Salmon, humans benefit from grants

Salmon, humans benefit from grants

Steelhead and bull trout, and Chinook and chum salmon in Mason County will benefit from almost a half-million dollars in state grants to help salmon populations.

The state Salmon Recovery Fund Board last week announced the award of $21.5 million in grants for projects to restore salmon habitat, including $279,332 to Mason Conservation District to remove a road and bridge along the Skokomish River and $198,859 to the Squaxin Island Tribe to buy 249 acres along Skookum Creek.

In all, 75 grants were awarded for projects in 27 counties. The goal of the grants is to restore habitat to help struggling salmon populations statewide.

Salmon were first designated as at risk for extinction in the state in 1991. Today, 14 populations of salmon and steelhead are listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.

"These grants are for projects to give salmon the clean, cold and plentiful water they need to survive," Jeff Breckel, chair of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, said in the news release.

"We're moving rivers, adding logs to streams to slow the water and create habitat and removing barriers so salmon can swim to the ocean and back. This work helps more ...