Kirsten Harmah, coordinator of the Chehalis Basin Collaborative for Salmon Habitat, told the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 26 that the collaborative — formerly known as the lead entity — directs Salmon Recovery Funding Board funding for the Chehalis Basin and prioritized local salmon restoration projects this funding cycle.

“People bring wealth of experience to the table,” Harmah said, describing the collaborative’s membership of tribes, counties, conservation districts and nongovernmental organizations. She said the collaborative was established in 2004 and has been a primary vehicle to prioritize salmon habitat work in the basin.

Why this matters: the collaborative ranks restoration projects for state and federal funding and supports projects that improve fish passage, restore riparian zones and install in‑stream structures that create spawning and rearing habitat.

Harmah told commissioners that the collaborative receives both state and federal funding and that in the last funding year it secured about $1,100,000 to allocate to projects across the basin. She said Lewis County and Lewis Conservation District proposals received funding for culvert corrections and related restoration work; projects mentioned included work in Ripple Creek, Berwick Creek and a restoration design for Thompson Creek near the Skookumchuck.

The collaborative also highlighted new state funding from the Climate Commitment Act that boosts riparian‑focused work, and it emphasized outreach and education: Harmah described school and community events, tours and signage as important to building public support for restoration. Citizen representative Bob Russell urged the county to pursue both industrial development and protection of critical areas, calling the two goals compatible.

No formal county action was taken on the presentation. The collaborative asked commissioners to help spread information to elected officials and to consider participating in outreach and tours.

Ending: Harmah encouraged commissioners to view the collaborative’s website, to contact her for more information, and offered to arrange field tours of completed projects.