Brian Combs, of the South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group, presented to the NRC during the December 2014 meeting. He discussed the Ohop Valley Restoration Project, with a special focus on the recently constructed Phase III channel.

1. Lower
Ohop
Restora.on:
The
Past
is
the
Future

2.
“We
surveyed
down
the
Valley,
which
was
flooded,
and
some.mes
we
would
get
into
beaver
dams
and
in
water
up
to
our
armpits.
• …….AFer
living
in
the
Ohop
Valley
for
a
year,
I
told
my
wife
that
I
supposed
we
had
made
a
mistake
as
I
couldn’t
see
how
we
could
get
rid
of
the
floods,
as
every
.me
we
had
a
liKle
rain,
the
valley
would
be
under
water.
She
said
she
was
sorry
if
we
had
to
leave
and
asked
if
it
wasn’t
possible
to
turn
the
water
of
the
main
creek
some
other
way.
• ….That
made
it
possible
for
us
to
farm
in
the
Valley,
and
we
have
recently
blasted
a
new
channel,
straightening
the
creek
through
the
Valley
where
it
was
crooked,
so
that
now
a
flood
is
an
excep.on
in
place
of
a
rul.”
• hKp://eatonvilletorainier.com/?p=317
Toger
Peterson

5. 2009:
Phase
I
Kick-­‐off

9. Fish
Out

13. • 8/10
mile
new
channel
• Over
40
log
jams
for
salmon
habitat
• 65,000
plants
installed

21. Phase
3:
Burwash
Property,
2014-­‐15

34. Tacoma
News
Tribune

35. Tacoma
News
Tribune

36. Outcomes
• 2.4
miles
new
channel
=
50%
Increase
in
stream
habitat
• Over
1,000
logs
placed
as
habitat
• ~10,000
organisms
moved
and
counted
• >75,400
trees/shrubs
installed
since
2009
• ~200
acres
preserved
in
perpetuity
• Funding
and
partnerships
from
at
least
15
organiza.ons