Watershed Expansion
   

Mt Rainier
 
Mt. Ranier, seen here over the Puyallup River, shapes the headwaters of both of DNR’s new priority watersheds: the Puyallup and Nisqually. Photo: David Seibold/Creative Commons 
 
The Watershed Resilience Program uses watershed-scale coordination to support the Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR’s) ongoing work and accelerate the pace of salmon recovery in priority river basins. By leveraging lessons learned from early implementation of the Watershed Resilience Action Plan (WRAP) in the Snohomish River Basin, DNR seeks to apply a streamlined framework to the needs and local contexts of additional watersheds.
 
DNR’s watershed resilience planning focuses on better coordinating existing DNR programs, finding opportunities to increase support for partners, and identifying where new DNR work could be additive to the existing salmon recovery landscape.
 
The Watershed Resilience Program is guided by the same five goals described in the WRAP:
  1. Protect and clean up aquatic habitat,
  2. Restore, conserve and connect forests and riparian habitat,
  3. Revitalize urban forests and streams,
  4. Engage and invest in communities, and
  5. Reduce and combat climate impacts.
priority watersheds map
 
DNR's Watershed Resilience Program now includes three priority watersheds: from north to south the Snohomish, Puyallup and Nisqually. Photo: DNR
 
In collaboration with Tribes, salmon recovery partners, and staff across the agency, Watershed Resilience Program staff seek to identify opportunities for DNR to support salmon recovery efforts in each new watershed. By generating a suite of possible projects aligned to the goals of Watershed Expansion, we develop a menu of possible DNR actions in the watersheds. A short list of high-level goals and metrics for the expansion program will be used to track implementation.
 
The Puyallup and Nisqually Watersheds were selected as the next priority river basins for the Watershed Resilience Program beginning in the 2023-2025 biennium. Selection was based on a prioritization process which considered parameters such as salmon recovery, environmental justice, and climate vulnerability. Stay tuned to hear about the exciting work DNR is planning in these watersheds and to learn where we plan to go next!
 
To learn more about watershed expansion, email Hannah King or Max Showalter.