Puget Sound National Estuary Program: Tribal Implementation Award PA-00J32201: FY10-13

A report from the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission describes the results of a series of 97 tribal projects related to Puget Sound recovery funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Report cover
Report cover

Report description

The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) administered a six-year "lead organization" program to make and manage tribal subawards for projects in or consistent with the Puget Sound Action Agenda of high tribal priority. The EPA grant supporting the first 4 years of that program closed March 31, 2018 and the final reports have been received. Under NWIFC's program, about $15.2M (FY10-13 funds) was allocated to 21 tribes and tribal consortia for 97 tribal projects. Most projects targeted Chinook, water quality, floodplain, and estuary protection and restoration, using research, planning and design, outreach and education, monitoring, and restoration activities. Examples of project outputs include increase in Chinook habitat (e.g., through in-stream habitat and floodplain restoration); and comprehensive monitoring of large-scale restoration efforts (e.g., Elwha River, Skokomish Estuary Restoration Program). A notable feature of many projects was extensive partnering among tribes and local, State, and Federal partners (e.g., Nisqually Tribe and the transboundary Salish Sea Marine Survival Project; the Suquamish Tribe and NOAA, the University of Washington, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Seattle Aquarium, Jefferson County Beach Watchers collaborating on ocean acidification research; the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and US Geological Survey, US Fish and Wildlife Service, WDFW, NOAA on post dam removal Elwha River monitoring). Through this grant, NWIFC has also increased its own capacity to administer a large EPA pass-through program that is tied to the collaborative regional Puget Sound effort. 

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About the Author: 
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) is a natural resources management support service organization for 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Headquartered in Olympia, the NWIFC employs approximately 65 people with satellite offices in Burlington and Forks. NWIFC member tribes are: Lummi, Nooksack, Swinomish, Upper Skagit, Sauk-Suiattle, Stillaguamish, Tulalip, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, Nisqually, Squaxin Island, Skokomish, Suquamish, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Quileute, Quinault, and Hoh.