City hears update on WRIA 8 Chinook conservation plan as interlocal agreement renewal approaches

Lake Forest Park councilors received a briefing March 24 on salmon recovery work in the Lake Washington–Cedar–Sammamish watershed (WRIA 8) and the interlocal agreement (ILA) that funds and governs regional recovery efforts.

Jason Mulvihill‑Coontz, the WRIA 8 salmon recovery manager, told the committee that the watershed’s conservation work is driven by a local plan that is a chapter of the federal Puget Sound Chinook recovery plan and that the partners are proposing a new interlocal agreement covering 2026–2035. “The main goal here is to provide you with some more context about salmon recovery in the watershed, Lake Forest Park’s participation in the interlocal agreement partnership, that supports salmon recovery work, and we’re renewing that partnership for another 10‑year period this year,” Mulvihill‑Coontz said.

Why it matters: WRIA 8 covers the most populated watershed in the state and includes many urban shorelines and streams that provide juvenile salmon habitat. The interlocal agreement structures governance, technical coordination, and the locally managed grant rounds that fund on‑the‑ground restoration projects.…