In early 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the Washington State Department of Ecology with $4.7 million in National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants to fund six projects to restore and protect wetlands in Puget Sound and the Grays Harbor area.
The Barnum Point Acquisition Project will protect 67 acres of Puget Sound wetlands on Camano Island.
Barnum Point – Photo by Benjamin Drummond
The Dosewallips Floodplain and Estuary Restoration Project will restore and enhance 25 acres of salt marsh and mudflats at the Dosewallips State Park.
Dosewallips Floodplain – Photo by Chris Swenson
The Lower Henderson Inlet Acquisition Project will protect 106 acres and restore 23 acres of wetlands.
Lower Henderson Inlet – Photo by Justin Roberts
The Grayland Acquisition Project conserves and protects 1,750 acres of diverse and threatened habitat, including estuary, marsh wetlands, tidal mudflats, old growth forest, and wet meadows.
Grayland Marsh – Photo by WA Dept. of Ecology
The Zis a ba Estuary Restoration Project will restore tidal and river influence to the former estuary area.
Zis a ba Estuary – Photo by WA Dept. of Ecology
The Zylstra Lake Acquisition Project conserves over 541 acres on San Juan Island, including almost 3 miles of Puget Sound shoreline.
Zylstra Lake – Photo by Chris Teren
Funding Sources:
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants = $4,713,613
- State = $3,426,000
- Tribal = $42,600
- Local = $45,000
- Private = $116,500
In the past decade, the Department of Ecology has helped secure almost $86 million in National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants for projects that are conserving over 10,000 acres of our state’s wetlands. Wetlands control flooding, clean the environment, provide habitat, recharge groundwater, and much more to the benefit of our ecosystem.
Only state agencies can apply for the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants, so the Department of Ecology partners with land trusts, local governments, tribes, and other groups to restore and protect wetlands across Washington state. Without these grants, the state’s wetlands could not be adequately protected.
Congressional districts:
- District 2 (Barnum Point, zis a ba, Zylstra Lake)
- District 6 (Dosewallips, Grayland)
- District 10 (Lower Henderson Inlet)
Partners:
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- Whidbey Camano Land Trust
- Island County
- Wild Fish Conservancy
- Ducks Unlimited
- Capitol Land Trust
- Stillaguamish Tribe
- San Juan County Land Bank
- San Juan Preservation Trust
- University of Washington
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Washington State Parks
More information on these projects can be found here:
$4.7M in federal grants conserve our biggest set of wetlands yet!
http://ecologywa.blogspot.com/2017/02/47m-in-federal-grants-conserve-our.html