Winter Newsletter 2009

Non Profit
Org
US POSTAGE
PAID
OLYMPIA, WA
PERMIT # 78

South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group

6700 Martin Way East, Suite 112
Olympia, WA 98516
PP
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South Puget Sound

Salmon Enhancement Group Mission:
Inside this Issue
To protect and restore salmon populations and aquatic habitat Ode to Contractors...................................3
with an emphasis on ecosystem function through scientifically informed Kennedy Creek........................................4
projects, community education, and volunteer involvement. Partner Spotlight: WCC...........................5
Pirate’s Cove............................................6
Construction Wrap-Up.............................8
Puget Sound Partnership........................10
Annual Meeting......................................11
 Puget Sound Partnership
This Issue:
Message from the Director.............2
Ode to Contractors..........................3
Kennedy Creek.................................4
Partner Spotlight: WCC..................5
Pirate’s Cove.....................................6
Construction Wrap-Up....................8
Puget Sound Partnership..............10
Annual Meeting..............................11
Board of Directors
The SPSSEG is administered by a nine-mem-
ber volunteer board elected by the general
membership.
Sally Hicks — President
Tim Layton — Vice President
Dan Wrye — Treasurer
Jack Havens — Secretary
Terry Wright Duane Fagergren
Blake Smith Joe Williams
Staff
Lance Winecka — Executive Director
Christine Garst — Accounts Manager
Kristin Williamson — Project Manager
Eli Asher — Project Manager
Kimberlie Gridley — Project Manager
Sarah Clarke — Office Assistant
Contact
6700 Martin Way East, Suite 112
Olympia, WA 98516
Phone: (360) 412-0808
www.spsseg.org
Cover: The upper White River flows clear
through the winter months, hiding its
glacial origin on Mt. Rainier.
SalmonGram is published twice per year by the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group (SPSSEG), a 501(c)3
non-profit, volunteer-based organization that conducts salmon habitat restoration, salmon enhancement, and community
education to increase salmonid populations in the South Puget Sound Region.
The SPSSEG is one of fourteen Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups created in 1989 by the Washington State Legisla-
ture. The Regional Fishery Enhancement Program is partially supported by surcharges on sport and commercial fishing
licenses. The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife provides technical and administrative support to the program.
SalmonGram
Message from the
Executive Director
The South Puget Sound Salmon Enhance-
2009 Annual Meeting
ment Group (SPSSEG) is a local voice for
regional salmon recovery. From the highest
peak in the Cascades, to the fertile shorelines
and estuaries of Puget Sound, we restore P lease join us at our Annual Meeting on January
22nd, 2008 as we celebrate yet another success-
ful year of salmon recovery efforts in South Puget
look forward to this event to recognize our valued
members’ role in helping us carry out our mission
of increasing salmon populations in South Puget
salmon habitat with willing landowners. We believe that by collab-
orating with local communities, schools, and individuals in King, Sound! Sound through
Pierce, Kitsap, Thurston, and Mason Counties, we can increase habitat restoration
salmon numbers in our rivers and streams. Working closely with This year we and community
local, state, federal, and tribal agencies, we provide education op- welcome key- education.
portunities, technical assistance, and pursue grant funding to find note speakers
win-win solutions for people and salmon. Our non-profit, non-gov- Billy Frank The meeting will
ernment, and non-political status helps us accomplish what govern- Jr. and David be held from 6:00
mental agencies alone cannot do: get real results, real quick. Dicks of the pm to 8:30 pm at
Puget Sound the Lacey Com-
We are dedicated staff, board, and volunteers who are making a Partnership as munity Center. A
difference in local watersheds. SPSSEG has accomplished a great they roll out the raffle highlighting
deal in the past 18 years: we have hosted over 30,000 people at the Partnership’s prizes donated by
Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail; we have restored access for salmon Action Agenda local businesses
to nearly 100 miles of streams; we have planted thousands of native to restore Puget Billy Frank, Jr. David Dicks will be held during
riparian trees and shrubs; and we have improved miles of produc- Sound by 2020. We the meeting and a light
tive stream habitat, all while keeping the best interest of people and
will also present our 2008 accomplishments, vote meal will be served. For more information, please
fish in mind.
on changing our bylaws, elect new board members visit our website at www.spsseg.org.
and unveil the new SPSSEG logo! Each year we We’ll see you there!
In the past few years we have been heavily involved in both near-
shore and freshwater restoration. However, two of our largest
projects next summer will occur far away from the marine envi-
ronment. The multi-million Ohop and Greenwater River projects Show Your Support! Join or Renew with SPSSEG Today!
will both dramatically improve habitat in two distinctly different
watersheds. SPSSEG seems to be busier than ever planning and
A One Year Individual Membership is Only $15
implementing beneficial salmon projects. Restoration is a year- and is tax deductible.
round process that never ends. The upcoming construction season Name______________________________________
will be a true testament to how much on-the-ground work a small Please Return form to SPSSEG
Street______________________________________ 6700 Martin Way East, Suite 112
non-profit Regional Fishery Enhancement Group can actually ac-
complish in a given year. We have definitely set lofty goals for City________________ State_____ Zip_________ Olympia, WA 98516
ourselves in 2009 and we are fully expecting to be successful and
make a difference in our community. Email______________________________________
 Individual Membership.......................................................................$15
Lance Winecka  Family Membership.........................................................................$25
 Business Membership................................................................$200
 Corporate Sponsorship.........................................................$500
 Other Tax-Deductible Donation........................................$_____
For our state employed supporters: Please donate to SPSSEG
through the Combined Fund Drive.
 Winter 2009 SalmonGram 11 Winter 2009
 Puget Sound Partnership
T he South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement
Group (SPSSEG) stands to play a key role in
helping to achieve the goal of a healthy Puget Sound
by 2020 set by Governor Chris Gregoire and the
Washington Legislature. In fact, it is unlikely that
goal could become reality without SPSSEG’s skills
in working with property owners to restore freshwa-
ter and nearshore ecosystems.
nearshore habitat make South Sound extremely valu-
able to the overall health of Puget Sound. These are
the things that the SPSSEG brings to the table and
why it’s so critical we be there.”
Duane Fagergren, Partnership staff and owner of
Calm Cove Shellfish attests to the interrelationships
of clean water, so vital for shellfish, and good salmo-
nid habitat. “SPSSEG projects that restore freshwa-
ter and nearshore habitat also have the benefit of im-
proving water quality. At a very real level, the work
SPSSEG does is ecosystem restoration and results in
many spin-off benefits.”
Ode to Contractors
I n our line of work, project partners make the dif-
ference between resounding success and complete
failure. When we talk about partners, we typically
mean private property owners, state, federal, and
tribal agency staff, and local non-profits. But after all
the paper has been pushed, funding secured, permits
acquired, and access agreements finalized, it is the
project’s construction contractor that will determine
the fate of the project.
Budgets are always tight, and timelines are con-
stricted by environmental regulations and weather,
but these professionals always make sure that the job
is done right.
During the past construction season, SPSSEG hired
seven general contractors for jobs ranging from a
few thousand to over a half million dollars. All of
them brought an individual flair to their respective

