Salmon Coalition celebrates decade-long project

Not even the pouring rain could dampen the North Olympic Salmon Coalition’s celebration of partnerships and restored habitat for the 3 Crabs estuary.

The North Olympic Salmon Coalition (NOSC) honored 10 years of hard work and the partnerships made along the way in its 3 Crabs nearshore and estuarine restoration project at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Dec. 18 at the estuary off 3 Crabs Road.

Kevin Long, NOSC senior project manager, said this work has come a long way over the last decade and was not an easy task.

“We did it for all of us here,” Long said.

“We did it for the community, for juvenile Chinook salmon, to remove contaminants from the shoreline and food chain which we all are a part of, and we did it for the birds.”

This restoration project is one of many NOSC has implemented in various areas throughout the Olympic Peninsula and was made possible by 29 stakeholders and supporters involved in the project.

“Without these groups this project would have never happened,” Long said.

It cost about $4.2 million to design, permit and construct the project, he said.

NOSC received about $199,962 in grant money from the Washington Salmon Recovery Funding Board in early December it plans to put toward restoring about 22 acres of the Dungeness River estuary.

The ceremony kicked off with a special opening by Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe citizens Kurt Grinnell and his daughter Loni Grinnell-Greninger, who sang a verse from “The Happy Song” — a song that originated from the three S’Klallam/Klallam tribes.

“We chose this work, and it’s good work,” Loni said at the ceremony. “Not only does it benefit us here, but it benefits our environment and our animals.”

The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is one of the many partners involved in the project, along with the North Olympic Land Trust, the Washington State Recreation & Conservation office, and many more.

Representatives from these organizations spoke at the ceremony along with state representatives Mike Chapman and Steve Tharinger.

Tom Sanford, executive director of the the North Olympic Land Trust, noted in his speech how this project is important in preserving the lower Dungeness River ecosystem.

“A vision has been created for this place,” Sanford said.

“This project makes sure the lower Dungeness maintains a quality of life that makes this place an amazing one on this planet.”

Phil Rockefeller, a representative from the Washington State Recreation & Conservation Office, said this project creates a need for accountability.

“A long-term return of salmon are in store for projects like this,” he said.

Long said while there is no longer a restaurant at the site, “we still continue to serve salmon every day.”

About the project

The goal for this project, Long said, was to restore salmon access to the marsh by removing structures from the area, such as infrastructure, fill and armoring at the site of the former 3 Crabs Restaurant.

The project also created a public access point from 3 Crabs Road at a newly established U.S. Fish and Wildlife area along the Dungeness Bay and Meadowbrook Creek, the last freshwater tributary to the Dungeness River that provides rearing habitat for out-migrating Dungeness River salmon, according the the organization’s website.

Long said the idea is to create a habitat where salmon can return and juvenile salmon can grow and get as big as possible before swimming out to sea.

The Dungeness estuary and Dungeness Bay support an average of 7,500 waterfowl during migration and winter, the organization’s website says, and the habitat restoration of this area benefits a variety of waterfowl species by improving access to habitat types.

The project, among its many other feats, has restored ecological function to over 40 acres of coastal wetlands and one-half mile stream channel.

To learn more about the project, visit the North Olympic Salmon Coalition’s webiste at https://nosc.org/.

Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe citizens Kurt Grinnell and his daughter Loni Grinnell-Greninger, open the North Olympic Salmon Coalition ribbon cutting ceremony with a special welcome, with Loni singing a verse from the tribe’s “Happy Song.” The event celebrated the 3 Crabs Nearshore and Estuarine Restoration Project on Dec. 18. Sequim Gazette photo by Erin Hawkins