To: Resident of the Spokane River Watershed
From: Caleb McGivney, Fisheries Habitat Biologist/SSRC Coordinator
Date: 4/9/2024
RE: Spokane Salmon Restoration Collaborative Data Collection Project
Note: You can download the official letter here:
The Spokane Salmon Restoration Collaborative (SSRC) is hopeful you will allow access to your property to support habitat surveys being conducted throughout the Spokane River Watershed. Surveys are being scheduled for late spring and summer. A team of 2-4 trained staff will complete the survey in 2 to 4 hours.
SSRC is a collaborative of agencies, non-profits, universities, and others that includes Spokane County, the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington Department of Ecology, Spokane Conservation District, the Lands Council, the Lands Conservancy, and Eastern Washington University. We are one of 26 lead entities across the state recognized by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office to facilitate salmon restoration efforts.
Because your property is part of a stream or tributary within the watershed, a habitat survey will contribute to SSRC assessing how to best prepare our waters and habitat for non-ESA listed salmon reintroduction and protection of native redband trout. Specifically, SSRC will record measurements of stream characteristics such as channel lengths and widths, locations of suitable spawning habitat, and the amount of available oxygen in the water.
Combined with surveys and other data from across the watershed, SSRC will model where these fish are most likely to survive, limiting factors to their survival, and habitat restoration efforts that would be most beneficial to them. The survey will NOT be used to support regulatory activity. Over time, we look forward to sharing the results of this and other SSRC efforts via email and a website that will launch this summer.
If you are interested in supporting this effort, someone from SSRC will work with you to determine the habitat survey location, when and where you can provide access, and answer any questions you may have. Please do one of the following to show your interest:
Email us at info@spokanesalmon.org with a name and phone number to contact.
Fill-out a simple on-line form at www.spokanesalmon.org/habitatsurvey and we will follow-up.
Call 509-535-3986
Thank you for considering support of this collaborative, data-driven effort to support the long-term habitat and fishery needs of our watershed.
Sincerely,
Caleb McGivney
Fisheries Habitat Biologist/SSRC Coordinator
Fisheries & Water Resources Division Department of Natural Resources
Spokane Tribe of Indians