Contact:
Governor's Communications Office
Phone: 360-902-4136

Salmon Recovery Funding Board
Susan Zemek,
360-902-3081
susanz@iac.wa.gov

 Gov. Gregoire Announces $16.6 Million in Grants to Protect and Restore Salmon Populations

OLYMPIA - Governor Chris Gregoire today announced $16.6 million in grants to protect and restore salmon habitat has been awarded to communities across Washington.

"The health of our salmon populations reflects the health of the water and air. Protecting the environment is central to our quality of life in Washington and essential to the strength of our economy," said Governor Gregoire. "I am proud of the way this state, and particularly local citizens, have responded to the challenge of recovering salmon."

"The Washington approach to funding these projects is a national model," said William Ruckelshaus, chair of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. "We asked local groups to set the priorities within their communities and develop projects, and then we asked them to go a step further and develop recovery plans and strategic plans that will be a road map for them and for us. The level of involvement by both the local communities and the scientific community helps us ensure that the projects we fund will be the most effective and are addressing the highest needs."

The grants from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board range from $14,000 to over $600,000. They were awarded to organizations for work ranging from planting trees along streams to help regulate water temperature and replacing crushed culverts that prevent salmon from migrating, to changing stream channels to create better places for salmon to spawn and grow.

The grant awards were given to projects in the following counties (for details, see the Salmon Recovery Funding Board Funding and Evaluation page):

The Board on December 6 awarded grants to 95 projects, including 51 projects for habitat improvements such as planting trees along streams for shade and removing fish passage barriers, 19 projects that focus on the purchase of key salmon habitat and 25 projects for studies and plans to help identify priority activities for the future. Grant recipients contributed $16.6 million in matching resources, bringing the total investment in salmon recovery to over $33 million.

The Salmon Recovery Funding Board was established in July 1999 by the state Legislature to help oversee the investment of state and federal funds for salmon recovery. Citizen members appointed by the Governor are William Ruckelshaus, Frank L. "Larry" Cassidy of Vancouver, Joe Ryan of Seattle, David Troutt of Dupont and Steve Tharinger of Clallam County. Five state agency directors or elected leaders also serve as members: Mark Clark of the Conservation Commission, Jay Manning of the Department of Ecology, Jeff Koenings of the Department of Fish and Wildlife, Doug Sutherland of the Department of Natural Resources and Doug MacDonald of the Department of Transportation. 

For descriptions of the projects in each county, visit  the Salmon Recovery Funding Board Grants Program Web site at http://www.iac.wa.gov/srfb/grants/funding.htm.