The 2012 State of Our Watersheds report provides an overview of habitat conditions in the Puget Sound region. Some key findings include: 1) Impervious surface area has increased 35% since 1986 and is projected to increase another 41% by 2026, degrading habitat quality. 2) The number of new permit-exempt wells drilled per 100 new residents has increased 81% since 1980, indicating more development is occurring outside of urban growth areas. 3) Approximately 8.6% of forest cover was removed between 1996 and 2006, and further losses are expected without protective actions. 4) Over 47% of surveyed culverts in Puget Sound are barriers to salmon migration, limiting access

1. 2012 State of Our Watersheds
WRIAs 1-23
Hoh Tribe
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Lummi Nation
Makah Nation
Muckleshoot Tribe
Nisqually Indian Tribe
Nooksack Tribe
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
1973 Puyallup Tribe of Indians
Quileute Indian Tribe
Quinault Indian Nation
Sauk-Suiattle Tribe
Skokomish Tribe
2006 Squaxin Island Tribe
Stillaguamish Tribe
Suquamish Tribe
Swinomish Tribe
Tulalip Tribes
Upper Skagit Tribe
SSHIAP
Salmon and Steelhead Habitat
Inventory and Assessment Program
nwifc.org

2. Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
Member Tribes
2

3. 3

4. 4

5. Our Thanks & Acknowledgements to the following Groups and Individuals
We would like to thank and acknowledge the participants who took time out of their regular schedules
to meet with the SSHIAP staff and to review drafts to complete this report. Their tireless work and
devotion to the Northwest Tribes and to this report shows in the final product. The following individuals
are especially recognized (Commissioners in blue, project leads in red):
Hoh Tribe (David Hudson Sr., Steve Allison, Bob Howell, Warren Scarlett)
Jamestown S’Klallam (Scott Chitwood, Hansi Hans, Byron Rot, Randy Johnson)
Lower Elwha Klallam (Russ Hepfer, Doug Morrill, Mike McHenry, Larry Ward, Matt Beirne)
Lummi (Elden Hillaire, Merle Jefferson, Jeremy Freimund, LeRoy Deardorff, Gerry Gabrisch, Victor “Turtle”
Johnson, Ben Starkhouse, Randy Kinley Sr., Alan Chapman, Jill Komoto, Diana Bob)
Makah (Russ Svec, Kimberly Clark, Stephanie Martin, Jeremy Gilman, Ray Colby, Mike Dulik, Lyle Almond)
Muckleshoot (Leo LeClair Jr., Holly Coccoli, Isabel Tinoco, Eric Warner, Glen St Amant, Paul Hage, Martin Fox,
Karen Walter)
Nisqually (Georgiana Kautz, David Troutt, George Walters, Jennifer Cutler, Jeanette Dorner)
Nooksack (Bob Kelly, Treva Coe, Ned Currence, Llyn Doremus, Erica Capuana)
Port Gamble S’Klallam (Randy Harder, Paul McCollum, Abigail Welch)
Puyallup (Herman Dillon, Bill Sullivan, Russ Ladley, Char Naylor, Andrew Berger)
Quileute (Anna Geyer, Frank Geyer, Garrett Rasmussen, Katie Krueger, Mel Moon, Nicole Rasmussen)
Quinault (Ed Johnstone, Dave Bingaman, Larry Gilbertson, Mark Mobbs, Jim Jorgensen, Nicole Rasmussen,
Tyler Jurasin, Tony Hartrich, Tom Gibbons)
Sauk-Suiattle (Jason Joseph, Scott Morris, Norma Joseph, , Robert Franklin, Kevin Lenon)
Skokomish (David Herrera, Joseph Pavel, Alex Gouley, Ron Figlar-Barnes, Randy Lumper)
Squaxin Island (Joseph Peters, Jeff Dickison, John Konovsky, Brian McTeague, Scott Steltzner, Sarah Haque,)
Stillaguamish (Shawn Yanity, John Drotts, Pat Stevenson, Don Klopfer, Charlotte Scofield, Kip Killebrew,
Jennifer Sevigny, Jason Griffith, Franchesca Perez, Jody Brown, Scott Rockwell)
Suquamish (Merle Hayes, Rich Brooks, Tom Ostrom, Steve Todd)
Swinomish (Lorraine Loomis, Larry Wasserman, Alix Foster)
Tulalip (Terry Williams, Daryl Williams, Kit Rawson, Abby Hook, Kurt Nelson, Libby Nelson, Maria Calvi, Todd
Zackey, Mike McHugh, Darla Boyer)
Upper Skagit (Scott Schuyler, Jon-Paul Shannahan, Lauren Rich, Carolyn Dudek, Doug Couvelier, Tim Shelton,
Chris Gourley)
Point No Point Treaty Council (Randy Harder, Sarah Burlingame, Cynthia Rossi, Thom Johnson, Chris Weller)
Skagit River System Cooperative (Devin Smith, Curt Veldhuisen, Jeff Phillips, Kate Ramsden, Tim Hyatt, Mike
Olis, Eric Beamer, Steve Hinton, Stan Walsh)
Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (Billy Frank Jr., Bruce Jones, Tyson Waldo, Marilu Koschak, Osa
Odum, Ron McFarlane, Katie Anderson, Christina Gonzales, Fran Wilshusen, Craig Bowhay, Mike Grayum,
Gary Graves, Tony Meyer, Kari Neumeyer, Tiffany Royal, Emmett O’Connell, Debbie Ross-Preston, Jim Peters,
Jim Weber, Todd Bolster, Lawrence Sullivan)
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6. 6

