The Skokomish Tribe is gathering detailed data on how the upper South Fork Skokomish River is responding following more than a decade of salmon habitat restoration. “The upper South Fork is basically 14 miles of nice channel and floodplain habitat that’s ideal for juvenile salmon rearing and adult salmon spawning,” said Alex Papiez, the tribe’s restoration biologist. “You have room laterally across the floodplain for eventual wetlands, backwater habitat and riparian vegetation.

After investing millions of dollars to restore the Skokomish estuary, the Skokomish Tribe is monitoring the habitat to measure its success. The tribe purchased and restored nearly 400 acres in the estuary starting in 2007, after the property operated as a farm and a private hunting club for nearly 80 years. “Salmon need estuaries to grow,” said Lisa Belleveau, the tribe’s habitat biologist.