12/29/13 – West fork of Amon Wasteway to be evaluated as salmon habitat
“In the past, habitat improvements have been proposed such as something to help fish access the wasteway, but Child said that researchers first need to determine if the habitat is even suitable for fish.”
12/21/13 – Yakama Fisheries host pilot project that could reinvent fish passage
“With experimental new fish passage technology being tested at the Roza Dam collection facility, the fish can easily break 10 mph, zipping 40 feet in just a couple of seconds.”
12/18/13 – County takes proactive step in water rights allocations
County commissioners have approved a comprehensive plan called the Yakima County Water Resource System. A key provision is the creation of a water bank that will allow the rural property owners to acquire existing senior water rights before drilling for water. Property owners must show they have water rights before they can receive a building permit; the water bank will allow the county to buy surface water rights that then will be sold to property owners.
12/13/2013 – Kittitas County Flood Control Zone District receives $254K grant
The Kittitas County Flood Control Zone District was awarded a grant from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board in the amount of $254,000 to perform an assessment of the Naneum, Wilson and Cherry Creek watersheds.
12/13/2013 – Kittitas County Flood District Seeking Input
Kittitas County’s flood control zone district wants public input as it works on a plan to reduce flooding and help fish habitat on a stretch of the Yakima River — including an area near the Hansen Pits.
12/7/2013 – Breaching Bateman Island causeway being studied
The grant of almost $6,000 to the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group was among $42 million in grants recently announced by the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the Puget Sound Partnership to restore and protect salmon habitat. The fisheries group also has a $100,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology for the causeway project.
12/6/2013 – Yakima Basin Receives $1.26 Million in Grants for Salmon Recovery
The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board announced the award of $1.26 million in grants to Yakima Basin organizations that will help bring salmon back from the brink of extinction.
11/19/2013 – Yakima Basin Water Plan Flowing in a Good Direction
“The plan to create 500,000 acre-feet of new water storage across the Yakima River Basin will span decades and calls for the controversial construction of two new dams, but the Bureau of Reclamation is already moving forward on easier projects.”
10/31/2013 – Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office issues RQQ
The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office, a division of the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office is initiating a Request for Qualifications and Quotations (RQQ) to obtain qualifications and quotations from consultants interested in participating on a project to develop a stakeholder outreach and communication plan for Washington State’s Council of Regions.
10/31/2013 – Yakima Greenway Planting for the Future
“Despite the chill in the air Tuesday morning, Union Gap eighth-graders armed with shovels planted about 200 shrubs along a recently relocated Yakima Greenway path that runs past the city’s wastewater treatment plant.”
10/30/2013 – First Water Project Underway
“Gov. Jay Inslee celebrated the first construction project of the 30-year, $4 billion Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan by calling it an “all Washington and all American project.””
10/11/2013 – New Office Location starting on November 1
Our office will be moved to 1200 Chesterly Drive, Suite 280, Yakima, WA 98908 starting November 1. Take the 40th Avenue exit from Hwy 12 and turn left on River Rd. Look for Plaza II on the left, across from Chesterly Park. Lots of parking – stop in to visit us!
10/2/2013 – Bob Bugert Appointed to Serve on Salmon Recovery Funding Board
Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Wenatchee resident Bob Bugert to serve on the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board.
10/2/2013 – Cle Elum Students Get Close-up Look of Spawning Salmon
Sixth-graders at Walter Strom Middle School take a field trip to witness the first return of adult sockeye salmon to the Cle Elum River.
9/10/2013 – New plan offered to make Northwest dams safe for salmon
A 751-page draft of the court-ordered plan known as a biological opinion was released Monday by NOAA Fisheries Service.
9/9/2013 – Project relocated beavers to be a help, not a nuisance
A story of a beaver relocation in the Teanaway to provide habitat in areas with low flooding risk.
9/5/2013 – Water workgroup celebrates, focuses on future
Jay Inslee signed the “Jobs, Water and Fish” bill, allocating $130 million to water resource management in the Yakima River Basin.
8/16/2013 – Seeking Recovery Program Coordinator
The Yakima Basin Fish & Wildlife Recovery Board is seeking a Recovery Program Coordinator to develop strategic plans for fish restoration work, coordinate monitoring efforts and support partners’ on-the-ground projects. Applicant must have a strong background in natural resources management, excellent writing and organizational skills and the ability to work well with diverse stakeholders.
8/13/2013 – Restoring a Washington Icon (video)
This salmon recovery video was produced by the WA State Recreation and Conservation Office.
8/8/2013 – Lead Entity Review and Proposed Ranked Project List
See how the Technical Advisory Group and the Citizen’s Committee ranked the 17 submitted SRFB proposals for the Yakima Basin.
6/30/2013 – Lawmakers Approve 50,000 acre land purchase
Lawmakers approved a 50,000 acre land purchase in the upper Kittitas County at the headwaters of the Yakima River Basin.
6/24/2013 – Water Supply Welcomes Salmon to Yakima River
“The water supply in the Yakima Basin plays a major part in the salmon population in Central Washington, and this year, fish and wildlife experts say the Yakima River will likely see a record number of sockeye salmon.”
6/18/2013 – Bank anglers benefit from arrangements
Over the past two months more than 6,000 spring chinook have come through the fish ladders at Prosser, most of them bound for the Roza Dam.
5/15/2013 – Lamprey Return to the Yakima River
On Tuesday, a handful of Yakama Nation biologists released 44 of the prehistoric, eel-like creatures into Toppenish and Simcoe creeks, where they have not been seen since the 1970s. The move is part of a larger project to restore the once vibrant Pacific lamprey not only in the Yakima River basin, but throughout the Northwest.
5/9/2013 – Yakima River sections open to spring chinook fishing
Starting Wednesday, May 15, the lower Yakima River will open to fishing for hatchery spring chinook from the Interstate 182 Bridge in Richland to the Grant Avenue Bridge in Prosser. On Saturday, May 18, the upper Yakima River will open from the Interstate 82 Bridge at Union Gap to the railroad bridge below Roza Dam.
4/30/2013 – Reintroduction of Coho Salmon
Biologist Todd Newsome lifted the two metal gates from their frame last week, effectively punching the tickets for young Coho salmon to start their trek to the Pacific Ocean.
3/14/2013 – Yakima Basin Seeks Salmon Recovery Grant Proposals
The Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) has initiated its annual grant process which aims to administer state and federal funding and assist with a broad range of salmon-related activities. Its primary goal is to aid the recovery of salmonids (salmon, trout, and steelhead) by providing grants.
2/25/2013 – State of the Salmon
The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office announces a new website about salmon recovery in Washington. Our organization put in a lot of time helping with the Mid-Columbia region information.
2/24/2013 – Saving Manastash Creek
Another 25 miles of pristine habitat in the upper portions of Manastash Creek could be open to fish by the end of the year with the removal of the final old irrigation dam, more efficient use of water by farmers and additional flows in the creek.