For decades, a culvert on Brighton Creek has blocked miles of salmon habitat, proving a harmful barrier to steelhead, coho and chum returning to the Nisqually River tributary attempting to spawn.
Now the Nisqually Indian Tribe and partners have secured federal funding that could open up to 6 miles of habitat, allowing fish to thrive there again.
The tribe and Pierce County coordinated efforts to earn funding through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
“We’ve partnered with them before but this project was top of our list,” said Chris Ellings, the tribe’s salmon recovery program manager.
“This has been a high priority for the tribe for a number of years now,” said Nisqually Tribe Chairman Ken Choke. “It’s fantastic that we finally have all the funding pieces we need to open up this important stream to our salmon.”
The tribe has sought to replace the culvert for years. It was a difficult task, Ellings said, because the amount of fill needed to replace the culvert meant it would cost more, and most funding is focused on chinook, a species not found in abundance in the creek.
The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act changed the landscape. Applying through NOAA’s Restoring Tribal Priority Fish Passage through Barrier Removal program, the tribe received funding and moved closer to the long-pursued goal.
With engineering and permitting planned for 2025 and construction the year after, crucial species could again access a lengthy stretch of Brighton Creek.
“It’ll definitely benefit Nisqually steelhead, which are listed under the Endangered Species Act as threatened,” Ellings said. “They’re genetically unique and wild. It’ll also be beneficial to Nisqually coho. But the big benefit will be to Nisqually winter chum.”
Winter chum salmon are a traditional subsistence fish for the tribe, helping the community get through a season when there are fewer traditional foods available.
Like many salmon runs, the chum population has steeply declined as a result of seal and sea lion predation as well as ongoing habitat loss.
The perched culvert on Brighton Creek will be replaced by a channel-spanning one. Climate change projections will be incorporated to prevent flooding, and a wildlife crossing will be included.
The replacement of fish-blocking culverts with more ecologically sound fish-passage measures carries many benefits. The resulting increased fish populations provide more fishing opportunities for tribal and nontribal fishers, boost Washington state’s economy and help restore wild runs of fish. They also help protect orca populations by increasing the number of prey.
Nisqually natural resources manager James Slape Jr. inspects a culvert on Brighton Creek. The tribe and partners plan to replace the culvert, a project that will open 6 miles of salmon habitat. Photo: Nisqually Indian Tribe. Story: Trevor Pyle
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