5 local organizations awarded nearly $4.7M for Pierce County salmon recovery projects

Five local organizations will share nearly $4.7 million in state grants for nine Pierce County projects that aim to restore salmon habitat, conserve pristine areas, and help bring salmon back from the brink of extinction.

In total, the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board awarded more than $44 million to organizations for 141 projects in 28 counties throughout Washington state. Funding for the grants comes from the sale of state bonds and the federal Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

“Salmon recovery is an important priority in Washington,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “These efforts help ensure that our grandchildren will be able to see this iconic species return home every year. We are preserving salmon for the families and businesses that rely on them for their livelihoods, their recreational pursuits, and their culture or sustenance. We also are helping our communities restore lands that will yield other important values like resilience to flooding or habitat for a variety of other species. It’s a smart investment any way you look at it.”

The organizations awarded grants for projects in Pierce County include:

ORGANIZATION: Forterra
GRANT AMOUNT: $163,152
PROJECT: Studying the Possibility of Removing the Chambers Creek Dam

ORGANIZATION: Nisqually Land Trust
GRANT AMOUNT: $129,370
PROJECT: Conserving Little Mashel River Habitat

ORGANIZATION: Nisqually Land Trust
GRANT AMOUNT: $724,165
PROJECT: Conserving the Mashel River

ORGANIZATION: Nisqually River Foundation
GRANT AMOUNT: $41,500
PROJECT: Monitoring Hatchery and Wild Chinook

ORGANIZATION: Pierce County
GRANT AMOUNT: $875,631
PROJECT: Buying Land and Planning Restoration along the Puyallup River

ORGANIZATION: Pierce County
GRANT AMOUNT: $105,000
PROJECT: Studying the Feasibility of Removing Two Fish Barriers on Purdy Creek

ORGANIZATION: South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group
GRANT AMOUNT: $1,363,438
PROJECT: Restoring South Prairie Creek

ORGANIZATION: South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group
GRANT AMOUNT: $1,190,000
PROJECT: Restoring the Mashel River

ORGANIZATION: South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group
GRANT AMOUNT: $56,500
PROJECT: Studying the Feasibility of Replacing a Culvert on Crescent Creek

A complete list of grant recipients is available online here.

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board funding for salmon recovery projects in Pierce County, click on the following links: