these actions, citing that only 15% of the needed investments have been made so far. These recommendations will now go to the Governor for his review. Steve walked through broad categories of the draft recommendations. For hatchery production, 27% of respondents favored an increase while 23% favored a decrease. Increased hatchery production is listed as a final recommendation, but with caveats. Every salmon recovery group cautioned the Task Force to be careful with this. Steve noted that one of the recommendations is to remove current fish passage barriers, which will require input from salmon recovery groups.

Marlla Mhoon mentioned that there will be a good chance to thank Governor Inslee for his efforts on this at the Sound Cities Association networking dinner on December 5. Dennis Robertson added that the economy is also part of the intertwined fates of Chinook and orcas. During the 2008 recession, Seattle rebounded quickly and companies favored Seattle due to the high skilled work force, and the work force favored Seattle due to the environment. Dennis asked the WEF to think about economic growth and a technology corridor in a vibrant Green River Valley, creating jobs for grandchildren. NOAA Fisheries will be preparing a supplemental EIS for the Green River hatcheries with an intent to increase hatchery production at the Soos Creek Hatchery, resulting in a few more million juveniles coming out of the Duwamish River. Dennis emphasized that these salmon aren’t going to make it anywhere unless we have a healthy river environment for them. We currently have a bottleneck of rearing and refuge habitat in the Lower/Middle Green and over the next few years, we’ll need to focus our projects on building rearing and refuge habitat where we most need it.

V) Washington State Streamflow RestorationStephanie Potts, Streamflow Restoration Implementation Lead at Ecology for WRIAs 8 and 9, and Stacy Vynne,Implementation Lead in WRIA 15, provided an overview of the new streamflow restoration law. ESSB 6091 passed on January18, 2018 in response to the Hirst Case and was codified as RCW 90.94, giving counties the responsibility to make sure wellwithdrawals don’t impact streamflow. Stephanie walked through the impacts of the bill and the regulations. There are 15 basinsthat must do planning as result of the legislation, with different timeline requirements. Watershed Restoration EnhancementCommittees (WRECs) have been created in some basins, including WRIA 9, with a three year timeline for planning due June30, 2021. The legislation provides $300 million over 15 years for streamflow restoration projects statewide. The first grantround closed on October 31, 2018 with 64 project submittals. Ecology is in the process of finalizing funding guidance for thegrant rounds. Stacy noted that Tukwila’s Department of Public Works submitted a proposal for fish passage between Rivertoncreek and the Duwamish River. This was the only project from WRIA 9 in this grant round. WRIA 9 entities were invited tojoin the WREC with monthly meetings that began in October. The committees have a very limited scope planning processfocused on streamflow and offsetting consumptive water use from wells. The first step is to project rural growth over 20 years,project new permit exempt wells from that new growth, and quantify the amount of water that will be used by those new permitexempt wells. The second step is to identify projects to offset that use. Non-water projects will also be added. The third step isto evaluate the whole plan using a net-ecological benefit standard. The fourth step is to seek committee approval by consensus,which Ecology will then review and issue a rule for. If the committee can’t agree, the decision will go to the SRFB. Stacyexplained that King County and WRIA 15 are discussing which WREC Vashon Island should participate in. Stacy also notedthat Federal Way is counted as part of WRIA 10 for the WREC. Doug Osterman noted that Elliot Bay might also be consideredin WRIA 8 for the WREC, although it is considered part of WRIA 9 for salmon recovery planning.

Marlla Mhoon asked for more information on the groundwater impact of streamflow. Stephanie replied that if water comes out of a well, groundwater in that aquifer will move towards the well, which affects how much water goes into the river from groundwater. Josh Baldi asked if the Vashon Island decision will affect funding. Stacy replied that it won’t, as WRIA 9 and WRIA 15 are both priority basins. Josh added that as an urbanized watershed, King County won’t have a lot of consideration in streamflow restoration because the County isn’t buying up agricultural water rights and putting them in streams. The County wants to make sure Ecology recognizes the importance of the type of restoration the County does, including projects that




