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 PACIFIC COASTAL SALMON RECOVERY FUND 

 FY2000 PROGRAM REPORT

INTRODUCTION

The Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund (PCSRF) was established in FY2000 under P.L. 

106-113 (Department of Commerce, Justice, and the State, the Judiciary and Related Agencies 

Appropriations Act, 2000) to provide grants to the States and Tribes for the purpose of assisting 

state, local and tribal salmon recovery efforts. The PCSRF was requested by the President and 

the Governors of the states of Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska in response to listings 

of coastal salmon and steelhead runs under the Endangered Species Act and the need to form 

lasting partnerships with state, local and tribal governments and the public for saving Pacific 

salmon and their important habitats. 

West coast salmon populations have declined markedly from historical levels due to the 

combined effects of hydropower operations, habitat destruction, ocean harvest, hatchery-fish 

impacts, and poor land-use, transportation and water-resource decisions. The first ESA listing of 

a salmon run occurred in 1990, and over the ten years the number of listed runs and acreage of 

associated protected habitat areas has grown dramatically. Recovery and conservation of these 

ESA listed salmonid populations and their habitats requires participation and cooperation at the 

local level. A primary goal of salmon conservation is the restoration of healthy populations of 

naturally spawning wild salmon populations and the habitats upon which they depend across a 

wide range of environmental conditions which will provide harvestable surpluses to support 

treaty and non-treaty fishing opportunities consistent will existing law. The PCSRF is intended 

to supplement existing and proposed federal programs and promote the development of federalstate-tribal-local partnerships in salmon recovery and conservation which will promote 

efficiencies and effectiveness in the recovery effort through enhanced sharing and pooling of 

capabilities, expertise and information. 

BACKGROUND

Congress appropriated 58 million dollars for the PCSRF in FY2000 to be used for 1) salmon 

habitat restoration; 2) salmon stock enhancement; 3) salmon research; and, 4) implementation of 
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the Pacific Salmon Treaty Agreement and related agreements [Section 623(d)(3) of P.L. 106-

113]. The $58M PCSRF appropriation was distributed $50M to the States, $6M to Pacific 

coastal tribes, and $2M for Columbia River tribes in accordance with Section 623(d)(3) of P.L. 

106-113. The Conference Report to the Department of Commerce, Justice, and the State, the 

Judiciary and Related Agencies (H. Rept. 106-479) stipulated that the $50M PCSRF for the 

states would be distributed $18M for Washington State, $14M for Alaska, $9M for Oregon, and 

$9M for California. P.L. 106-113 also mandated that the PCSRF funds to States would be 

subject to a 25 percent non-federal match, and that administrative costs for States would be 

limited to 3 percent. 

The FY2000 Appropriations Conference Report (H. Rept. 106-479) also 1) encouraged 

development of Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) between NMFS and State/Tribes on 

distribution of funds to qualifying projects, and that such MOUs will not require NMFS approval 

of individual projects, but will define recovery strategies for projects; 2) placed additional 

requirements on the PCSRF funds to Washington, Oregon and Washington tribes; and 3) 

imposed a September 1, 2000 reporting requirement on the states and tribes. This report 

summarizes the individual reports submitted to the Congressional Committees pursuant to the 

September 1 reporting requirement. Copies of the individual reports are available from NMFS 

Northwest Regional Office. 

AGREEMENTS AND GRANTS/CONTRACTS FOR THE PCSRF FUNDS

In accordance with Congressional direction, NMFS developed MOUs with all 4 states, the 

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (on the behalf of 20 western Washington treaty tribes), 

and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (on the behalf of 4 Columbia River basin 

tribes). The MOUs established processes for State/tribal distribution of the funds using criteria 

for effective use of the funds towards salmon recovery including reporting requirements, 

monitoring and evaluation, and other performance measures or standards to ensure full 

accountability and public access to the information and data collected with these funds. 