Priorities in the Puget Sound Partnership’s Action

Agenda for South Sound include restoring ecosystem
processes, structures and functions by:
• Restoring nearshore and estuary habitats;
• Implementing salmon recovery three year project
lists; and
Harbor seals lounge on a Puget Sound float. • Implementing recommendations of basin restora-
tion plans.
SPSSEG Board members Dan Wrye, Terry Wright,
and Duane Fagergren all have key roles within the
Puget Sound Partnership. As part of his responsibili-
ties with Pierce County Surface Water Management,
Dan Wrye serves as the South Puget Sound Action
Area Representative on the Partnership’s Ecosys-
tem Coordination Board. Terry Wright (Northwest
Indian Fisheries Commission) is a tribal staff repre-
sentative to the Partnership. Duane Fagergren is the
Partnership’s staff liaison to the South Sound Action
Area. “To say SPSSEG is well represented in the
effort to recover Puget Sound is an understatement,”
says Dan Wrye. “In reality, we are the South Sound
in our personal and professional lives. To have this Tidal channels in the Nisqually Estuary
degree of representation really does help to keep the Mike McClung, longtime SPSSEG contractor, poses with a culvert in 2008.
focus on implementation.” SPSSEG is active in all of these arenas. SPSSEG
Board members have worked to keep the focus on We are fortunate to work with the best contractors in projects, and worked closely with SPSSEG staff to
A high level of regional collaboration makes South restoring Puget Sound and have highlighted the our region. Project after project, year after year, they ensure that each culvert, tidal spit, or log structure
Puget Sound special. And for good reason. “South capabilities of SPSSEG to do just that. “All along, provide the knowledge, experience, and machinery to turned out perfect. Behind every one of our con-
Sound’s role as a nursery for Chinook, coho, and we have stressed focusing on the work, using those complete our habitat construction projects. In many struction successes is a cadre of project partners, but
chum salmon is unparalleled,” according to Terry who already know how to do it, and giving them the cases, the projects facing the work crews are unlike when the chips are down, our contractors make these
Wright. “And the biomass that results from South funding that is necessary. I’m confident we’ve been any that they have undertaken before, and require projects happen!
Sound forage fish habitat and the importance of its heard. Now, let’s get to it,” Dan Wrye said. steep learning curves for successful completion.