involve buying up water rights and taking them out of use. Marlla added that groundwater withdrawals also affect water temperature, which impacts Green River salmon. VI) Lower Green River Corridor Flood Hazard Management Plan and Environmental Review Marlla introduced Michelle Clark, King County Flood Control District (FCD) Executive Director. Michelle will be conducting the Lower Green River Corridor Flood Hazard Management Plan and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process. At today’s WEF meeting, Michelle can only answer questions about the process; she cannot answer questions about any of the alternatives or hear discussion of WRIA 9’s fourth alternative. Michelle explained that her comment period hasn’t opened yet and she wants to preserve the legality and fairness of process. Michelle acknowledged the former System-Wide Improvement Framework (SWIF) process. Michelle noted that the US Army Corps of Engineers’ process was focused on the PL-84 levee system, and when King County and the FCD attempted to do their section 7 process, the Corps stopped that. The FCD decided to do an interim process at that time, with a promise of a more comprehensive process in the future, with a multi-benefit, corridor-wide approach. Michelle emphasized that water doesn’t have jurisdictional boundaries and we can’t just look at one project at a time. As part of the Programmatic EIS process, draft documents were distributed at an Advisory Committee meeting. Michelle plans to open the comment period at end of November, due to the holidays. WRIA 9 has asked for an extension to a 60 day comment period. Michelle will probably extend it, shortly after she opens up the comment period. Michelle wants to be cognizant of the holidays this time of year and make sure everyone has time to review her three alternatives. If the alternatives are missing a big component, they’ll go back out for scoping, but Michelle hopes that won’t need to happen. Michelle encourages people to make comments with specificity: saying “it’s not environmentally friendly enough” is not helpful. Michelle also encouraged people to think of the lines on the map as blobs. Michelle acknowledged that the FCD is a separate government, but they contract with King County as a major service provider. King County is also one of the 40 jurisdictions in King County and can comment on the Programmatic EIS. Michelle asked the WEF to not use the FCD’s resources in the King County River and Floodplain Management Section. Due to the firewall, they are off limits because they are the FCD’s technical staff and they can’t engage with WRIA 9. Josh Baldi commented that King County will work with their other sections (Ecological Restoration and Engineering Services (ERES) and Science) and the WEF to develop their comments. Michelle expects this to be a two year process, with a plan that has a 30-50 year horizon. The Muckleshoot Tribe decided not to participate in the Advisory Committee, but will have an opportunity to provide feedback, like all other government jurisdictions. Dennis commented that he is representing WRIA 9 on the Advisory Committee. The mayors from the four Lower Green jurisdictions, as well as King County, some businesses, and the ag interest representative are also on the Committee. Dennis stated that WRIA 9 would like to comment on this, and although Michelle did not accept WRIA 9’s pre-scoping comments, WRIA 9 plans to submit comments during the comment period. WRIA 9 convened a meeting with the four Lower Green mayors and Casey Sixkiller from King County to discuss comments. Dennis noted the positive fact that through this process, WRIA 9 and the FCD have acknowledged that their work is very intertwined. VII) Management Committee Recommendation Doug Osterman announced that the WRIA 9 Management Committee recommends that the WEF invite the King County Flood Control District (FCD) to become a WEF member. Doug was asked to share a note from Fred Jarrett, retiring King County Deputy Executive, that speaks to the importance of adding partners to the table. Fred wrote “the relationships one builds remains, in the end, best part of public service.” Dana Ralph commented that the WEF and FCD are completely intertwined and working on same river and it makes perfect sense to have all aspects of the work we’re doing represented in the room. Noel Gilbrough commented that it was a great idea.

Michelle Clark accepted the invitation for the FCD and announced that she will be the representative for them. Dennis Robertson announced that he and Bill Peloza will not be running for re-election in 2020. Marlla Mhoon will be. They will still be involved with WRIA 9, but their current roles of Management Committee Chair and WEF Co-Chair need to be filled by elected officials. Dennis hopes to bring on the replacements before next November to allow for a transition period. Dennis asked for people to contact him if they are interested.

The Watershed Ecosystem Forum unanimously approved inviting the King County Flood Control District to be a WEF member.




