From the Coast Salmon Partnership: “In 2007, the Coast Salmon Partnership was formed through the same gritty determination that salmon exhibit on their annual return to the spawning grounds. From up and down the Washington Coast, Lead Entities, tribes, cities, counties, ports, and nonprofit organizations voluntarily came together with a unique goal: to protect and restore rivers, salmon and coastal fishing communities before they were destroyed.

Traditionally, we spend a lot of money and effort to help salmon and other important wildlife only after they are in critical decline. These herculeun efforts usually kick in when a species’ habitat – be it a forest, wetland, river or high meadow has been damaged nearly beyond repair. Recreating these habitats or restoring what’s left then becomes exorbitantly expensive, with heavy demands on landowners and governments.

Washington’s coast represents our last best chance to protect salmon in a more cost-effective way. The coast’s wild rivers are supported by ample standing forests and park lands, and are bisected by very few dams. As a result, these rivers are home to half of the state’s non-endangered salmon populations. Rivers on the Coast have salmon runs smaller in size than before European settlement, but they are not in immediate danger of collapse.

Our visionaries recognized that if we combine our efforts as a united force to protect the best and restore the rest, we have a fighting chance of keeping our salmon and steelhead populations from becoming endangered. We make a joint, upfront investment, to protect existing habitat and restore degraded habitat on the best remaining salmon runs in the state. As an added bonus, we do it all for far less than the cost of trying to rescue endangered salmon runs elsewhere.”

For more info on ongoing restoration projects and how you can help please visit https://www.coastsalmonpartnership.org/