The 2024 riparian planting season has already flown by, but not before volunteers, our contracted WCC crew, and community members cranked out another amazing effort!

Back in January, volunteers and the crew returned to the Caldero side channel, a project completed by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe on the upper Dungeness River. We still had a few thousand plants left over from last year’s efforts to revegetate the project site with nearly 12,000 native trees and shrubs. Despite the tough digging conditions of soil filled with boulders and cobble, those remaining plants were planted. This month, the Salmon Coalition held 4 more planting events at a recently completed collaborative project on Snow Creek near Discovery Bay. For this project, the Salmon Coalition partnered with the Jefferson Land Trust to restore a ½-mile long stretch of the creek. Thankfully, digging conditions were far easier than along the upper Dungeness.

In addition to volunteers and the WCC crew, local girl scouts and elementary students helped plant an impressive 6,200 plants! Thank you, volunteers, the Jefferson Land Trust, Scouts, and students for all your hard work! 

Upper left: Volunteer digging at the Snow Creek restoration site, courtesy of Jeremy Johnson. Left: Western redcedar, courtesy of Jeremy Johnson. Middle: Stewardship Coordinator, Nate Roberts handing out plants, courtesy of NOSC staff. Right: Volunteer holding bucket of shrubs, courtesy of Jeremy Johnson.

Thank You To All Who Joined Us To Pot Up Plants for Future Riparian Restoration Projects!

We recently doubled the size of our native plant nursery in partnership with the Jefferson County Conservation District and dedicated volunteers helped stock it this past Tuesday with over 1,100 trees and shrubs! These plants will eventually become future forests along our local creeks and rivers!

Left: Volunteers filling pots up with native species. Right: Over 1,100 newly potted trees and shrubs. Photos courtesy of NOSC staff.

Fry in the Classrooms! 

Students from seven elementary schools across the North Olympic Peninsula received coho salmon eggs to raise in their classrooms this winter. Their eggs were delivered in mid-January. Over the next couple of weeks, students watched the eggs hatch into alevin and made observations as they slowly absorbed their yolk sacs. Most of the salmon have buttoned-up (completely absorbed their yolk sac) and are starting to be fed. We’ll be visiting classrooms one more time in March for their final lesson before salmon release field trips in April! 

Upper Right: Close up of coho salmon egg development model. Above: Fry swimming at Hamilton Elementary. Photos courtesy of NOSC staff.

The planting season is underway, and the time has come for the Real Learning Real Work planting field trips! Real Learning Real Work is a middle school program where we give students the opportunity to assess habitat quality at a local waterway, define an engineering problem, and implement their restoration solution: a solution which includes planting native trees and shrubs! We are looking for volunteers to help us guide these students through their planting day. 

Events will be held on the Dungeness River in Sequim March 28 and March 29th, and Snow Creek in Discovery Bay March 22. Planting field trips are generally from 9am – 2pm, but may change slightly as we finalize bus schedules with the schools. 

Photo of students at Salmon Creek for Real Learning Real Work Project. Photo courtesy of Chales Espey.

The Stream Stewards Program, hosted by WSU and the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, provides Jefferson and Clallam County residents with the opportunity to turn environmental knowledge into action. Through this 5-week course, participants learn about connections between our lands and waters. Through classroom sessions, field trips, and hands-on activities, this training connects participants with experts and opportunities to get involved in local efforts. 

Topics include: 

• Stream Ecology and Restoration 
• Salmon Lifecycle and Habitats 
• Upland Influence on Streams 
• Water Supply and Stormwater Management 

Upon completion, volunteers are asked to commit to 20 volunteer hours to an environmental organization of your choice over the following year. Volunteer hours can be applied to a wide range of opportunities that work toward the larger goal of improving local ecosystem health. From getting involved in a citizen science project to engaging in public outreach, volunteers can connect with opportunities that fit their skills and interests. Through this program, we hope to connect you to many of these organizations that host volunteer opportunities. Throughout the training, organizations will provide participants with information about local projects and offer exciting opportunities to plug in and make a difference on the Olympic Peninsula. 

The 5-week course fee will be $100 and classes will take place every Wednesday from 9-12:30 PM from March 6th-April 3rd.