VIII) King County Fish Passage Restoration Program Evan Lewis, Fish Passage Project Manager at King County, provided an update on his work to the WEF. Evan will be focusing on barriers that the County has a responsibility for, either by ownership, or operations and maintenance. Zackuse Creek is an example of a King County culvert replacement to restore Kokanee and coho access for the first time in decades. Evan and his team have proposed 36 projects in the next biennium budget that are similar to the Zackuse Creek project and when complete, would open up about 150 miles of habitat. Out of those 36 projects, 12 are in WRIA 9. These projects will give us opportunities to pilot a few different approaches and learn from them going forward. In addition to those on the ground projects, Evan’s team will work to identify barriers. There are roughly 500 County facilities identified in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) database, 200 of which are listed as barriers and 100 are listed as unknown. When cross referencing, King County estimates there are closer to 2,000-3,000 sites that need to be surveyed. The County is hiring four temporary positions in early 2019 to complete a comprehensive survey to look at culverts, pipes, bridges, flood gates, and stormwater facilities from a fish perspective. The team will create an inventory of the condition and remaining life of each asset and will also look at water typing where feasible. The team will mostly work downstream to upstream. They’ll be working largely from WDFW protocols, but might be constrained by property access. King County will work with tribes, the State, and other jurisdictions to plan out a robust habitat assessment while staying on a timeline of two years. The goal is to prioritize and sequence projects to get the maximum benefit in the quickest time period. This prioritization will require a regional dialogue, as infrastructure needs and habitat needs are often not aligned. Evan assumes that additional funding will be needed to remedy County barriers within the next several decades. His team will be working to find a sustainable funding strategy to complete the removal of King County fish passage barriers. Evan’s team will develop a prioritization methodology in early 2019, and will hopefully start the two-year survey process in late February 2019. The goal is to implement the approved program in June 2021. Marlla Mhoon commented that about 12 years ago or more, the tribes did a similar evaluation of which streams historically had salmon and what barriers existed. Evan replied that while no one has captured all of the barriers in one survey before, his team will be looking to capture existing information first. So far, they have mapped the stormwater system and road culverts, but don’t have the barriers located yet. Chris Searcy asked if the King County Roads team will be doing the barrier removals. Evan replied that at the planned pace, his team will need support beyond what King County Roads can provide and a lot of the work will be contracted out. Josh Baldi added that the Roads crew is currently at capacity and the section is being transferred to a new department that is also short on funding. Josh hypothesized that the County might acquire another roads crew in the future. Elizabeth Butler asked if Evan’s team is considering the impact of climate change on increasing peak flows. Evan replied that WDFW has done some analysis of culvert design standards in relation to climate change and Evan’s team will make sure that their work will last its life time. Larry Fisher commented that WDFW’s science team is looking into this and will have recommendations. Kollin Higgins added that the WRIA 9 Implementation Technical Committee (ITC) looked at this a few years ago, and because most of King County’s infrastructure is in the rain zone below the snow line, climate change won’t have as big of an impact. Tyler Patterson noted that Tacoma Water has replaced 30 culverts since 2001. Marlla Mhoon added that opening up fish barriers isn’t only good for spawning habitat, but also for rearing habitat. Evan agreed and stated that part of what his team is looking at is how to get fish into off channel areas.

IX) Salmon Recovery Manager Report Doug Osterman conveyed recent funding announcements. At the November 7, 2018 Local Integrating Organization (LIO) meeting, 8 of the 14 ranked and prioritized near term actions were directly related to implementing the WRIA 9 Salmon Habitat Plan. The King County Lones Levee Setback project in the Middle Green River was ranked very high by the Floodplains by Design program and will receive funding through the State capital budget for design and construction. X) Wrap up/Next Steps Doug summarized that one of the next steps is to provide Michelle Clark with comments during the PEIS scoping process. Doug announced that the recruitment process for Karen Bergeron’s replacement is underway. Karen’s departure is a big loss for WRIA 9, as Karen has leveraged upwards of $160 million to implement the Salmon Habitat Plan in her 12 years as Habitat Project Coordinator. Karen showed true dedication to the Green River and salmon recovery. Noel Gilbrough commented that he recently spoke to US Army Corps of Engineers staff about fish passage at Howard Hanson Dam. The Corps has a draft biological opinion (biop) from the National Marine Fisheries Service and Noel hopes for a final biop by the end of 2018. Noel hopes this will give the Corps direction to move forward. The meeting adjourned at 6:20 pm. The next WEF meeting is on February 28, 2019 from 4-6:30pm at Tukwila Community Center.


