Fish & Amphibians
(in wetlands)
Palustrine wetlands are prominent habitats
of Pacific Northwest coastal floodplains. The importance
of these flooded wetlands (e.g. marshes, beaver ponds,
remnant oxbows) to fish has not been well documented
historically. The goal of this study was to broaden our
understanding of the role of regulated floodplain wetlands
in the Pacific Northwest as rearing (i.e. feeding, refugia)
habitat for fishes.
Habitat
Division Science
The
WDFW Habitat Program's Science Division offers expertise
and conducts research to support habitat protection and
enhancement efforts. Through research studies, program biologists
monitor the condition of fish and wildlife habitat, identify
habitat protection needs and assess whether protection and
enhancement efforts are producing the desired results.
High Flows for Fish and Wildlife in Washington [PDF]
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) develops instream flow recommendations to protect and restore fish and wildlife habitat in streams. Recent advances in instream flow science document the importance of protecting and restoring high flows that create habitat.
Intensively
Monitored Watersheds
The Intensively Monitored Watershed project
is a joint effort of the Washington Departments of Fish
and Wildlife and Ecology, NOAA Fisheries, EPA, Lower Elwha
Klallam Tribe and Weyerhaeuser Company. The premise of the
IMW project is that the complex relationships controlling
salmon response to habitat conditions can best be understood
by concentrating monitoring and research efforts at a few
locations.
Priority Habitats and Species
The Priority Habitats and Species (PHS) Program fulfills one of the most fundamental responsibilities of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) -- to provide comprehensive information on important fish, wildlife, and habitat resources in Washington.
Puget
Sound Nearshore
Puget
Sound Nearshore Partnership
The Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership is
a large-scale initiative that affords a unique opportunity
to tackle some of the foremost habitat restoration needs
in Washington State's Puget Sound basin. Nearshore Project
goals are to identify significant ecosystem problems,
evaluate potential solutions, and restore and preserve
critical nearshore habitat.
Puget
Sound Partnership
The Puget Sound Partnership is a community
effort of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists and
businesses working together to restore and protect Puget
Sound.
Puget
Sound Ambient Monitoring Program (PSAMP)
A multi-agency effort to monitor the health
of Puget Sound waters, fishes and macro-invertebrates.
Pacific
Salmon & Wildlife: Ecological Contexts, Relationships,
and Implications for Management
For the first time, this Special Edition
Technical Report synthesizes fundamental and crucial information
linking salmon with wildlife species and the broader aquatic
and terrestrial realms in which the co-exist. Readers will
find this scientifically-robust report to greatly strengthen
our collective understanding of the role that salmon play
in the population so Pacific Northwest wildlife species,
the ecology of freshwater ecosystems, and how management
activities such as hatcheries and harvest can impact these
aspects.
Wildlife-Habitat
Relationships in Oregon and Washington
The first book to compile and synthesize
in a single convenient, comprehensive volume a vast amount
of diverse information on 593 wildlife species and their
relationships with the 32 terrestrial, freshwater, and marine
habitat types of Oregon and Washington.
Off
Channel Habitat Inventory Data
TAPPS off-channel habitat inventory data
for the North Coast and North Sound regions
Requesting
Maps and Digital Information
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW) maintains a number of GIS databases that contain
information on important fish and wildlife species that
should be considered in land use decisions and activities.
The
Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Inventory and Assessment Program
(SSHIAP)
A partnership-based information system that
characterizes freshwater and estuary habitat conditions
and ditribution of salmonid stocks in Washington. The western
Washington Treaty Indian Tribes and WDFW are co-managers
of the program.
SalmonScape
Interactive Mapping
Salmonscape is an interactive mapping application
designed to display and report a wide range of data related
to salmon distribution, status, and habitats. The data sources
used by Salmonscape include stream specific fish and habitat
data, and information about stock status and recovery evaluations.
Aquatic
Habitat Guidelines (AHG)
In
1999, the governor's Salmon Recovery Office commissioned
the Departments of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), Ecology, and
Transportation (WSDOT) to develop technical assistance guidance
for those who want to protect and restore salmonid habitat.
Drought
Frequently Asked Questions
Since 2005, droughts have been a concern
because of their far-reaching impacts to fish, wildlife
and their habitats, as well as commercial and recreational
uses of fish and wildlife. WDFW continues to assess and
identify drought-related risks and liabilities affecting
the survival, conservation, and use of fish and wildlife
resources.
Fish
Passage & Screening
Guidance Documents
Within the Habitat Program, the Technical
Applications (TAPPS) Division develops, implements and
evaluates habitat projects statewide and provides professional
technical assistance that directly support state, local,
and
federal initiatives to maintain and restore wild
salmonid populations and their habitat.
Growth
Management Act (GMA) & Shoreline Management Act (SMA) Guidelines
The Growth Management Act (GMA) and Shoreline Management Act (SMA) require Washington counties and cities to take a comprehensive, coordinated, proactive approach to planning that will guide land and shoreline development in their jurisdictions. Among their many provisions, these Acts require protection of fish and wildlife habitat. WDFW has resources to assist local governments with meeting that mandate.
Priority
Habitats and Species (PHS) Guidelines
The Priority Habitats and Species (PHS)
Program fulfills one of the most fundamental responsibilities
of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
-- to provide comprehensive information on important fish,
wildlife, and habitat resources in Washington.
Recreational
Activities May Harm Salmon and Steelhead Spawning Beds
Salmon
and steelhead lay their eggs in spawning nests called “redds”.
For the eggs to survive and develop they need clean, loose
gravel. If silt fills in the spaces between the gravel,
clean water cannot circulate and the eggs may die from
lack
of oxygen or from accumulated waste products.Even
seemingly casual recreational activities may decrease the
spawning success of the very fish that we enjoy. Many recreational
activities can cause impacts that we don’t even consider.
Riverbank Stabilization Guidelines:
Pend Oreille River in the Box Canyon Reservoir
Increased land development along the Pend Oreille River within
the 54-mile long Box Canyon Reservoir and high rates of riverbank
erosion have led to the implementation of a large number
of bank stabilization projects in recent years. Most of these
projects have not accounted for protecting environmental
conditions and have not incorporated measures to mitigate
for environmental impacts. This document is intended to provide
guidance to assist the public with identifying the causes
of riverbank erosion along their property and selecting environmentally
appropriate design options in order to gain WDFW approval.
Wind
Power Guidelines
Contains agency guidelines designed to
provide guidance to agency personnel, wind power developers,
government decision-makers, and the interested public.
The guidelines contain three sections: Baseline and Monitoring
Studies for Wind Projects; Wind Project Habitat Mitigation
(Conventional); and, Wind Project Alternative Habitat
Mitigation Pilot Program. A cover letter from the Director
of WDFW introduces these guidelines.
Hydroelectric Power Projects
Mitigation biologists work statewide with project owners and stakeholders assessing impacts and pursuing mitigation opportunities for each project. In an effort to make informed decisions about project mitigation opportunities, Division staff work collaboratively with a broad range of stakeholders, local experts and species specialists.
