One of the Stillaguamish Tribe’s salmon habitat restoration projects off of Moran Road on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

One of the Stillaguamish Tribe’s salmon habitat restoration projects off of Moran Road on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Stillaguamish Tribe to ‘repair, restore’ river with salmon funding

Over $1 million in grants will help the tribe to restore the Trafton floodplain and plant trees along the North Fork Stillaguamish.

ARLINGTON — Between acquiring property, creating channels for fish and planting native vegetation, just one salmon recovery project can take decades.

But to help salmon populations rebound, especially the threatened Chinook, members and employees of the Stillaguamish Tribe said they are doing all they can to support this “cornerstone” of their culture.

This year, the tribe received over $1 million in grants from the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the Puget Sound Partnership, helping propel two projects.

In one, the Stillaguamish Tribe plans to improve the Trafton floodplain along the North Fork Stillaguamish River, about 4 miles northeast of Arlington. In the second, the tribe will plant trees and bushes in a separate area along the North Fork, west of Darrington. Establishing a riparian forest provides shade for fish and helps prevent soil from falling into the river.

The site of some recently planted trees at one of the Stillaguamish Tribe’s salmon habitat restoration projects off of Moran Road on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The site of some recently planted trees at one of the Stillaguamish Tribe’s salmon habitat restoration projects off of Moran Road on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

The Trafton site will be the largest floodplain project in the Stillaguamish River, said Jason Griffith, environmental manager for the Stillaguamish Tribe. About 158 acres are owned by the Stillaguamish Tribe and another 72 acres are owned by Snohomish County through Trafton Trailhead Park.

Thousands of pieces of wood will create logjams in the main North Fork channel, with a new side channel set to be built, too.

Historic aerial photos of the Trafton property show large logjams and channels flowing across the entire width of the floodplain.

“It was always obvious to me, looking at the photo record, that it was … a site with a lot of potential for salmon recovery, for habitat restoration,” Griffith said.

Matured trees visible at one of the Stillaguamish Tribe’s salmon habitat restoration projects off of Moran Road on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Matured trees visible at one of the Stillaguamish Tribe’s salmon habitat restoration projects off of Moran Road on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Logjams are complex, Griffith said. They slow the river’s flow, provide cover for adult and juvenile salmon and can foster aquatic plant growth.

“The river’s productivity is directly linked to the complexity of the habitat,” Griffith said, “and the river’s been simplified a great deal over the last 100 plus years.”

The Stillaguamish Tribe plans to begin construction of the Trafton project in 2025. The project is split into two phases. It’s expected to take at least four years. In phase one, workers will move dirt, excavate a side channel, create logjams and remove invasive plants, so new native vegetation can thrive. Phase two will consist of removing an almost mile-long levee and placing more logjams in the river.

A portion of Whitehorse Trail, a 27-mile stretch connecting Arlington to Darrington, cuts through the Trafton floodplain. Griffith said logjams and plants will be placed strategically to keep the river’s energy away from the trail. Maintaining a “recreation corridor” has been a significant aspect of the project’s design, Griffith said.

A sign off of the Whitehorse Trail displaying plants for the Trafton Trailhead Park restoration on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

A sign off of the Whitehorse Trail displaying plants for the Trafton Trailhead Park restoration on Monday, Oct. 16, 2023 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Kadi Bizyayeva, deputy fisheries manager for the Stillaguamish Tribe, said the tribe restricts access to Chinook and steelhead by reducing the number of fish that can be harvested and restoring habitats. But still, “there’s a lot of culture that gets removed from our community,” Bizyayeva said.

“Decolonizing the landscape” — by removing structures inhibiting habitat restoration and making project sites more climate-resilient — can foster a functioning and healthy ecosystem, Bizyayeva said.

“Then we ourselves are functioning and healthy,” she said.

The Stillaguamish Tribe has an oral tradition outlining what the valley around the Stillaguamish River used to look like. The valley of years past is very different from what it looks like now, Griffith said.

Acquiring property along the Stillaguamish River and rewilding natural areas are part of a tedious process. But salmon “are an indicator of a much larger ecosystem,” Griffith said, recounting how bear, deer and elk have responded to the tribe’s restoration efforts in the past.

Griffith said: ”We’re trying to restart, repair, restore the natural processes that create and sustain salmon habitat.”

Ta’Leah Van Sistine: 425-339-3460; taleah.vansistine@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @TaLeahRoseV.

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.

Pharmacist Nisha Mathew prepares a Pfizer COVID booster shot for a patient at Bartell Drugs on Broadway on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett lawmakers back universal health care bill, introduced in Olympia

Proponents say providing health care for all is a “fundamental human right.” Opponents worry about the cost of implementing it.

Outside of the updated section of Lake Stevens High School on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020 in Lake Stevens, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lake Stevens, Arlington school measures on Feb. 11 ballot

A bond in Lake Stevens and a levy in Arlington would be used to build new schools.

Lake Stevens Sewer District wastewater treatment plant. (Lake Stevens Sewer District)
Lake Stevens sewer district trial delayed until April

The dispute began in 2021 and centers around when the city can take over the district.

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.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

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.

A salmon carcass lays across willow branches in Edgecomb Creek on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tribes: State fish passage projects knock down barriers for local efforts

Court-ordered projects have sparked collaboration for salmon habitat restoration

The Everett Municipal Building on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett council approves $111 million construction of sewer project

The Port Gardner Storage Facility, in the works for more than a decade, will help prevent overflows of the city sewer system.

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.