SalmonGram 10 Winter 2009 SalmonGram  Winter 2009

 2008 Creek
Kennedy Construction
2008 Season Wrap-Up
With a lean construction budget in hand, SPSSEG and
The Kennedy Creek Salmon ed in learning more about Mason County solicited bids for the Hiawata Creek
Trail (KCST) is one of the chum salmon. Each year Culvert Replacement project in late spring. With
best places to see salmon teachers call earlier in the funding from SRFB and Mason County, a crew from
spawning in the Puget year to make reservations RV Associates replaced an undersized concrete culvert
Sound region. In a typical in time to include KCST with a 20’ wide aluminum arch culvert, restoring fish
year about 40,000 chum in their science curricu- passage to this formerly productive chum stream. By
salmon return home to lum. Many community late November, monitoring contractors hired by SRFB
spawn in Kennedy Creek. members also took ad- had documented chum passage and spawning up-
In 2002 over 80,000 splash- vantage of the moderate stream of the culvert, demonstrating immediate ben-
ing chum flooded 2.5 miles weekend weather to visit efits of the project.
of stream. It is truly an the Trail. We even broke
amazing natural phenome- a one-day attendance re- As fall weather descended upon the Northwest,
non to observe so many fish cord with over 600 people SPSSEG project manager Eli Asher spent a month’s
in such a small watershed. counted in just six hours! worth of nights working with a dedicated crew from
Unfortunately, at an estimat- About 5,000 people vis- RV Associates to complete the Pirate’s Cove Resto-
ed 13,000 spawners, returns ited the Trail throughout ration project before Thanksgiving. Funded by SRFB
this year were well below the month. and the Washington State Department of Ecology, the
the 10-year average but project vastly increased the quantity and quality of
Kennedy Creek still offered Identifying and securing Chinook rearing habitat in the Pirate’s Cove lagoon.
sustainable funding for the Above: Curt Holt of Aquatic Contracting removes
plenty of viewing opportu- The project is highlighted on pages 6 and 7 of this
Trail is always an important the defunct Powell Creek culvert. Below: the finished
nities for the community. newsletter.
priority for all of the project Hiawata Creek culvert
Check out our website blog:
www.spsseg.org to follow partners involved. In order
the changes at the Trail throughout the season. to help fund the KCST program in 2008, SPSSEG
and Mason Conservation District staff hosted the 1st
The publicity for the Trail was outstanding this year. annual Splash fundraising event. In total, about 75
We are very fortunate to have support from our people attended Splash and we recruited several gen-
regional newspaper, The Olympian, and writers John erous corporate sponsorships including Taylor Shell-
Dodge and Chester Allen to help spread the word fish Farms, Entrix, Contech, Kennedy Creek Quarry,
about the KCST. This year the Trail was also fea- Mason Transit Authority, Fisheries Consultants, and
tured on numerous outdoor websites, The Olympian, Green Diamond Resources. SPSSEG would also like
Completed
The Seattle FFFPP
Times, The projects
Oregonian, and even Sun- to thank all of the people who volunteered on one
managed
set Magazine! by SPSSEG:
Hopefully the newfound publicity of the hottest days of the year (about 95 degrees)!
recruited and engaged people from across the Sound Thank you to all for helping raise funds that maintain
WRIA 14 (Kennedy-Goldsborough Watershed): and enhance this great program! Kennedy Creek
to come out during a rainy November day to see for
McDonald Projects (three projects)
themselves Salmon Trail is always in need of funding so please
Gosnell Creekwhat all of the hype is about.
Tributary
Frye Cove Creek plan to attend the festive 2nd annual Splash event to
Each Creek
Perry year 40-50 volunteer docents help staff the
Tributary be held during summer 2009. Finally, we can’t write
Schneider Creek Tributary season. Our volunteers
Trail during the spawning a thank-you big enough to Taylor Shellfish Farms,
do a fabulous
WRIA job engaging the public and provid-
15 (Key Peninsula): which owns the Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail proper-
ing information about the
Rocky Creek Tributaries (twosalmon lifecycle. During
projects) ty and provides the community access in November.
Huge Creek
the 2008 season, the trail was open from November THANK YOU!
WRIA
1st-30th11and
(Nisqually Watershed):
all of the available mid-week time slots
Kronis Creekwith
were filled (Little Mashel
eager Tributary)
teachers and students interest- Cross your fingers for a big 2009 chum run!
McKenna Creek

