Applications are available for salmon habitat restoration projects for the 2018 grant year through the state’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board program in the Chehalis River basin.

“Salmon habitat restoration can occur in many ways,” said Chehalis Lead Entity watershed coordinator Kirsten Harma. “Types of projects that benefit salmon include planting native vegetation along stream banks, reconnecting side-channels with a river main stem, placing tree trunks and large branches in creeks to provide shelter and create pools, and removing invasive plant species from streambanks.”

Protecting land containing key habitats that are either in pristine condition or could benefit from restoration is also an eligible activity for this grant.

“The most common restoration actions that have taken place in the Chehalis Basin over the past few decades have been fish barrier corrections,” said Harma. “Undersized and poorly constructed culverts impede salmon passage, making it impossible for an adult salmon to access spawning habitat, or for a juvenile salmon to access feeding areas. By correcting barrier culverts, we allow a stream to fully use its channel and salmon to fully use their habitat.”

The minimum amount of funding eligible applicants can apply for is $5,000. There is no maximum, but the total amount available for all projects in the river basin is approximately $600,000. Each grant needs to be matched with other funds, equivalent to 15 percent of the total project cost.

To apply, eligible applicants must submit a project form to the Chehalis Lead Entity by April 2, 2018. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the Harma at kharma@chehalistribe.org, to discuss their project idea. To learn more about how to apply and to download application materials, visit the Chehalis Lead Entity website at chehalisleadentity.org and click on for grant applicants.

The Chehalis Lead Entity is an organization formed to help implement salmon recovery projects in the Chehalis watershed. They develop, plan and prioritize salmon restoration and preservation projects that follow the guidance of the Chehalis Basin Salmon Habitat Restoration and Preservation Strategy. A primary role of the group is to help allocate state and federal salmon recovery funding to the projects the Chehalis Lead Entity determine to be most beneficial to salmon in the Chehalis watershed.