This agreement provides funding to the nooksack indian tribe to engage in and guide local and regional ecosystem assessment, protection, and recovery efforts in the nooksack watershed through…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 awarded the Nooksack Indian Tribe a $600,000 cooperative agreement under the Geographic Programs - Puget Sound Protection and Restoration: Tribal Implementation Assistance Program (CFDA 66.121) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030. Under this award, the Nooksack Indian Tribe will provide technical expertise and project management support to advance ecosystem recovery and salmon restoration in the Nooksack Watershed, specifically supporting Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 1 Watershed Management Board activities. The tribe will engage in ecosystem assessment, protection, and recovery efforts through project planning, design, development, and inspection activities while incorporating tribal priorities into local, regional, state, and federal forums focused on salmon and ecosystem protection.

The tribe's staff will provide ongoing technical support to salmon recovery, watershed management, floodplain management, and ecosystem recovery initiatives coordinated through WRIA 1 and its associated management teams. Key deliverables include the implementation of salmon and ecosystem recovery actions at pace and scale necessary to support recovery of early Chinook and other salmon populations to sustainable harvest levels, completion of priority Chinook habitat restoration projects, and participation in the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference to share information supporting ecosystem recovery planning. No subawards are included in this assistance agreement, and the intended beneficiaries are members of the Nooksack Indian Tribe and the broader Puget Sound ecosystem.

This agreement provides funding to the nooksack indian tribe to engage in and guide local and regional ecosystem assessment, protection, and recovery efforts in the nooksack watershed through project planning, development, design, and inspection including implementing key actions in support of water resource inventory area (wria) 1 watershed management board activities.activities:the activities to be performed include participating in and providing technical support to local salmon recovery, watershed management, floodplain management, and ecosystem recovery efforts coordinated through the water resource inventory area (wria) 1 watershed management board (the salmon recovery lead entity and local integrating organizations (LIO) for wria 1) and management team, as well as associated salmon recovery, watershed, water supply planning, and LIO staff teams and/or other associated ad-hoc and advisory groups. Staff will also attend salish sea ecosystem conference to share and/or learn information to support ecosystem recovery planning and implementation.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include the incorporation of nooksack tribe priorities and technical expertise into local, regional, state and federal forums for salmon and ecosystem protection and restoration, the implementation of salmon and ecosystem recovery actions in water resource inventory area (wria) 1 at a pace necessary to affect recovery, the recovery of nooksack early chinook and other salmon populations for sustainable harvest, and the implementation of priority chinook habitat restoration projects at the pace and scale of restoration needed. Expected outcomes include the populations of early chinook and other salmon are recovered to support sustainable harvest as a result of the recovery actions represented by the tribe's input and technical expertise. The intended beneficiaries are the members of the nooksack indian tribe and surrounding communities.