WRIA 9 Leadership History

Year Forum Management Committee

Steering Committee

1998 Wally Rants, Chair, Tukwila

- Dwight Pelz, Chair, King County

1999 - Dwight Pelz, Chair, King County

Wally Rants, Vice Chair, Tukwila

2000 Chuck Booth, Chair, Auburn

-

2001

Steve Mullet, Chair, Tukwila

2002 Steve Mullet, Chair,

Tukwila 2003 Rebecca Clark, Co-Chair, Covington

Dow Constantine, Co-Chair, King County

2004 2005

Steve Mullet, Chair, Tukwila

Rebecca Clark, Vice Chair, Covington

2006 2007 Dow Constantine, Co-

Chair, King County Bill Peloza, Co-Chair,

Auburn 2008 Joan McGilton, Chair,

Burien Tim Clark, Vice Chair,

Kent

Joan McGilton, Chair, Burien

-End of Steering Committee-

2009 Joan McGilton, Chair, Burien

Bill Peloza, Vice Chair, Auburn

2010

Marlla Mhoon, Co-Chair, Covington

Bill Peloza, Co-Chair, Auburn

2011 2012 2013 2014

Dennis Robertson, Chair, Tukwila

2015 2016 2017 2018 2019


2019 FEDERAL PRIORITIES FOR PUGET SOUNDWATERSHED HEALTH AND SALMON HABITAT RECOVERY Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9)

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• Support an appropriations requestof at least $80 million for the PacificCoast Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF)in Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science,and Related Agencies Appropriations for FY 2019 asrequested by the Governors of Alaska, California,Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Restore or increasePCSRF funding to support Lead Entity operatingcapacity in Washington State.

• Continued funding of the National Estuary Program.

• Support the “Promoting United Government E�ortsto Save Our Sound Act” (PUGET SOS Act), whichwill establish a Puget Sound Recovery NationalProgram O�ce in the Environmental ProtectionAgency to provide for the coordination of federalPuget Sound recovery e�orts with state, local andtribal recovery e�orts.

• The following critical actions are necessary to betaken by the Army Corps of Engineers:

� Commence implementation of theCongressionally-authorized Duwamish-GreenEcosystem Restoration Project and congressshould accordingly appropriate funding forimplementation.

� Significantly elevate and expedite planning,design, and construction of a downstream fishpassage facility at Howard Hanson Dam. Congressshould appropriate funding to expedite planningfor and constructing the facility.

• Include climate change impacts in EndangeredSpecies Act 4(d) evaluation of threatened andendangered species.

• Request $1.5 million to partner with WashingtonState and local governments of WRIA 9 for treeplanting/shading of the temperature impairedGreen River.

• Support increased collaboration between theGreen/Duwamish and Central Puget SoundWatershed and Urban Waters Federal Partnershipto better integrate social equity and environmentaljustice into salmon recovery activities.

For information about these priorities please contact: Doug Osterman, 206-477-4793WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager, Green/Duwamish Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9) [email protected] http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/

W O R K I N G T O G E T H E R T O M A K E O U R W A T E R S H E D F I T F O R A K I N GWRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum 2/28/19 - of 21

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• Support continued e�orts to explore dedicated watershed-based funding authorities to support multiple-benefit projects that address salmon habitat protection and restoration, water quality, stormwater management, and flood management.

• Support $80 million for salmon recovery projects under the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration Program.

• Support $55.3 million for salmon recovery projects under the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.

• Support $20 million for nearshore restoration projects under the Estuary and Salmon Recovery Program.

• Support $70 million for floodplain restoration projects under the Floodplains by Design program.

• Support $90 million for the Stormwater Financial Assistance Program.

• Support State Capital Budget appropriations:� $1,075,021 for Saltwater State Park estuary and

nearshore restoration project. Project located in the City of Des Moines.

� $5,307,492 for Downey Farmstead floodplain restoration construction. Project located in the City of Kent.

� $1.5 million for tree planting/shading of the temperature impaired Green River. Priority project areas located in the Cities of Seattle, Tukwila, Kent, Auburn, Covington, Enumclaw, and Unincorporated King County on the Enumclaw Plateau and Middle Green River.

� $50 million for acquisition of priority properties along the Duwamish River in areas of high equity and social justice need. Project located in the Cities of Seattle and Tukwila.

• Reinstate Fish and Wildlife Commission Policy C3619, Hatchery and Fishery Reform, to advance

conservation and recovery of wild salmon and steelhead by promoting and guiding implementation of hatchery reform.

• Support conservation of Southern Resident Killer Whales with the following conditions:� Retain and reinvigorate the “State Extinction is Not

an Option” salmon recovery strategy, Salmon Recovery Act, and Lead Entity salmon habitat plans.