Subsequent to execution of the MOUs, the PCSRF funds were distributed to the four states, 

NWIFC, and CRITFC through the issuance of NOAA grants. PCSRF funding was also provided 

to the Yurok Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe and the Round Valley Indian Tribes through the 

issuance of NOAA grants. PCSRF funding to five tribes in Oregon and southwest Washington 

was issued through Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) contracts under a NMFS/BIA reimbursable 

agreement. Issuance of these grants and contracts for the PCSRF funds began in April 2000 with 

some grants/contracts not being in place until the end of the fiscal year (September 2000) 

causing delays in the commencement of work such that some work will be occurring in 2001 or 

later. For example, some of the instream and riparian habitat restoration work can only occur in 

the summer construction “windows” thus pushing the actual work into 2001 and beyond. Also, 

the state procedures set forth in the MOUs for distribution of PCSRF funds to locally based 

qualifying projects involved application preparation and submission timeframes, and review and 

selection processes that will result in the actual distribution of the PCSRF funds to successful 

applicants in 2001 and actual on-the-ground work occurring at a later time, possibly into 2002 
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and beyond, when planning and permit actions are completed and field conditions are 

appropriate for the work. 

SUMMARY OF STATE/TRIBAL PCSRF PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES

The PCSRF is being used by West Coast states and Tribes for a variety of projects and activities 

to assist in the recovery of salmon as described in the state/tribal reports (available from NMFS). 

A summary of the FY2000 state/tribal programs from the reports submitted is provided below. 

State of Washington

In accordance with the FY2000 Appropriations Conference Report (H. Rept. 106-479), the 

$18.0M PCSRF funds for Washington were provided to “the Washington State Salmon 

Recovery Funding Board to distribute for salmon habitat projects, other salmon recovery 

activities, and to implement the Washington Forest and Fish Agreement authorized by the 

Washington State Legislature.” The Salmon Recovery Funding Board is a Washington State 

body created by the Washington state legislature in 1999 to effectively invest state and federal 

funds for salmon recovery projects. The Conference Report further stipulated that “the Board 

will establish performance standards to inform its project funding decisions, and will give due 

deference to the project prioritization work being performed by local watershed organizations. 

Entities eligible to receive federal funds for salmon recovery projects and activities from the 

Board include local governments, tribes and non-profit organizations.” The Washington Salmon 

Recovery Funding Board entered into an MOU with NMFS through its Administrative Office, 

the State of Washington Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, a state agency. The 

MOU established PCSRF priorities, criteria and strategy for the efficient allocation of funds for 

projects and activities. 

The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board provided $4.0M of the PCSRF funds to 

the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to support Washington’s Forest and 

Fish Agreement in accordance with the Conference Report (H. Rept. 106-479). The DNR is 

using the PCSRF to design and construct hydrography and forest roads databases, map upland 

slopes and update landslide inventories, increase staffing capacity for field work to implement 

new Forest and Fish rules, and improve public access and review of proposed forest practice 

activities. 

The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board will distribute the remainder of the FY2000 

PCSRF funds in a statewide grant competition, which commenced in June 2000. The funds will 

be used to support proposals derived through local watershed groups, known as lead entities. To 

help ensure the Board’s work and local efforts incorporate good science, the Board established a 

multidisciplinary technical panel with broad expertise. To date, the panel has visited each of the 

lead entities throughout the state. This has enabled effective understanding of local watershed 

conditions and local strategies for achieving salmon recovery. Based on the requests and the 

technical panel’s review and recommendations, final funding decisions for distribution of 

Washington’s FY2000 PCSRF funds to qualified, priority projects occurred in January 2001, 
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together with state funds. The types of projects funded include acquisition of key salmon 

habitat, habitat improvements (including vegetation plantings for stream shading, fish passage 

barrier removal, and large woody debris placement), and feasibility studies that will help to 

identify future priority projects. 

State of Oregon

In accordance with the FY2000 Appropriations Conference Report (H. Rept. 106-479), the 

$9.0M PCSRF funds for Oregon were provided to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board 

(OWEB). The Conference report stipulated that OWEB would “provide funding for salmon 

recovery projects and activities including planning, monitoring, habitat restoration and 

protection, and improving state and local council capacity to implement local projects which 

directly support salmon recovery.” OWEB entered into an MOU with NMFS that established 

PCSRF priorities, criteria and strategies for the efficient allocation of funds for statewide projects 

and activities. The MOU incorporated the Conference Report stipulations as well as an OWEB 

priority to encourage watershed enhancement efforts that support recovery of native salmonids. 

OWEB distributed the PCSRF funds in tandem with the state funds, allowing flexibility to target 

investments to both meet local needs and achieve significant, long-term improvements in salmon 

and watershed health. Criteria for assessing proposals and awarding funds were established by 

Oregon state rules, and were applied through regional teams comprised of state and federal 

natural resource field staff with first hand knowledge of local conditions. Through these 

competitive and technical review processes, OWEB distributed the FY2000 PCSRF funds to 1) 

watershed enhancement projects; 2) assessment of watershed conditions; 3) monitoring of 

watershed conditions; 4) education and outreach; and, 5) Watershed Council support; and 6) 

State agency projects supporting watershed restoration. 