SalmonGram  Winter 2009 SalmonGram  Winter 2009

 2008 Creek
Kennedy Construction
2008
T he summer of 2008 proved to be challenging for
SPSSEG construction projects and their man-
agers, as permitting processes changed, fuel costs
spiraled upward, and eleventh-hour negotiations
threatened to derail construction.
Frye Cove bulkhead retrofit in progress
After many years of development and anticipation,
SPSSEG completed one of a suite of four projects
in Frye Cove, a small bay in Eld Inlet. With major
funding from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board
(SRFB) and additional funding from the U.S. Fish
Workers assemble the new Hiawata Creek culvert
SalmonGram
and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Fish
and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), a large concrete
block bulkhead that jutted into the tideland was set
back to the toe of the bluff and softened with large
wood and boulders. SPSSEG will continue work in
this small watershed over coming years to improve
habitat and reintroduce salmon to previously inacces-
sible stream reaches.
Kristin Williamson ably managed the Kronis Creek
Culvert Replacement project through completion.
Funded by the Family Forest Fish Passage Program
(FFFPP) and constructed by Mike McClung Con-
struction, the project replaced a 24” diameter concrete
pipe with an 11’9” diameter galvanized steel ellipse
culvert to improve fish passage and restore natural
stream hydrology. Kronis Creek is a tributary to the
Little Mashel river on the Colburg Tree Farm near
Eatonville.
The Nisqually Pines project kept a Washington Con-
servation Corps crew busy for several weeks, proving
WCC’s value once again as a project partner. Funded
by NFWF and South Sound Flyfishers, and man-
aged by Kimberlie Gridley, the crew replaced a 24”
diameter culvert with a 12-foot concrete footbridge
over Walden Creek in the Nisually Pines Community
Wildlife Corridor, allowing off-channel access to
juvenile salmonids and providing a community
showcase of stewardship.
In partnership with the Nisqually Land Trust,
and funded by the Pacific Salmon Commis-
sion, USFWS, and the SRFB, an Aquatic
Contracting crew removed three fish barrier
culverts and one overflow culvert on Powell
Creek. The project also removed a defunct
bridge abutment and associated rip-rap adja-
cent to the Nisqually River, and decommis-
sion 2,900 feet of private road. The project
provides fish passage to Powell Creek for
spawning salmonids and increased hydrologic
connectivity from the Powell Creek wetland
complex to the Nisqually River.
 Winter 2009
Partner
Season Spotlight:
Wrap-Up
Washington Conservation Corps
For many years, the Washington Conservation Corps furbish a community foot trail at the recently complet-
(WCC) has been a valuable partner to SPSSEG. We ed Pirates Cove Restoration Project. The WCC motto,
have sponsored WCC year-long individual internships “Getting Things Done,” rings true in every project
in our office for the past three years, providing interns they touch. Thanks to the crews and interns for all of
with opportunities to organize restoration plantings, your help over the years! Keep up the great work!
participate in scientific monitoring, and other resume
building activities. Learn more by visiting the WCC Homepage: http://
www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/wcc/
The Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) was cre-
ated in 1983 as a program within the Washing-
ton Department of Ecology, and is currently part
of the nationwide AmeriCorps Program. Each
year, the WCC provides thousands of hours of
service to protect and enhance Washington’s
most valuable natural resources. Additionally,
WCC Members attend a series of trainings
throughout their year of service (e.g. Wilderness
First Responder, Ethnobotany, and GIS/GPS).
WCC has 135 members located statewide who
receive a modest stipend and, upon completion
of a year of service, an AmeriCorps Education
Award.
This year SPSSEG has expanded our relation-
ship with the WCC to include a temporary five
person crew for specific project work. The crew,
based at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, built a
concrete walking bridge in the Nisqually Pines
Community in Yelm and will be helping to re- A WCC crew builds forms for the Nisqually Pines project.
SPSSEG Brand Updated
A
fter months of debate and deliberation, the SPSSEG Board of Directors has
approved an updated logo that will be used on letterhead, business cards,
and other organizational materials. This is part of an ongoing effort to increase
organizational visibility and sustainability. The SPSSEG website (www.spsseg.
org) has also been revamped to provide a convenient portal into the organiza-
tion. As we make the transition, expect changes in our stationery, web presence,
email correspondence, and fundraising efforts. The changes are being facili-