� Significantly increase funding to implement Lead Entity salmon habitat plans to recover Chinook salmon. Do not redirect funding for Lead Entity Chinook salmon recovery implementation to Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery.

� Collaborate with Puget Sound Lead Entities and Salmon Recovery Council on all considerations for increasing hatchery fish and hatchery releases that will deleteriously impede Lead Entity goals for increasing wild salmon by implementing salmon habitat plans to recover Chinook salmon.

• Support $10.5 million for cleanup of Puget Sound toxics sites. Support e�orts to ensure financial stability and appropriate expenditures for the Model Toxics Control Account.

• Provide funding for the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to implement priority projects based on Department of Ecology (DOE) approved stormwater retrofit analyses.

For information about these priorities please contact: Doug Osterman, 206-477-4793WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager, Green/Duwamish Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9) [email protected] http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/

2019 STATE PRIORITIES FOR PUGET SOUNDWATERSHED HEALTH AND SALMON HABITAT RECOVERY Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (WRIA 9)

W O R K I N G T O G E T H E R T O M A K E O U R W A T E R S H E D F I T F O R A K I N GWRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum 2/28/19 - of 21

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Project Highlights:• Improve stream habitat

• Increase the quality and amount of shallowintertidal nearshore and marsh habitats

• Provide habitat for beach spawning smelt andsand lance—a much-needed food source

for salmon

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MCSORLEY CREEK POCKET ESTUARY & SHORELINE RESTORATION PROJECTCreating marine shoreline habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon

CONTACT: Doug Osterman,WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager206-477-4793 [email protected]

www.kingcounty.gov/saltwatersp

Location: Saltwater State Park, City of Des Moines

Districts:Federal Congressional: 9

State Legislative: 33King County Council: 5

Capital request:$1,075,021

Remove approximately 1,000 feet of marine shoreline armoring north of the mouth of McSorley Creek to improve �sh and wildlife habitat along a heavily modi�ed shoreline at Saltwater State Park. The �ll that buried the original beach will be excavated and re-graded to a natural beach.

Remove rock armoring along 150 feet of both banks of McSorley Creek upstream from the mouth, restore the channelized stream channel for 400 feet, and create a one acre “pocket estuary”—a tidal wetland—which is habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon.

Reconnect the feeder blu� to the marine nearshore and reestablish natural shoreline sediment transport processes, which result in re-creation of forage �sh habitat.

Rebuild parking area and park buildings at a higher elevation to reduce the risk of �ooding, increase climate resiliency, and redesign recreational amenities impacted by the restoration.


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Project highlights:• This project is ranked as a regionally

important salmon recovery project for state funding.*

• Create 2,000 feet of new side channel habitat,reconnecting 8-10 acres of floodplain and

restoring 4-6 acres of juvenile Chinook salmon rearing and refuge habitat.

Create four to six acres of rearing and refuge habitat for juvenile Chinook salmon, improving salmon maturation in the winter months and slow-water rearing habitat for juvenile salmon in the spring months.

Plant 30,000 native trees and shrubs over17 acres and along 1,700 feet of the river.

Create 130 acre-feet of flood storage and lower flood elevations about six inches, benefiting flood storage all the way to Auburn.

*This nineteen-acre project site was acquired in2009 with funding from the Salmon RecoveryFunding Board.

DOWNEY FARMSTEAD RESTORATION PROJECT Creating safe rearing and refuge habitat for Chinook salmon

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CONTACT: Doug Osterman, WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager206-477-4793 [email protected]

Location: City of Kent

Districts:Federal Congressional: 9


Capital Request:$5,307,492

FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/



Project Highlights:

• Acquire land for Improving water qualityand restoring tree shade, along the Green

River and the Soos and Newaukum Creeks

• Improve habitat for threatened Chinookand steelhead

RE-GREEN THE GREEN PROJECTTree planting/shading of temperature impaired Green/Duwamish River

Shade-producing tree canopies along WRIA 9 riparian areas are urgently needed in order to improve conditions for salmon and to meet water temperature standards. When mature, tree canopies will help meet the directives of the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and Native American fishing rights reserved by federal treaty (the 1974 “Boldt Decision”).