OWEB used the PCSRF funds for watershed enhancement projects consisting of locally 

sponsored restoration projects designed to recover pacific salmon and restore and enhance 

watershed health through creation of salmon habitat in streams; removal of barriers to salmon 

migration; enhancement of riparian, wetland and estuarine areas; reduction of point and nonpoint sources of water pollution; reduction of non-natural erosion to streams; increasing instream 

water flows to benefit salmon; and, acquiring interests in land and water to protect salmon and 

watershed health. Local watershed councils and soil and water conservation districts are 

conducting watershed assessments with PCSRF funds to find out where, within a given 

watershed, work is needed to restore natural processes or features related to fish habitat and 

water quality. Watershed conditions are monitored to better understand trends in salmon 

populations and watershed health and to determine whether completed restoration projects have 

achieved their intended goals. PCSRF funds distributed to Watershed Councils are being used to 

undertake restoration activities, partnering with agencies and private ' interests, educating and 

involving people in restoration, and monitoring watershed conditions to understand the 

effectiveness of restoration work. PCSRF funds to state agencies is for projects such as analysis 

of stream temperature and assessment of salmon needs; water quality and habitat monitoring 

equipment; production of watershed assessment manuals; wetland and riparian inventory and 
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mapping; state outreach and education program; and mapping of streams and salmonid 

distribution. PCSRF also were used to fund the Independent Multidisciplinary Science Team 

that was established to provide independent, scientific review and oversight of the 

implementation of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. 

State of California

The California Resources Agency and Department of Fish and Game entered into an MOU with 

NMFS that established the approaches and strategies that California will use for developing an 

effective program for distribution of the PCSRF funds. Eligible projects for the $9.0M of 

PCSRF funds for California include fish passage improvement projects (e.g. culvert repair and 

replacements, check dam/small dam removal, and construction of fishways); conservation 

easement and other incentive program projects; projects that protect and improve water quality 

and quantity, including acquisition of water from willing sellers; coastwide demonstration 

project such as the Redwood Creek proposal in Humboldt County; research projects that advance 

the science of anadromous fish recovery and result in recommendations for restoration and 

management activities; protection and restoration of watersheds and riparian corridors; education 

projects; and, monitoring projects that provide baseline and/or trend data for anadromous fish 

populations or physical factors known to be limiting their recovery. 

California distributed the PCSRF funds to projects by two means; through a competitive process 

and through a discretionary process to facilitate funding of on-the-ground projects that could be 

initiated in the summer of 2000. Thirty restoration projects out of 117 proposals were funded 

from the discretionary funds based on having a high likelihood of immediate benefit to salmon 

over a large scale of watershed and initiation during the seasonal low water period in summer. A 

total of 423 proposals totaling $66M were submitted for the competitive process. Those 

applications were being evaluated for technical merit in September 2000. Successful projects for 

the FY2000 PCSRF funds should be issued in time to commence work in the summer of 2001. 

State of Alaska

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADFG) entered into an MOU with NMFS that 

establishes PCSRF priorities, criteria and strategy for the efficient allocation of funds for 

statewide projects and activities. The MOU designates four specific project areas for funding: 1) 

salmon habitat and stock research and monitoring; 2) habitat stewardship and restoration; 3) 

increasing economic opportunities for Southeast Alaska fishers and, 4) cooperative projects with 

Canada, treaty Indian tribes, and Pacific Northwest States. The State has developed the 

processes and programs necessary to ensure that the funds are directed to the highest priority 

needs, are wisely and efficiently allocated, and involve stakeholders and scientists in a 

meaningful process. 

ADFG will use the $14.0M of PCSRF funds for Alaska to conduct a landscape-scale assessment 

of Southeast Alaska salmon habitat and stocks in order to identify monitoring and research gaps 

and priorities, and habitat stewardship and restoration opportunities. As of September 1, 2000, 
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none of the PCSRF funds had been distributed. Approved projects for the PCSRF funds include 

1) the retooling of the Pacific Salmon Commission's chinook model for chinook salmon 

abundance on the West Coast that can be used as a tool for salmon fisheries management; 2) the 

operation of Crystal Lake Hatchery which will produce salmon that contribute to the common 

property harvest and provide significant economic benefits for the Southeast Alaska fishers; and 

3) a Taku River transboundary watershed assessment that will be used to improve salmon habitat 

and fisheries data and information regarding risks to sustaining optimum salmon production and 

foster discussions with Canada on how the watershed should be managed to insure the long-term 

sustainability of the common salmon resource. 