tated by consultants from Non Profit Solutions and The Williams Group, both of
whom have extensive experience in organizational development with non-profit
groups like SPSSEG.
SalmonGram  Winter 2009
 Community Based Habitat Restoration: Pirate’s Cove
R esidents of Pirate’s Cove, a private community
near Grapeview, are rightfully proud of their
newly restored beach. The construction project,
which was funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding
Board and the Washington Department of Ecology,
rebuilt a quarter-mile long tidal spit that protected
the Pirate’s Cove lagoon from the wind and waves of
Case Inlet. When the heavy equipment finally left the
The RV Associates crew prepares a stockpile for an incoming tide.
beach, the community was able to see what their spit
looked like over fifty years ago before it was modi-
fied to impound water at low tide.
After a protracted permitting process, SPSSEG
solicited bids from contractors in the fall, awarded
the contract to RV Associates of Port Orchard, and
began construction in mid October. Since the project
area is largely inundated by tidewater at all but the
lowest tides, construction was limited to nighttime
tide cycles, requiring a tireless crew, powerful work
lights, and tolerant neighbors. The excavator, bull-
dozer, front-end loader, roller, and trucks rumbled
through the night for three weeks to complete the
project before winter storms whipped waves against
the spit.
SalmonGram
Local residents endured the midnight noise and lights
with admirably good humor, visiting the beach during
daylight hours to see the previous night’s progress.
During especially critical or interesting construction
phases, community members held informal viewing
parties on decks and patios, serving hot chocolate late
into the night to ward off the autumn chill.
The goals for the project
were simple: remove a
road that had been built
across the historic mouth
of the lagoon, and fill a
large breach in the spit
caused by a failed tide weir
and exacerbated by years
of erosion. The biological
rationale for the project is a
bit more complex, building
upon years of research in
the South Sound that indi-
cates that small, protected
lagoons and estuaries, col-
lectively known as pocket
estuaries, provide valuable
forage and shelter for young Chinook salmon on the
journey from their natal streams to the Pacific Ocean.
Now that the lagoon has been returned to its former
size and shape, Pirate’s Cove residents have begun
the business of restoring plant and animal communi-
“We are so fortunate to
have this beautiful part of Puget Sound
to call home...it is back the way it was meant to be...”
 Winter 2009
ties that were disturbed during construction. Volun-
teers will transplant dune grass, yarrow, and silver
burweed from undisturbed spit areas into the newly
filled area. Working with a local shellfish farmer,
the community will also reseed clam and oyster
beds that provide recreation, food, and water quality
benefits.
Finished Pirate’s Cove spit at low tide.
Community members have also kept a close watch
on the lagoon in the weeks following construction.
One year-round resident exclaimed “...everything
looks so beautiful. It is back the way it was meant to
be and we have seen several salmon jumping inside
the lagoon the past few weeks. That has to be a
good sign.”
With warmer weather just around
the bend, SPSSEG and the Pirate’s
Cove community are working
over the winter to improve trail
access to the newly restored beach
and lagoon and finish other ameni-
ties before seasonal residents and
school-age kids return for summer
recreation.
SalmonGram
Next Nearshore Steps
B ased upon the findings of a comprehensive near-
shore habitat assessment, SPSSEG is develop-
ing restoration treatments to address limiting habitat
factors on the shoreline reach between the Nisqually
Delta and Point Defiance. Anchor Environmental
was selected through a competitive process to assist
SPSSEG with development and design of restoration
concepts. Several areas have been selected as resto-
ration priorities, including Titlow Lagoon, Chambers
Bay and Sequalitchew Creek Estuary. Over the next
few months SPSSEG will be working with Anchor
to develop viable restoration options for high prior-
ity projects that will result in restoration or rehabili-
tation of nearshore processes.
SPSSEG, in partnership with Metro Parks, People
for Puget Sound, the Nisqually Indian Tribe, and
Pierce County, has been working to formulate resto-
ration actions for Titlow Lagoon in one of Tacoma’s
premiere city parks. The goal is to restore the natural
productivity of the lagoon to support juvenile salmo-
nids while restoring a natural estuarine ecosystem in
the heart of Tacoma as an education showpiece for
the community.
For updates on the Titlow Lagoon project, contact
Kristin Williamson at the SPSSEG office.
 Winter 2009