7 - 7:35 PM. Qwuloolt estuary restoration project. Melissa Gobin, Michelle Bahnick, Tulalip Tribes
The 19 square mile Snohomish River Estuary - one of the largest estuaries in the Puget Sound - provides critical rearing habitat and an essential transition zone between freshwater and saltwater for several salmonid populations in the Puget Sound (2005 Snohomish Basin Salmon Recovery and Conservation Plan). Qwuloolt, which is named after our Lushootseed word for marsh, is a part of the Snohomish Estuary that historically held tidal marsh and forest scrub-shrub habitat interlaced by tidal channels, mudflats, and streams. For over 100 years, the Qwuloolt Estuary had been cut off from the Snohomish River and Salish Sea tides by levees, drained by ditches, and characterized by a monoculture of invasive reed canary grass instead of native shrubs and grasses. The levee surrounding Qwuloolt was breached in 2015, allowing salt and fresh water to mix together once again in the ~400-acre site, forming the critical habitat we have today. This session will take you on the historical journey of the Qwuloolt Estuary including why we pursued this project, how the restoration project happened, and findings from current monitoring efforts.
Melissa Gobin is a Tulalip Citizen and the Natural Resource Outreach Education Coordinator.
Learning and teaching about the ecosystems of the Salish Sea is Melissa’s passion. She grew up
on the Tulalip Reservation and most of her family are involved in Natural Resources. The hatchery is named after her grandfather Bernie Kai Kai Gobin. Tulalip has a rich connection to the Salish Sea and Melissa is one of many Tulalip citizens committed to protecting it. Education and Outreach has given Melissa an outlet to teach kids, adults, and the broader community about the world we live in and the tribe’s longstanding cultural connection to it.
Michelle Bahnick is the Wetland Biologist for the Tulalip Tribes of Washington Natural and Cultural Resources Division. Having started this position in November 2021, they are excited to further develop and refine the Wetland Program to preserve, protect, enhance, restore, and manage wetlands for the benefit of the Tulalip Tribes. Michelle grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has always been fascinated by ecosystems where water and land meet, as well as the connections and interactions between human communities and the ecosystems we live in. Prior to their work with the Tulalip Tribes, Michelle worked in environmental consulting, assisted with studies assessing juvenile salmonid passage through dams on the Columbia River, caught rock iguanas in the Bahamas for a long-term life history study, taught college students how to collect and identify stream benthic macroinvertebrates, and served with the Washington Conservation Corps to restore riparian areas and monitor Aquatic Reserves in Puget Sound. They hold a M.S. in Biology from Western Washington University, a B.A. in Biology from Earlham College, and a certificate in Wetland Science and Management from the University of Washington.
8:05 - 8:50 PM. Unpaving paradise: Kus-kus-sum restoration project. Caitlin Pierzchalski, Project Watershed.
The Kus-kus-sum (KKS) restoration project is a partnership between Project Watershed, the K'ómoks First Nation (KFN), and the City of Courtenay. The project takes place on a former industrial sawmill site in the heart of the K'ómoks Estuary, and aims to restore approximately 4 hectares of tidal marsh and riparian forest, connect to an already protected and conserved area of a healthy estuary area, and rematriate the land back to the traditional stewards of the landscape, the KFN. This presentation will cover the cultural context of the site, the ideation and history of the project, the process of land purchase and transfer, technical development of engineering plans and construction progress to date, along with the ecological restoration processes and monitoring efforts. A field trip to the Kus Kus Sum site will also be offered. Caitlin Pierzchalski is a restoration ecologist, watershed steward, and experienced program manager. She was born and raised on the traditional territory of the Sylix-speaking Peoples and is currently based on unceded Coast Salish territory. She is inspired by her love of oceans, and has been working in and learning from marine and coastal environments throughout the Salish Sea for the past 10 years. She’s keen to support and further community-engaged stewardship in the Comox Valley that contributes to thriving watersheds, and holds a cautiously hopeful view for the future for our lands and waters.
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