Planting trees along rivers and streams will:

– Increase climate resiliency

– Improve public health, equity, and social justice byfocusing on adding trees to riparian corridors inurbanized areas and low income ethnically diversecommunities

– Improve public safety

– Reduce stormwater runo� volumes and pollution

TRACK PROGRESS AT: http://gismaps.kingcounty.gov/treeplantingViewer/

CONTACT: Doug Osterman, WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager206-477-4793 [email protected]

Locations: Priority areas along the Green River and

Soos, Newaukum Creeks where trees are absent: Cities of Auburn, Covington,

Enumclaw, Kent, Renton, Seattle and Tukwila and rural King County.

Districts:Federal Congressional: 5, 7, 8, 9

State Legislative: 5, 11, 31, 33, 34, 47King County Council: 7, 8, 9

Capital request:$1.5 million

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Location: Cities of Seattle, Burien and Tukwila

and rural King County

Districts:Federal Congressional: 7, 9

State Legislative: 11, 34King County Council: 8

Capital request: $50,000,000

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DUWAMISH ACQUISITIONS PROJECTAcquisitions for enhancing salmon habitat restoration in the Duwamish River Transition Zone

Project Highlights:• Acquire land most critical for Chinookrecovery in the Transition Zone of the

Duwamish River

• Maps of existing, planned, and potentialrestoration sites

• Incorporates ideas from communitymembers, experts and elected

o�cials

City of Seattle

Acquire targeted and prioritized properties to establish the footprint for future habitat restoration within the Transition Zone.

WRIA 9 and federal, state, local and private sector partners developed the Duwamish Blueprint— a strategy for guiding habitat restoration in the Transition Zone of the Duwamish River, where juvenile salmon adapt from fresh to salt water. Less than three percent of the historic intertidal wetland habitat critical to juvenile Chinook salmon survival remains.


CONTACT:Doug Osterman, WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager206-477-4793 [email protected]

http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/


King County is proposing to remove the Lones Levee to restore a dynamic, natural floodplain on the Green River for salmon and orca. The levee currently is disconnected from its historic floodplain preventing dynamic flow patterns of the river and restricting normal habitat development like channel migration and wood recruitment.

Once the failing levee is gone, the river will quickly develop a complex pattern with logjams, floodplain ponds, and flood channels; greatly expanding Chinook and other salmon rearing, refuge, and spawning habitat. A new setback levee will provide protection for adjacent farmlands.

CONTACT: Doug Osterman, WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager [email protected] www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/

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LONES LEVEE RESTORATIONImprove juvenile salmon rearing and adult spawning by reconnecting the Green River with its historic floodplain.

Location: King County

Districts: Federal Congressional: 8


Capital Request: $4,209,497

Failed portion of levee; its face-rock is gone and its integrity compromised

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• Removes 1,800 feet of failing levee• Adds large wood and gravel in

floodplain for habitat improvement• Protects adjacent agricultural land

by constructing a setback levee


W9WEFMCMtgSchedule2019.docx

2019 MEETING SCHEDULE WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum & Management Committee 2019 Management Committee member jurisdictions: King County and Cities of Auburn, Covington, Federal Way, Renton, Seattle, and Tukwila. Ex-officio/service provider member: King County Water & Land Resources Division, Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

Watershed Ecosystem Forum Date and Time Location

Watershed Ecosystem Forum

Thursday, February 28 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Tukwila Community Center 12424 42nd Avenue South

Tukwila, WA


Thursday, May 9 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.


Tukwila, WA


Thursday, August 8 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.


Tukwila, WA


Thursday, November 14 4:00 – 6:30 p.m.


Tukwila, WA

Management Committee Date and Time Location

Management Committee Wednesday, February 20 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Tukwila City Hall Hazelnut Room

Management Committee Wednesday, April 24 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.


Management Committee Wednesday, July 24 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.


