DESCRIPTION
This restoration project will restore Lower Quinault floodplain riparian habitat that has been degraded by invasive plant species such as knotweed and reed canary grass. These invasive species damage salmon habitat by displacing native vegetation that maintains natural ecosystem functions. These plants contribute to soil erosion and other water quality problems, create a gap in the aquatic food web, and choke out stream channels that salmon species use for migration and overwintering. This project aims to improve habitat and support Chinook, chum, coho, and sockeye salmon; bulltrout; and steelhead and cutthroat trout populations native to the Lower Quinault River. This multi-year effort, as prescribed by the WRIA 21 Strategy, will control invasive species in the Quinault Watershed using a top-down approach. This is the second year in the Phase I project area and covers 1,388 acres of riparian habitat over the upper 10 miles of the Lower Quinault River. Plants will be spot-treated using EPA-approved aquatic herbicide with low-pressure backpack sprayers. Infestations will be documented, tracked, and mapped using GPS units and ArcGIS. The Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) is the sponsor for this project. The QIN has partnered with Grays Harbor County, Olympic National Park and Forest, Rayonier, and private landowners in other knotweed projects in the Quinault watershed. Other grant funding sources obtained for knotweed control in the Quinault watershed include the NRCS, EPA, and USFW
The Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) made progress in improving Lower Quinault floodplain riparian habitat that has been degraded by invasive plant species such as knotweed and reed canary grass. These invasive species damage salmon habitat by displacing native vegetation that maintains natural ecosystem functions. These plants contribute to soil erosion and other water quality problems, create a gap in the aquatic food web, and choke out stream channels that salmon species use for migration, spawning, rearing, and overwintering. This project aimed to improve riparian habitat conditions that support chinook, chum, coho, and sockeye salmon; native char including Dolly Varden and Bull trout; and steelhead and cutthroat trout populations native to the Lower Quinault River. This multi-year effort, as prescribed by the WRIA 21 Strategy, controls invasive species in the Quinault Watershed using a top-down approach. This was the second year in the Phase I project area and covered 1,575 acres of riparian habitat over the upper 10 miles of the Lower Quinault River. Plants were spot-treated using EPA-approved aquatic herbicide with low-pressure backpack sprayers. Infestations were documented, tracked, and mapped using GPS units and ArcGIS. A portion of the treatment area on river mile 26 was also seeded with native seed to see if this would help aid revegetation. The Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) was the sponsor for this project. The QIN has partnered with Grays Harbor County, Olympic National Park and Forest, Rayonier, and private landowners in other knotweed projects in the Quinault watershed. Other grant funding sources obtained for knotweed control in the Quinault watershed include the NRCS, EPA, and USFWS.
The total cost of the project was $86,400 and was funded by the SRFB grant in the amount of $70,400 with match provided by the QIN in the amount of $16,000.