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (western Washington) 

 Nisqually Tribe Squaxin Island Tribe 

 Puyallup Tribe Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe 

 Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe 

 Skokomish Tribe Swinomish Tribe 

 Sauk-Suiattle Tribe Upper Skagit Tribe 

 Stillaguamish Tribe Muckleshoot Tribe 

 Suquamish Tribe Tulalip Tribe 

 Nooksack Tribe Lummi Tribe 

 Makah Tribe Hoh Tribe 

 Quileute Tribe Quinault Tribe 

The 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington, through their Northwest Indian Fisheries 

Commission (NWIFC), entered into an MOU with NMFS that established PCSRF priorities, 

criteria and procedures for intertribal allocation of the funds. The tribes are using $5.0M of the 

PCSRF Pacific coastal tribe funds to build upon tribal recovery programs that restore habitat to 

improve conditions essential to viable salmon populations; to conduct research and increase 

tribal capacity to improve the tribes' understanding of what salmon need and how to most 

efficiently and effectively provide those needs; to supplement wild salmon stocks in a manner 

that does not impede their recovery; and, to undertake hatchery reforms to minimize the impacts 

of artificial propagation on wild salmon. 

The western Washington tribes are utilizing PCSRF monies to build on ongoing cooperative 

efforts such as the “Wild Stock Restoration Initiative” and “Comprehensive Coho and 

Comprehensive Puget Sound Chinook Planning” and as part of a groundbreaking new 

cooperative approach -- “Shared Strategy”-- to salmon recovery in Washington. The “Shared 

Strategy” links ongoing wild salmon recovery initiatives at the tribal, state, federal and local 

levels to create a plan that will be viable and cost-effective. The Shared Strategy establishes, 

organizes and manages these links; identifies necessary long and short-term actions and 

coordinates funding needs; and proposes laws or policies needed to support wild salmon 

recovery. 

In the area of habitat restoration, NWIFC member tribe projects included a program by the 

Nisqually Tribe to design and implement restoration projects targeting the most highly 
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productive salmon habitat on the mainstem Nisqually River basin; cooperative work by the 

Skagit System Cooperative, which serves three tribes in the Skagit watershed, with a local 

watershed council and Seattle City Light Co. to restore badly degraded estuaries and undertake 

flood control activities while restoring salmon habitat in the Skagit River Valley; a project by the 

Suquamish Tribe in conjunction with the City of Bremerton and the state to restore salmon 

access to prime spawning and rearing habitat in over 85 percent of the Gorst Creek watershed 

that has been blocked since the early 1900s; Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe work through the local 

watershed council, the Dungeness River Management Team, for a wide range of cooperative 

habitat restoration efforts such as constructing engineered log jams in the Dungeness River to 

provide channel stability and improved habitat for juvenile and adult salmon; an estuary 

restoration project on Jimmycomelately Creek by the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe; Hoh Tribe 

work on big wood and coarse sediment storage; salmon habitat restoration in the Snohomish and 

Stillaguamish river basins by the Tulalip Tribes; constructing engineered logjams in the Sekiu 

River by the Makah Tribe; and, Skokomish River basin fish passage/channel improvements and 

a salmon habitat research initiative by the Skokomish Tribe. 

Salmon research conducted by NWIFC member tribes using the PCSRF funds include studies on 

the effects of fresh water and marine habitat conditions on fish populations; studies by the Hoh 

Tribe on the impacts of forest practices on functioning salmon habitat by measuring tree growth 

rates across a forested river basin through different types of soil and hydrologic regimes; 

research by the Skagit System Cooperative on how wild salmon respond to habitat restoration 

and destruction, information necessary to develop an accurate measurement of the link between 

habitats and the numbers of fish produced by those habitats; composition analysis of chinook, 

coho and chum runs in the Skagit River system; cooperative research by the Jamestown 