Management Committee Wednesday, October 30 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.



http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/committees/WEF.aspx


http://www.tukwilawa.gov/venue/tukwila-community-center/










http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/committees/WEFMC.aspx

http://www.tukwilawa.gov/venue/city-hall-hazelnut-conference-room/







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WRIA 9 Salmon Recovery Manager Report February 12, 2019

Seattle University (SU) Senior Project Sponsor—Desimone Oxbow The SU senior project to develop habitat restoration concepts for the Desimone Oxbow property on the Duwamish River is moving along. A draft report with design concepts will be presented to restoration experts on February 14th. Desimone Trust and Trust Properties under New Management As of June last year, there is new management of Desimone Trust properties and the Desimone Trust. Integrated Real Estate Services took over as property manager while Columbia Trust became the new Trust managers (and member of the Trust). On January 31st, I spoke with the new property manager about WRIA 9’s background and interest in the Desimone Oxbow property. He was aware of the background and interest, but hadn’t had time to review the folder of information that changed hands from the previous Trust managers, Bank of New York-Mellon. He said that there was no leasing or development activity at the Oxbow at this time, however that Dermody Properties LLC, a national development company with a Northwest Region office in Bellevue, was interested in the site. On Thursday, February 7th I learned that Dermody submitted a pre-application to Tukwila to build warehouses on the property in two phases. WRIA 9 and 8 Local Integrating Organization (LIO) The first meeting under the tutelage of Josh Baldi as chair, having been handed the baton from Fred Jarrett, of the South Central Action Area LIO was January 18th. Most of the meeting was spent getting reset with the departure of WRIA 10 which formed its own LIO for the Puyallup/White/Chambers Creek watershed, strengthening our relationship with the Puget Sound Partnership, and implementation of the Puget Sound Action Agenda. The focus of future meetings will be “deep dives” into significant activities in, involving, or affecting WRIAs 9 and 8. Our Green Duwamish Stormwater Strategy On February 7th, I attended a workshop of the Our Green Duwamish Stormwater Stakeholders group at the Tukwila Community Center…which included a pop quiz. A mapping tool with many data layers, basin prioritization criteria, and metrics for monitoring are under development for the watershed-wide stormwater strategy. A King County Technical Memorandum was prepared that estimates the annual average volume of treated and untreated stormwater runoff from developed lands in King County. Upshot of the study: Including contributions from KC Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) collection area, the total estimated stormwater runoff per year in the County is 145.7 billion gallons. Subtracting out WTD area contributions, the total stormwater runoff from developed land is 132.7 billion gallons. Lower Duwamish Waterway Roundtable The meeting planned for February 27th was cancelled due to the government shutdown. The Superfund Cleanup report is anticipated by early 2023 with construction beginning in mid-2023.


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Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Committee (WREC) WRIA 9 staff is participating on the WREC, led by the Department of Ecology to develop a watershed plan that identifies projects to offset potential consumptive use impacts to instream flows associated with new permit-exempt water use. WRIA 9 has been asked to serve as both as an ex-officio member and a caucus representative for several jurisdictions that do not have the staff time to dedicate to the effort. The final plan is expected in 2021. A presentation on the process for developing a watershed plan was provided to the WEF at its November 2018 meeting by Ecology.

Lower Green River Flood Hazard Reduction Plan and Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement

From October 24, 2018 Salmon Recovery Manager Report: The first meeting of the Advisory Committee was held on October 12th at the City of Renton Council Chambers. Dennis Robertson, Management Committee Chair, attended to represent WRIA 9. WRIA 9, Flood Control District, King County Water and Land Resources Division, Auburn, Kent, Renton, and Seattle staff attended. Operating guidelines, draft EIS scoping notice and fact sheet, study area characterization, and maps of three alternatives were distributed and presented. Six meetings are anticipated over two years, the time estimated to complete the programmatic environmental impact statement. The stated goal of the Lower Green River Corridor Flood Hazard Management Plan is to “provide a long-term approach to reduce flood risk and improve fish habitat while supporting the economic prosperity of the region”.

The City of Tukwila is convening a meeting of the mayors of the four cities of the Lower Green and King County administrative officials with WRIA 9 on November 2nd to discuss WRIA 9’s development of a “fourth alternative” that more strongly integrates salmon recovery needs. The goal is to garner support for an alternative by the four cities and King County to be submitted for evaluation of impacts. Three other alternatives to be evaluated by the programmatic environmental impact statement include: “No Action”; “Moderate Geographic Extent of Increased Level of Protection”; and “Greater Geographic Extent with Increased Level of Protection, Integrated Habitat and Recreation, Agricultural Protection Facilities, And Habitat Restoration Project Partnerships”. A scoping notice is anticipated in mid-November.

