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Strengthening the resilience of Washington’s coastal communities through collaboration, education, and knowledge exchange

Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program – WASHINGTON COASTAL HAZARDS RESILIENCE NETWORK

The Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program (ESRP) provides funding and technical assistance for shoreline and nearshore restoration efforts in Puget Sound, Washington. The program is managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), in partnership with the state Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) and Puget Sound Partnership (PSP). Although the primary objective of the program is to advance efforts to restore nearshore ecosystems of Puget Sound, selected habitat restoration projects provide additional benefits that help invest in communities, and build resilient coastlines through natural shoreline buffers that provide protection from climate change impacts, such as increased flooding and rising sea levels.  

CHRN’s network member Jay Krienitz is currently the ESRP manager at DFW. Jay has discussed with us, the incorporation of climate change resilience into project selection criteria. Currently, the project selection criteria calls for the consideration of sea level rise impacts on the sustainability of the project, and how the project might affect adjacent lands under climate change scenarios. Click here to read more about the project selection criteria. However, ESRP is working together with CHRN members to use best available science and generate new investigations to target the development of future restoration and protection projects that help coastal communities and societies to be more resilient to climate change. Here are short descriptions of a few current projects of the ESRP that have a strong correlation to coastal resilience to hazards: 

Maury Island

ESRP  |  Jay Krienitz  

This project will acquire 14.4 acres and 1000’ of marine shoreline bordering the Maury Island Aquatic Reserve in South Central Puget Sound. The project will remove over 700’ of shoreline armoring to reconnect historic feeder bluffs with the nearshore. This is primarily a chinook salmon recovery project targeting eelgrass, marine nearshore and forage fish spawning habitat. Through restoration and armoring removal, we will reconnect 487’ of historically Exceptional Feeder Bluff and 213’ of Feeder Bluff with Puget Sound. ESRP grant funds will be used enable full restoration of multiple sites including invasive species control, shoreline armoring and terracing removal, and native plant revegetation. These properties will be open to the public for passive use recreation.

For more information, contact Jay Krienitz

Teekalet Port Gamble

ESRP  |  Jay Krienitz  

Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe is working with Pope Resources and Ecology to restore coastal processes through the purchase of development rights and development of a restoration plan that will enhance and maintain coastal habitats in Port Gamble Bay. The restoration plan, once implemented, will remove a significant portion of existing jetty, fill and riprap, and slope intertidal and shallow subtidal areas to restore beach habitat. The restoration will enhance and build on MTCA cleanup at the mill site and Bay.

For more information, contact Jay Krienitz
 

West Dabob Bay

ESRP  |  Jay Krienitz 

Northwest Watershed Institute (NWI) and and partners propose to protect and restore the most heavily impacted residential site within the Dabob Bay Natural Area, one of the highest quality estuarine embayments remaining in Puget Sound. Three adjoining residential parcels along Dabob Bay at the mouth of Anderson Creek will be acquired by NWI and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (as match to the ESRP grant). After DNR removes three houses and utilities, NWI will remove a 400 ft long rock bulkhead along the shoreline, tideland fill, a boat ramp and rock groins, re-shape the low bank shoreline and re-meander 1,000 feet of channelized lower Anderson Creek where it joins Dabob Bay.

For more information, contact Jay Krienitz