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Tribal, local partners pitch $11 million riparian acquisition and ELJ design for Dungeness River
Summary
Jamestown S'Klallam presenters asked the Dungeness River Management Team to score two Salmon Recovery Funding Board proposals: an $11 million riparian forest acquisition protecting key spawning habitat and a separate engineered-log-jam design to reconnect floodplain and stabilize the channel. DRMT scoring is due May 20.
Randy Johnson, a presenter for the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, told the Dungeness River Management Team on May 13 that a proposed $11,000,000 riparian forest acquisition would conserve roughly 1.75 main-stem river miles, about 2.5 miles of shoreline and more than 100 acres of floodplain and channel migration zone adjacent to the Dungeness Nature Center. "This reach accounts for about 13% of Chinook spawning and 23% of wild steelhead escapement in recent years," Johnson said, arguing the parcel is "a once-in-a-lifetime" chance to protect high-value habitat.
The tribe also presented a separate design project for engineered log jams (ELJs) and floodplain reconnection in the Nature Center reach. Johnson described the design effort as the step that would precede any construction request: "This is just a design project, so no need permitting, and we're ready to begin immediately," he said, noting the engineered structures can deliver benefits lasting decades by restoring bed roughness and enabling the river to spread onto its floodplain.
Cheryl Baumann, coordinator for the North Olympic Peninsula lead entity for salmon, explained how DRMT input will be used. She said lead-entity and technical-review scores inform state competitions for Puget Sound acquisition and restoration dollars and that large-cap proposals must satisfy additional application requirements. "Your comments become part of the public record," Baumann told the group, and urged DRMT members to provide scores and brief justifications.
During questions, members clarified that the acquisition and the ELJ design are independent requests and do not require each other to move forward. Johnson confirmed the acquisition budget is focused on purchasing property, appraisals, closing costs, taxes and limited administration, while the design project would fund conceptual through final designs and permitting; construction would be a separate future request. DRMT staff said one score sheet per organization using a 0–10 scale is due to staff by close of business May 20 for compilation ahead of Baumann's meeting later in the month.
Participants raised site-specific observations: volunteers and educators noted pronounced channel downcutting and bank erosion at locations near River Mile 6, and Johnson and others said restoring large wood and reconnecting floodplain would improve habitat stability. Johnson framed the proposals as addressing multiple ESA-listed stocks, including Puget Sound Chinook and steelhead, summer chum and bull trout, and as contributing to long-term recovery work across the watershed.
The DRMT did not take any formal vote on the proposals at the meeting. Members were asked to submit scores and comments on the standard score sheet by May 20 for compilation and inclusion in the lead-entity application process.