S'Klallam Tribe with the county and federal agencies on analysis of sediment transport and 

diking along the Dungeness River and the impact of flood protection structures on fish habitat; 

and, research by the Makah Tribe on factors limiting natural production of Lake Ozette sockeye; 

research and assessment of salmon recovery activities in the Nooksack River basin by the 

Lummi Tribe in cooperation with salmon co-managers, land-use managers, volunteer groups and 

citizen interest groups; groundwater and heat transport in the Hoh River watershed; spawner 

surveys and habitat assessments to determine fish passage in the Sol Duc River basin by the 

Quileute Tribe; Nooksack River basin spring chinook quantitative data collection by the 

Nooksack Tribe; studies on restoring salmon to the Elwha River basin by the Lower Elwha 

Klallam Tribe; Grovers Creek salmon research by the Suquamish Tribe; water quality research 

and monitoring of Tulalip, Battle and Quilceda creeks; and a juvenile fish trapping project that 

provides a direct measure of chinook and coho production and survival on the lower Skykomish 

River by the Tulalip Tribes. 

Wild stock enhancement and supplementation by NWIFC member tribes using PCSRF funds 

included supplementation of Queets River wild coho through capture of adult coho in the upper 

reaches of the watershed for use as broodstock by the Quinault Tribe; increasing production of 

Queets River wild coho by enhancing the river's nutrient content through distribution of spawned 

hatchery salmon carcasses in the watershed; and research by the Quinault Tribe on an array of 
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enhancement and supplementation strategies to boost production of Quinault River sockeye; and 

enhancement by the Puyallup Tribe of White River spring chinook and salmon in the upper 

Puyallup River watershed. 

With the PCSRF funds, the treaty Indian tribes in western Washington are becoming key 

participants in salmon recovery by building the necessary infrastructure to effectively implement 

recovery efforts necessary to restore wild salmon stocks. The PCSRF funds are being used for 

development of salmon recovery strategies and planning in the usual and accustomed fishing 

areas of the tribes including development of salmon recovery strategy for southern Puget Sound 

by the Squaxin Island Tribe; development of chinook and coho recovery strategies for the 

Stillaguamish and Snohomish basins by the Tulalip Tribe; salmon recovery planning and 

coordination in the Nooksack River basin by the Lummi Tribe; salmon recovery and habitat 

restoration by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe; Kitsap County salmon recovery plans by the 

Suquamish Tribe; and, a Stillaguamish River watershed integrated chinook salmon recovery 

project by the Stillaguamish Tribe. 

Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation (Washington) 

Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Oregon) 

Nez Perce Tribe (Idaho) 

The $2.0M of PCSRF funds for the Columbia River was issued to the Columbia River InterTribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama 

Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated 

Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Nez Perce Tribe. CRITFC entered into an 

MOU with NMFS that established program priorities, criteria and procedures for distribution of 

the funds to the four tribes for use in salmon habitat restoration, salmon stock enhancement, 

salmon research, and implementation of the Pacific Salmon Treaty Agreement. 

CRITFC staff is using PCSRF funds in support of tribal projects, including aid in annual project 

evaluation and monitoring, review of scientific basis of Evolutionary Significant Units and 

Artificial Propagation Policy, aid in development of Hatchery Genetic Management Plans, and 

development of methods for risk/benefit analyses. 

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon is using the PCSRF to 

assess fish production on the Warm Springs Reservation; to improve methodology for estimating 

fall chinook population in the Deschutes River; to participate in the John Day watershed 

restoration program; to outplant spring chinook under the Shitike Creek supplementation project; 

and, to undertake habitat restoration on reservation lands in the Warm Springs River and Shitike 

Creek including eradicating 13 miles of road, completing 5 miles of riparian planting, installing 5 

miles of riparian protection, and removing a headworks structure from Shitike Creek. 
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The Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation is using the PCSRF funds for the 

Hanson Ponds Flood Restoration Project that included removal of levees adding a mile of side 

channel habitat, restoring riparian habitat immediately adjacent to the river, and improving 

channel complexity; for increasing passage over Castile Falls for spring chinook and steelhead; 

for a coho re-introduction program utilizing the Washougal Hatchery; and, reversing habitat 

degradation caused by grazing in Ahtanum Creek by fencing and re-vegetating about 14 miles of 

the creek and constructing 9 off-channel stock watering sites. 

The Nez Perce Tribe is using the PCSRF funds for modifications to the Cottonwood Creek 

Acclimation facility to facilitate restoration of Snake River fall chinook to Grande Ronde River; 

for monitoring and evaluation of the Clearwater River coho supplementation program; for 

culvert removal in the Lolo Creek Watershed to restore salmon access and reduce sedimentation 

from failing culverts. 

