Letters now could help fish later

Published 7:00 am Wednesday, April 5, 2006

KINGSTON — It’s that time of year again to put the pressure on the area’s congressional delegates to support an effort that is expected to help local salmon for years to come.

Several local environmental groups, such as Cutthroats of Carpenter Creek and Stillwaters Environmental Center, are spearheading the annual campaign, asking the community to support the Carpenter Creek Estuary Restoration (“The Bridges”) project — the replacement of the culverts under South Kingston and West Kingston roads with bridges.

The project, which has been on Kitsap County’s books since 2002, is expected to be funded 65 percent by the Army Corps of Engineers and 35 percent by the county. However, due to funding issues at the federal level and with the Army Corps the past few years, the project has not proceeded as quickly as expected. Because there are more projects than there is funding for environmental restoration projects across the country, project supporters must lobby Congress annually for federal funding for their particular project.

Kitsap County already has funding secured — a $618,000 grant from Washington state’s Salmon Recovery Funding Board, plus local volunteer time and in-kind donations are expected as part of the county’s financial contribution.

However, if the Army Corps doesn’t receive funding from the federal government this year and doesn’t get started on the permit and construction phase of the project by 2007, Kitsap County could lose its grant.

“That’s what’s really critical for the county to have the matching funds to go ahead,” said Stillwaters Administrative Director Naomi Maasberg.

It is unclear as to exactly how much the project will cost, since the Army Corps has not yet received any financial numbers from Congress for its portion of the project, said Army Corps project manager Layna Goodman, however, previous estimates, such as in 2004, have come out at $3 million.

Replacing the existing culverts beneath South Kingston and West Kingston with bridges is important because the current structures restrict the tides from entering the Carpenter Creek Estuary properly, allowing too much silt build up and not enough saltwater, which is not healthy for the habitat, Maasberg said.

The health of the estuary is important because the chum, cutthroat and chinook salmon hang out in places like this estuary during their juvenile periods, where they mature before heading out to the ocean.

The type of culverts installed also restrict how the fish get back into the estuary, such as only being able to do so during high tide, Maasberg said, noting that fish should be able to swim where they want, when they want.

“The quality of the marshes and estuary (is) very important, and of course, this is a little nice one because it’s pocketed and protected,” she said. “It’s a great habitat and incredibly beautiful.”

Improving the estuary is also just one piece of a larger puzzle to create healthier streams in the area, Maasberg said, as typical waterway restoration projects start at the mouth of a creek before the work moves upstream.

“This is going to be an important project not only for salmon restoration but for the Puget Sound ecosystem health,” Peters added. “This functioning estuary, when it is functioning again, will contribute to overall nearshore habitat.”