Page 9 - Chehalis Tribal Newsletter - April, 2019

9

HEALTH/WELLNESS

Clockwise
from far left:
DNR staff
members Wayne
Barr and Jason
Gillie team
up on a river
restoration
project.
Jason uses heavy
equipment to
break up soil and
create holes to
plant the trees.
DNR selected
the types of
trees that need
to be planted
by conducting
surveys on other
DNR enhances fish buffer zones.
Wayne puts the
finishing touches
habitat with trees in place by
positioning trees
and filling in the
holes with soil.

Robust riparian buffer
zone is essential to ‘This is another step in the
improving river health right direction toward fixing

By Frazier Myer the river.’
The Chehalis Tribe’s – COLLEEN SUTER, DEPARTMENT OF
Department of Natural Resources NATURAL RESOURCES ENVIRONMENTAL
kicked off a busy spring season PROGRAMS MANAGER
by planting thousands of trees people are really worried about is
alongside the river. shading,” Suter said.
The project began with Without shade, that section various spots along the river.
digging and planting on March of the river gets hot and is This survey provided
21 and continued throughout unfavorable for the salmon information about the densities
the following weeks. DNR population. It affects their ability of the vegetation and allowed the
Environmental Programs to metabolize and creates oxygen department to develop a blueprint
Manager Colleen Suter, who has shortage in the water. This to work off of when recreating
worked for the tribe for more than shortage causes suffocation and land near the Chehalis Tribe’s
two years, led the restoration. decreases the fish population. waterways.
Suter explained that the Looking to the future
purpose behind the project Another major purpose of base of the buffer zone and create
is to repair and restore the riparian zones is to help channel more of a natural environment. As the tribe continues to
habitat along the river, which is migration. Lack of habitat and Suter said specific areas received develop, maintenance of its rivers
necessary for the tribe to meet the vegetation make the banks of the more particular restoration. On is one aspect that often goes
regulations and requirements of river more susceptible to moving one section of recently acquired unnoticed.
having a riparian buffer zone. or changing shape. When parts property, there is a dense The Chehalis tribal people
The buffer zone is a vegetated of the banks are swept away and population of reed canary grass, have relied on salmon and other
habitat alongside the river that the river changes route, property an invasive species in western species of fish to sustain their
helps refine water quality and owners lose parts of their land. Washington. DNR planted a lifestyle, and the fish number
fish environment by filtering Selections of trees significant number of Pacific has noticeably gone down in
toxins that come off the land that willows to combat the threat. recent decades. DNR, along
negatively impact the river. There The types of trees the DNR Additionally, DNR staff with Chehalis Tribal Fisheries,
are many reasons to have a proper planted include cottonwood, members conducted a plot survey is striving to help reverse this
buffer zone. Oregon ash, big-leaf maple, red of healthy riparian vegetation ongoing issue.
“This is another step in the
Importance of shade osier dogwood and willows. The during the beginning stages of the right direction toward fixing the
department also planted various
project to determine which species
“The main thing that a lot of types of bushes to fill in under the of trees would be designated for river,” Suter said.