The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is using the PCSRF funds for a 

cooperative program with agencies and landowners to improve instream passage in the upper 

Walla Walla River; for acquisition of 5 parcels totaling 612 acres in the Squaw Creek subbasin, 

encompassing 1.4 miles of fish bearing streams and 0.8 mile of ephemeral tributaries, providing 

permanent protection of salmon and steelhead spawning and rearing habitat; for replacement of a 

county road culvert in the upper Mission Creek Drainage with a bottomless, arch culvert; for a 

cooperative effort to provide upstream passage in Whiskey Creek, a tributary to the Touchet 

River, by removing an abandoned irrigation diversion dam; for purchase of a vehicle needed to 

assist tribal supplementation efforts, including moving adult broodstock as well as juveniles for 

acclimation and outplanting; and, for a public education program to increase awareness on 

Umatilla salmon life histories and on-going restoration efforts. 

Other Pacific Coastal Tribes

 Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation (Washington) 

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (Oregon) 

Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians (Oregon) 

Coquille Indian Tribe (Oregon) 

The Klamath Tribes (Oregon) 

Yurok Tribe (California) 

Hoopa Valley Tribe (California) 

Round Valley Indian Tribes (California) 

The Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation is using $50K of the PCSRF Pacific coastal 

tribe funds for habitat restoration projects in the Upper Chehalis River Basin. Project goals are 

to increase aquifer recharge capacity, add salmonid over-wintering habitat, and generally 

improve fish and wildlife habitat to the watershed. In Lincoln Creek, the Tribe is restoring 

natural hydrology to a 20 acre site by rerouting flows to pre-development conditions; increasing 

aquifer recharge capacity by re-establishing wetland complexes that are connected, by a series of 

weirs; eliminating drain tiles to add to the recharge capabilities of this stream reach; expanding 
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salmonid over-wintering habitat through weir placement and alcove construction; augmenting 

plant diversity through revegetation using a mixture of native species; and, improving in-channel 

habitat through large woody debris (LWD) placement. Off-channel/wetland restoration projects 

in Lincoln Creek include construction of 2000 feet of livestock exclusion fence, additional 

placement/loading of LWD into existing off-channel habitat; additional weir placement to 

increase water storage; and, additional revegetation to improve plant diversity and to replace 

plant/tree mortalities. 

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde is using $50K of the PCSRF Pacific coastal tribe funds 

to remove and replace four culverts that are restricting fish passage on four streams of the Tribe’s 

Reservation. The Tribe also partnered with neighboring landowners to remove and replace three 

additional culverts outside of the Reservation thereby improving fish passage across streams that 

cross property boundaries. The Tribe’s culvert replacement projects will restore fish passage to 

approximately 6.4 miles of stream in the Willamette River basin enhancing upstream movement 

of juvenile and adult salmonids for rearing and refuge from high waters. The habitat restoration 

projects will benefit Upper Willamette steelhead which are listed as threatened under the ESA. 

The Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon is using $50K of the PCSRF Pacific 

coastal tribe funds on a Salmonid Estuarine Habitat Restoration Project under a cooperative 

partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Long-term 

project goals for the salmonid habitat restoration in estuarine environments include 1) restoring 

previously diked salt marsh wetlands (degraded farm pastures) to natural tidally influenced salt 

marsh wetlands and 2) examining success rates (levels of fish use) for varying (partial or full 

dike removal) types of restoration methods. Over 1200 acres of previously diked salt marsh 

lands in the USFWS refuge are scheduled for restoration during the next few years. The USFWS 

will undertake the habitat restoration work and the Tribe will conduct studies on the response of 

fish populations to the restoration efforts. The USFS will coordinate monitoring with upstream 

land management activities. Initial work in this project includes GIS mapping of infrared aerial 

photography used to delineate plant communities and elevation data. 

The Coquille Indian Tribe is using $50K of the PCSRF Pacific coastal tribe funds for road 

decommissioning and riparian zone brush conversion in the Big Creek watershed in Oregon. 