7. 7

8. 8

9. 9

10. Table of Contents
Location Map 2
Billy's Letter 3
Acknowledgements 5
Executive Summary 6
Table of Contents 10
Introduction 11
Regional Reports
Puget Sound 13
Pacific Coast 24
Tribal Chapters
Hoh Tribe 32
Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe 44
Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe 56
Lummi Nation 71
Makah Nation 87
Muckleshoot Tribe 103
Nisqually Indian Tribe 123
Nooksack Tribe 134
Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe 148
Puyallup Tribe of Indians 163
Quileute Indian Tribe 179
Quinault Indian Nation 194
Sauk-Suiattle Tribe 206
Skokomish Tribe 224
Squaxin Island Tribe 240
Stillaguamish Tribe 255
Suquamish Tribe 271
Swinomish Tribe 289
Tulalip Tribes 303
Upper Skagit Tribe 321
Report Development Process 335
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11. 11

12. 12

13. Puget Sound Regional Report
Puget Sound
Land Ownership
Bellingham
Port Angeles
Everett
¹
Seattle
Bremerton
Federal Tacoma
33.4%
Private
/Other Olympia Federal
37.5% State Tribal
26.5% WA State
0 50 Miles Local Govt
Tribal
Private/Other
0.9% Local Govt 1.7%
13

14. Increased Effective Impervious Surface
Outside of the federal park, forest service and recreation lands, the Puget Sound area impervious surface
increased by 35% from 1986 to 2006. It is projected that by 2026, the impervious surface will increase
another 41%, moving this area from an Impacting to Degrading category. The Puget Sound Salmon
Recovery Plan (2007) lists "Minimize impervious surfaces" as a key strategy for protecting habitat.
Impervious surface causes increases in stream temperatures; decreases in stream biodiversity, as
evidenced by reduced numbers of insect and fish species; and contributes to pollutants in stormwater
runoff, which can contaminate local aquatic systems (Schueler, 2003). As the population continues to
increase, so will the impervious surface area, causing a disruption of both the ground and surface water
ecologies. This disruption will negatively impact both the freshwater and marine ecosystems dependent
upon the proper function of the hydrologic cycle. Currently, the Puget Sound area has a mean level of
impervious surface to raise it to a "Trend to impacting " condition, and when considering the future
population growth the area is projected to move to an "Impacting" condition. Individual Watershed
Administrative Units (WAU) already exceed the " Trend to Impacting" condition, with a third more to
exceed by the year 2026. By then 30 WAUs are forecast to exceed " Impacting" condition. The Chinook
Recovery Plan has leaned heavily on local planning, land use policies, and provisions contained in the
local Watershed Plans to protect critical habitat. However, even with critical area ordinances, planned
development areas outside of the designated Urban Growth Areas will contribute to the increases in
impervious surface area.
Puget Sound Impervious Surface (1986 - 2026 forecast) excluding National forest, parks and recreation areas
(Table & Chart)
Impervious Surface # of WAUs per Category
Categories 1986 2006 2026*
Little to no Impact 0-4% 181 168 155
Trend to Impacting 4-7% 17 18 20
Impacting 7-12% 12 15 16
Degrading 12-40%
Degrading 12-40% 11 19 26
Severely Damaged >40% 0 1 4
*Forecast based upon WA OFM Population Projection
2006 2026
(Forecast)
¹
0 60 Miles
Impervious Surface Categories Impacting Puget Sound Boundary
Sources: WSDOT
Little to no Impact Degrading National Park/Forest/Rec Lands NOAA CCAP 1986
Trend to Impacting Severely Damaged Marine Waters & 2006, WAOFM
14

