The South Fork Stillaguamish River runs through a new location past a man-made meander jam, large woody material jam and a live crib wall to help guide its new course on Wednesday in Verlot. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The South Fork Stillaguamish River runs through a new location past a man-made meander jam, large woody material jam and a live crib wall to help guide its new course on Wednesday in Verlot. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

At Gold Basin, a river is moved to save endangered salmon

A landslide had been dumping more than 40,000 tons of silt a year into the river. Not anymore.

VERLOT — How do you move a river?

That’s the task crews faced this summer on the South Fork Stillaguamish River, by the Gold Basin Campground.

The answer: A lot of digging.

Workers demolished half the sites at the always-full campground off Mountain Loop Highway, ripping out concrete and fire pits and pit toilets. They logged hundreds of trees and dug a new 2,600-foot channel. Then, in August, they switched the river, like switching directions on a railroad track. As the water drained, they caught and moved hundreds of fish — Coho and juvenile Chinook salmon, rainbow trout, sculpin,lots of whitefish and a single bull trout.

To prevent sediment from sliding into the water, they built a series of barriers along the new channel using 1,600 logs. Behind them are a series of pools separated by small dams. Over a decade or so, they will fill up with silt. And trees will grow, creating a new wetland-type environment that will continue to catch and filter the silt.

The $5.3 million habitat restoration project to help endangered salmon species is an effort that spans 20 years. It involved a partnership between the Stillaguamish Tribe, the Stillaguamish Watershed Council and the U.S. Forest Service, and required a lot of design and labor. Anchor QEA, Oso-based Anderson River Construction, Goodfellow Bros. and union workers contributed to the project.

A live crib wall, made out of logged trees, is visible across the South Fork Stillaguamish River from the Gold Basin Campground on Wednesday in Verlot. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A live crib wall, made out of logged trees, is visible across the South Fork Stillaguamish River from the Gold Basin Campground on Wednesday in Verlot. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The work is a balancing act between habitat restoration and recreation. Darrington District Ranger Greta Smith saw it as an opportunity to teach campers about how we can help the environment.

Smith said the U.S. Forest Service is working with the National Forest Foundation’s Treasured Landscape initiative to make improvements along Mountain Loop Highway. She sees the Gold Basin project as a model for future endeavors.

“There’s a lot of potential in this effort,” she said. “We’re not quite done yet.”

The project will help protect the river from the Gold Basin landslide, which for decades has been the biggest source of sediment in the river.

The hillside is made of highly erosive clay, sand and gravel, the product of continental glaciers from more than 10,000 years ago, said Scott Rockwell, a forest and fish biologist with the Stillaguamish Tribe. Back then, this area was under hundreds or thousands of feet of water, he said. Gold Basin was part of a lake bottom.

The glacial soils were dropped in layers that can still be seen today from the campground. After the glaciers retreated, the hillside became exposed to the elements, and subject to erosion. Each year, the hillside has dumped about 40,000 tons of sediment into the Stillaguamish, according to a U.S. Forest Service environmental assessment published in 2018.

A large woody material jam, made out of logged trees, is visible from a new river-side campsite at the Gold Basin Campground on Wednesday in Verlot. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A large woody material jam, made out of logged trees, is visible from a new river-side campsite at the Gold Basin Campground on Wednesday in Verlot. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The landslides can be dramatic. In 1996, so much silt fell that it blocked the river, temporarily forcing it to go through the campground. And a couple of years ago, Rockwell said he found sediment at the campground, a sign of another large slope failure.

All that fine sand and silt isn’t good for fish, including the endangered Chinook salmon, according to studies. It can plug up gravel beds used for spawning, entombing eggs and suffocating baby fish. It can cloud up the water, making it harder for fish to find food and potentially injuring their gills.

The number of Chinook in the river is “extremely low,” according to a 2009 report published by Snohomish County. The Stillaguamish Tribe had been trying to do something about the Gold Basin landslide for more than two decades, said Shawn Yanity, the tribal fisheries manager.

Part of the hillside erosion contributing to the spread of sediment along the South Fork Stillaguamish River on Wednesday in Verlot. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Part of the hillside erosion contributing to the spread of sediment along the South Fork Stillaguamish River on Wednesday in Verlot. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

“We had a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “… It always seems like it’s more of a struggle to do the right thing than doing the wrong thing.”

He said he wants to see a viable economy for salmon again. He wants there to be enough fish for everyone, for both tribal members and for sport.

“Our culture is disappearing with the salmon,” he said. “And that’s something that just isn’t acceptable for us.”

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.