Update: The DPEIS scoping notice occurred on November 26, 2018. WRIA 9 worked collaboratively with the staff of the Lower Green Cities (focused on Tukwila, Kent, Auburn which all straddle the river) and King County to develop a “4th Alternative” to include with scoping comments by the January 29, 2019 deadline for comments. The Management Committee met on January 11th to review and discuss the 4th Alternative and other DPEIS scoping comments to submit to the Flood Control District. The Management Committee supported modifications to the existing pre-scoping letter (of August 2018 which was sent to the FCD), and agreed to a timeline and approach for review by the WEF. Drafts of the 4th Alternative, which includes a facility map and corresponding narratives, were distributed to the Mayors of the three river cities and King County Executive as the work was completed in the area of each jurisdiction (on or before January 18th). The Map and Narratives were updated as feedback was provided by the jurisdictions. The draft scoping letter, comments, and 4th Alternative were distributed


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to the WEF for review on January 23rd. The WEF was asked to provide feedback by January 28th. Comments from King County, Renton, Kent, and Seattle were received by February 1st (as the comment period was extended from January 29th to April 1st, correspondingly the time for WEF review was extended). The documents were revised pursuant to the comments, and distributed to the Management Committee for review on February 7th for discussion at its February 12th meeting. Congressional, Legislative, and Related Activity Chair Robertson and I met with Representative Pramila Jayapal’s staff, Lylianna Allala, on November 7th as a follow up to the August 13, 2018 Congressional tour of the Soos Creek Hatchery, Howard Hanson Dam, and Tacoma Diversion Dam. Dating back to the 2017 Puget Sound Day on the Hill in Washington, DC, Representative Jayapal has expressed great interest in the work of WRIA 9 and the ongoing need to have the Corps of Engineers at our table. A follow up meeting with Lylianna is February 14th. Councilmember Marlla Mhoon and I attended the “Salmon Day on the Hill” in Olympia on Tuesday, February 5th. We formally and informally met with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Senator Christine Rolfes and Senator Reuven Carlyle, respectively; Senator Mark Mullet, Capital Budget Cabinet; Representative Joe Fitzgibbon, Chair of the House Energy and Environment Committee; and Representatives Pat Sullivan and Debra Entenman and Senator Mona Das, all of the 47th Legislative District. We also distributed the WRIA 9 Legislative Priorities to the City of Covington’s lobbyist. All of the legislators were receptive to our legislative priorities, and genuinely seemed pleased to get the information. We were told that our timing was perfect as the capital budgeting process was about to commence. It was our sense that the legislators were well aware that the Governor’s capital budget proposals fall well short of need (especially as a response to the Orca Task Force recommendations) and that other funding initiatives competed with statewide salmon recovery capital needs. The highlight for me was, for the first time in many years visiting with legislators, I didn’t hear any push back such as “salmon fatigue,” “transportation first”, or “education First”. The funding of both the Salmon Recovery Funding Board and Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration programs need to be funded at much greater levels in order to fund critically important habitat projects in WRIA 9, including the Downey Farmstead project in Kent. Suzanna Smith (see introduction below) is attending the “Floodplains by Design Day on the Hill” in Olympia on February 12th with three others from King County staff and resident of the Middle Green River area. The Nature Conservancy organized this opportunity to meet with legislators. WRIA 9’s habitat project, Lones Levee, is on the prioritized list of projects to fund by Floodplains by Design, but the program needs to funded at greater level that the Governor’s proposed budget in order to fund this major levee setback project in the Middle Green sponsored by King County. [Due to inclement weather, the Foodplains by Design Day on the Hill on February 12th has been cancelled] Suzanna Smith hired as WRIA 9 Habitat Projects Coordinator Suzanna joins WRIA 9 after over five years as an Ecosystem Recovery Coordinator for the Puget Sound Partnership (PSP). At PSP, Suzanna was with the Salmon Recovery Manager and Director of Policy and


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Planning Program where she developed the long-term strategic plan for implementing habitat capital projects in Puget Sound. Implementation of the strategic plan included managing the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration funding program. Among entities that she coordinated funding policy and allocation included the Recreation and Conservation Office, Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Council, Salmon Recovery Funding Board. Prior to her work at PSP, Suzanna developed the Wetland Program Plan for Washington State while at the Department of Ecology. She holds a Master of Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University, Bachelor of Science in Marine Science/Biology from Coastal Carolina University, and studied biology at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. Suzanna’s first day in her new WRIA 9 capacity was January 7th.


wria 9 watershed ecosystem forum€¦ · threat to orcas. salmon make up 97-98% of their diet, and...

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