The Tribe is decommissioning about 1 mile of roads on tribal lands to reduce fine sediment 

delivery into salmon habitat from old roads and culvert failure. The work includes ripping, 

planting, outsloping and water barring as needed to reduce the extended stream channel 

network. This project would also remove 25-30 culverts and their associated fill, restoring a 

more natural hydrologic flow connectivity of up-slope areas to the drainage network. Maximum 

temperature standard have been exceeded in Big Creek during summer flows and it is on DEQ's 

statewide 303(d) list of water quality limited water bodies. To begin providing a more natural 

thermal regime in the watershed over the long-term, the Tribe is also using the PCSRF for 13 

acres of riparian zone brush-to-conifer conversion to provide for increased shade and down logs. 

This project will restore natural vegetation patterns and assemblages as well as critical 

components of riparian function. 
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The Klamath Tribes is using $50K of the PCSRF Pacific coastal tribe funds to address water 

quality problems in the Upper Klamath Basin above Upper Klamath Lake in south-central 

Oregon. The highly degraded condition of Upper Klamath Lake and its watershed affects 

salmon and steelhead populations using the lower Klamath River system and potential future 

restoration of salmon to the upper basin. The PCSRF funds are being used to assess and address 

non-point source water pollution in the mainstem Sprague River, a major tributary to Upper 

Klamath Lake through which a disproportionately large amount of the overall nutrient load 

enters the lake system. The Tribe is developing a GIS-based watershed model, along with 

appropriate sub-models, to both quantify non-point source pollution and to model its response to 

various management actions 

The Yurok Tribe is using $250K of the PCSRF Pacific coastal tribe funds for habitat restoration 

projects in the Lower Klamath River, water quality monitoring in the Lower Klamath Tributary, 

assessment of anadromous salmonid stocks in Blue Creek, and Klamath River ecological 

investigations. The habitat restoration projects in the lower Klamath River include upslope 

restoration activities to reduce sedimentation problems in McGarvey Creek; construction of 

instream habitat structures in McGarvey Creek and stabilizing streambanks at key erosion points 

using boulder and cobble substrate; installation of rock gabions in a tributary to Blue Creek to 

encourage the stream to maintain connectivity with mainstem Blue Creek; and planting native 

conifer species throughout the riparian corridor in McGarvey and Blue Creeks. The water 

quality monitoring project includes the installation permanent stream gauging and water quality 

monitoring stations for lower McGarvey and Blue Creeks. Salmonid stock assessments include 

the operation of rotary screw trap in lower Blue Creek to monitor the emigration of juvenile 

salmonids from Blue Creek, and surveys using snorkeling techniques to enumerate adult 

salmonids and document spawning activity throughout the Blue Creek drainage. The Yurok 

Tribe is also participating in a multi-agency flow evaluation of the Klamath River and using 

PCSRF funds for personnel and equipment to collect physical and biological data in the Klamath 

River basin. 

The Hoopa Valley Tribe is using $250K of the PCSRF Pacific coastal tribe funds for habitat 

restoration projects, water quality monitoring, water diversion screen design and construction for 

Supply Creek, and conducting juvenile outmigrant monitoring in six tributaries of the lower 

Trinity River. The habitat restoration projects include an assessment of roads in Hostler and 

Soctish Creek watersheds to determine road systems needing decommissioning/stormproofing; 

road improvement work at various culvert locations in Supply, Pine and Soctish Creeks; heavy 

equipment operator training to reduce heavy equipment impacts to water quality and fish habitat; 

habitat and channel evaluations Soctish, Pine, and Hostler creeks. Water quality monitoring 

includes benthic macroinvertebrate sampling as an indicator of water quality/ watershed 

conditions, and installation of continuous water quality monitoring stations on Hostler and 

Soctish Creeks. 

The Round Valley Indian Tribes is using $250K of the PCSRF Pacific coastal tribe funds for 

road and culvert repair on the Big Bend Ranch Road to reduce sedimentation run-off into 
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salmon bearing tributaries of the North Fork Eel River; determining coho and steelhead usage 

and trends in watersheds within the tribe’s stewardship; purchase of heavy equipment for 

instream restoration and upslope road stabilization projects; development of a tribal warden 

program to enforce environmental laws and serve in an outreach capacity; continuation of a 

watershed monitoring program that collects physical and biological data from class 1 waterways 

within tribal boundaries; collection of fish license and tag data and development of a data 

system; and tribal infrastructure for instream monitoring, habitat assessments and watershed 

monitoring. 

 

Report prepared by: 

Joe Scordino 

Deputy Regional Administrator, Northwest Region 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

February 20, 2001