15. Permit-Exempt Wells in Puget Sound
Since 1980, there has been an 81% increase in the number of new wells being drilled per 100 new
Puget Sound residents moving into the area. This is an indication of a trend that as new population is
added to the area, they are moving into the non-developed areas, causing the new for new wells to be
drilled. Population growth leading to a high percentage of urban or rural-residential use is an
identified concern in Puget Sound's Chinook Recovery Plan.
Population growth within the Puget Sound watershed, both in the past and in the near future, will have
increased demands on groundwater resources. When the change in population is compared to the
change in installed exempt wells, a statistical increase is observed in the relationship between the two
values. For the decade beginning in 1980, a rate of 3.1 new wells were added for every 100 new people.
By the decade beginning in 2000 the rate increased to 5.5 new wells per 100 new people. This trend
indicates that as new population is added, an increasing number is developing land outside of areas of
supplied water, and the drilling new wells without regard to aquifer sensitivity and stream recharge
needs. Unchecked growth and its concomitant increase in groundwater demand will reduce aquifer
volume with all its effects.
Water naturally discharges from aquifers at a rate which is controlled to a large extent by the amount of
recharge. Natural outflow, from an aquifer, is discharged into lakes, wetlands and streams through
springs and seeps on the surface of the land and through underwater springs to lakes, wetlands or
seawater. Adequate natural outflow is essential for sustaining stream base flows, maintaining lake
levels, providing fresh water inputs to the nearshore and preventing seawater intrusion.
When more water is extracted from an aquifer than is being recharged, aquifer volume is reduced and
the natural outflow from the aquifer is decreased until the outflow and aquifer level balances with the
input. This reduces the amount of fresh water available
to lakes, wetlands, streams and the Puget Sound
nearshore. Reduced lake/wetland levels and stream 6.0
flows can have a negative impact on all stages of the
New Wells / 100 New People
5.54
salmonid life cycle. Reduced fresh water inputs to the 5.0
5.21
shoreline and nearshore of Puget Sound can have a
negative impact on shellfish and out-migrating juvenile 4.0
salmonids. Population Change
! ! !!! ! 3.0 3.07 vs Exempt Well
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Puget Sound !
!
!
! Change by Decade
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!!
!
Exempt Wells ! ! !
!
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!! !
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! ! 2.0
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! 1980-1989 1990-1999 2000-2009
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! Puget Sound Boundary
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Wells per Dot
! !!
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1 - 50 City/Urban Area
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! ! ! ! 51 - 250 National Park/Recreation Area
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251 - 500
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! 501 - 1000 Marine Waters
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! 1001 - 4368
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¹
! Data Sources:
!
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! ! ! ! !
! WADNR WAU; WSDOT Natl Park,
!
! !! !
!
0 40 Mi !
Forest, Recreation Area, City, UGA & Urban Area;
WAECY Wells 2010
15

16. Forest Cover Loss Continues
About 8.6% of the forest cover was removed between 1996 and 2006 and the trend is to see more loss if
protective actions are not taken. Minimizing forest cover removal to reduce long-term impacts is a "Key
strategy for protecting habitat" component of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan (2007).
Forest Cover Loss
(1996-2006)
¹
0 20 Miles
16