Habitat Restoration in the Commencement Bay Nearshore &

Tidelands Area

Citizens for a Healthy Bay (CHB)

• Founded in 1990 to provide community oversight into the superfund remedial action.

• Over 900 members representing the commencement bay community and south Puget sound.

• Works cooperatively with all stakeholders:– Communities, neighborhoods and other public

stakeholders.– Potentially responsible parties.– Economic development and other business interests.– Local, regional, state and federal agencies.

Commencement Bay Circa 1994

Commencement Bay Circa 1894

Historical Landscape Structure

• Extensive tidal freshwater floodplain of a meandering Puyallup river accompanied by extensive off-channel sloughs and wetlands.

• Prograding delta with numerous distributary braided channels.

• Well- developed system of dendritic channels in an emergent marsh zone.

Historical Landscape Structure

• Extensive estuarine transition zone between upland habitats and emergent marsh zones.

• Broad, expansive mudflat habitat.• Extensive system of cross-delta

migration corridors.• Regular inputs of wood, cobble and

sand from adjacent hillslopes.

Current Landscape Structure

Less that 1% of historical estuarine habitat - disconnected and isolated

No cross delta migration Puyallup river channeled Steep armored banks

Commencement Bay Habitat Restoration Efforts

Superfund Natural resource damage assessment

(NRDA) Endangered species act (ESA) Landscape scale restoration vision Watershed restoration

Superfund

4 Tacoma domes of contaminated sediment Metals, PCBs, dioxins, PAHs, organics

Nearshore and tidelands a biological desert

Commitment to combine cleanup with habit restoration

Natural Resource Damage Assessment

Goal is to restore coastal and ocean resources that have been injured by releases of oil or hazardous substances and to obtain compensation for the public for their losses.

Watershed Restoration

Recovery efforts must also address Commencement Bay as the saltwater estuary of the Puyallup River. Mixing zone between salt and fresh waters Exceptionally high productivity

Estuarine – 800 – 3500 grams/m2/year Tropical forest – 1000 – 3500 grams/m2/year

Area where most plankton production takes place Cornerstone of healthy marine ecosystem

1999 - Endangered Species Act (ESA)

Puget sound Chinook and bull trout Superfund vs. ESA Engaged more entities – city, county,

region,

Commencement Bay Restoration Vision

Emphasis on baywide restoration through an ecosystem or landscape approach rather than creating isolated fragments of habitats

Mudflat and salt marsh restoration Foundation for the future

Commencement Bay Restoration Sites

YOWKWALA

Enhance intertidal area for juvenile salmonid migration.

Maintain marsh vegetation.

Protect the site for natural resources.

SKOOKUM WULGE BEACH

Design and construct intertidal habitat enhancements,

Capture high quality, year-round freshwater runoff from uplands and incorporate it into an intertidal marsh,

Restore subtidal areas to productive benthic habitats where impacted by wood debris from log storage operations,

Squally Beach

Establish backwater ponds

Create interstices for invertebrates and juvenile salmonids

Establish areas for salt marsh vegetation

Protect the site for natural resources

Sqaully Beach

Mowich

Enhance fish habitat for juvenile salmonids

Establish backwater pools

Establish areas for salt marsh vegetation

Protect the site for natural resources

Middle Waterway

Enhance intertidal area for juvenile salmonid migration.

Establish marsh vegetation.

Possible fresh water connection channel to/from Puyallup River

Upcoming Projects

Hylebos marsh Olympic view Sha-dax St. Paul Swan Creek Tahoma salt marsh

Overview

Baywide restoration Ecosystem/landscape

approach Provide corridors and

connections Salt marsh and off

channel habitats A work in progress for

the future

What Can You Do?

CHB provides many hands-on opportunities to get involved in habitat restoration Planting Site maintenance Site stewardship Site monitoring