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Salmon Workshops/Habitat Protection Plans

by Karen Bert

Almost everyone in the Pacific Northwest has heard about the decline in the population of wild salmon. However, sometimes it is hard to understand all of the issues surrounding this problem. A workshop at the Olympia Center on Thursday, October 16, from 6:30 - 9:30 will offer some answers and solutions to this much publicized but seldom explained issue.

Sponsored by the City of Olympia, the Thurston County Conservation District and other agencies, topics at this workshop will include Salmon 101, offering information about how the Endangered Species Act relates to salmonids and potential new listings, and terms such as instream flows, salmon habitat and other technical issues will be explained so that the public can make well-informed decisions about personal behavior.

This workshop seeks to focus attention on local salmon habitat and runs including Percival Creek, Nisqually, McAllister and Green Cove watersheds, empowering the public to become active partners in protecting our local fisheries. The workshop's planners also hope to raise awareness among local elected officals, boards and commissioners regarding salmon issues so that policy decisions and local programs reflect the need for habitat protection and enhancement.

Habitat Conservation Plans will also be discussed at the workshop. HCPs are the latest attempt to balance property rights and land protection for rare and endangered species. HCPs are an 1982 addition to the Endangered Species Act, and, simply put, are deals between the United States Government and a landowner, allowing said landowner to destroy some endangered species habitat if he agrees not to destroy too much of it. Another option allowed under a Habitat Conservation Plan is to mitigate for the loss, usually by buying potential habitat for that species somewhere else.

The third agenda item at the workshop will concern local community initiatives including agriculture, Native American Tribes, urban issues and Trout Unlimited's role in Puget Sound salmon enhancement. This workshop promises to be an interesting one that will offer some real solutions to some of our most pressing environmental problems. The public is strongly encouraged to attend.

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