Support regional efforts to advance salmonoid restoration science

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $137,632 Project Grant under its Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630) to Long Live The Kings (LLTK), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, to support regional efforts to advance salmonid restoration science in Washington's Hood Canal. The project aims to deliver a future of abundant salmon runs that support healthy communities and ecosystems in the region. Specifically, the grant funds will be used to support LLTK staff and leadership in accomplishing projects, programs, and coordination needs related to salmonid recovery. Activities take place on privately owned land and focus on maintaining hatcheries, conducting field surveys, coordinating scientific assessments, contributing to recovery planning for threatened and endangered species, and integrating traditional ecological knowledge into habitat restoration efforts. This grant award further demonstrates LLTK's extensive experience in salmon and steelhead conservation, leveraging its expertise in research, monitoring, and coordination to support federal agency objectives in the Pacific Northwest.

The health of puget sound and its residents depends on salmon and steelhead. These local icons underpin complex ecosystems, support thousands of jobs in the fishing and ECO-tourism industries, and maintain the treaty rights and traditions of tribal nations. Unfortunately, the future viability of these fish is at-risk. Washingtons state of the salmon publication reported that ten out of washingtons fourteen salmon and steelhead populations are either in crisis or not keeping pace with already modest recovery goals. Hood canal is home to one of only two populations that are making progress towards these recovery goals. Given the enormity of the challenges facing puget sound salmonids and the rare positive recovery progress occurring in hood canal, we need persistent, long-term support for lltks projects to deliver a future of abundant salmon runs supporting healthy communities and ecosystems. Without this support, lltks will lack capacity to continue serving as an important regional convener on some of the most important salmon recovery projects occurring in hood canal. Project objectives, approach, and timeline lltks hood canal projects are located along the western coast of hood canal in mason county, washington. USFWS coastal funds will be used to support lltk staff and leadership accomplish the projects, programs, and coordination needs described below. Activities take place on two separate tracts of privately owned land, each held by a different landowner. Approximately 50% of the activities covered under this contract take place on privately owned land