Salmon in Parks

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is committed to the protection of natural resources such as Pacific salmon. In an "Action Plan of the Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon," State Parks provided the governor assurances that the agency would take a leadership role in the preservation and recovery of salmon populations within State Parks properties, which includes 126 developed park properties and many undeveloped landholdings. State Parks is also developing and administering statewide interpretive projects for public and state managed properties.

As part of this commitment, State Parks hired a salmon recovery coordinator, who reports directly to the chief of stewardship, to oversee the many salmon-related initiatives. These initiatives include conducting salmon habitat assessments and habitat restoration and enhancement projects, as well as development of interpretive programs statewide. Two AmeriCorps members conduct the actual stream assessment fieldwork and, as they identify restoration projects during the initial assessment stage, the agency will use its extensive network of citizen volunteers to help rehabilitate degraded salmon habitat. The fieldwork began in October 2001.

The "Action Plan of the Statewide Strategy to Recover Salmon" identified State Parks as the state's leader for salmon interpretation projects for all publicly managed properties. To fulfill this responsibility, State Parks developed a salmon interpretive pilot project at Dosewallips, Flaming Geyser, Horsethief, Lake Wenatchee, Maryhill, Rasar and Saltwater state parks. The theme, "Salmon Matter," has the mission of educating the public on the importance of salmon to the region's culture, environment and economy, including:

• The importance of salmon to the Native American people
• The function of large woody debris
• The role salmon carcasses play in distributing nutrients throughout the watershed
• The need for clean, silt-free spawning gravel
• The requirements for properly designed culverts
• The various salmon resources present in the park

The interpretive pilot project includes state parks from around the state, in a variety of approaches:

• Two interpretive trails at Flaming Geyser and Lake Wenatchee state parks.
• Historical photographs depict the salmon harvest on the Columbia River at Maryhill State Park.
• A Native American legend tells the story of salmon at Horsethief Lake State Park
• Interpretive panels at Saltwater, Dosewallips and Rasar state parks describe the unique salmon runs in those watersheds.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife designed "Salmon Trunks" as unique resources and educational tools primarily for use by schools to teach students about salmon. Each trunk contains a number of salmon lessons or curriculum that collectively tells the story of salmon. State Parks produced four salmon trunks for use in each of its regional offices. The trunks were adapted by carefully selecting educational materials that fit the specific needs of park rangers in educational outreach efforts at local schools. The trunks are also available on a limited basis for use by the general public.

State Parks is in the preliminary design stages for the development of an environmental education facility in an old historic barn at Flaming Geyser State Park. This facility will showcase the engineered logjams, constructed sidechannels, gravel additions and barrier modifications.