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Ross Reid, aka Nerdy About Nature 🌲🤓🤙
@nerdyaboutnature

273,887 followers

Decades ago when this watershed was logged, sediment came down and inundated the river, causing it to run straighter and wider than it had historically, reducing its complexity and thus habitat for fish, so we’re working on breaking that up by installing this in-stream wood structure here! Monitoring water quality and working in a limited window before fish begin running, we start by thoroughly cleaning and maintaining any machines entering the water as to not pollute the stream. We then excavated a large pool that’s going to add depth to the channel, slow and cool down the water while also filtering out sediments on the tail end. Then we’ve collected logs from the nearby area and are layering them horizontally intermixed with smaller woody debris and slash and are then driving other logs in vertically to help stabilize the structure. This diversity of woody material in combination with that pool works to create a bunch of habitat for juvenile and spawning Salmon. The bigger logs provide shade and shelter, while also redirecting the flow of water in a way that creates more complexity, and all the fine woody bits of slash will not only provide habitat and hiding spaces for these juvenile fish, but nutrients and resources for the insects that they feed on. This is just one structure of many that we have planned for this part of the river, and collectively they will work to break up this long straight stretch of river to deepen and narrow the stream channel while adding twists, turns, bends, eddies and pools that will give Salmon a great place to grow and thrive at all stages of life. Yet this structure and all the restoration work we do is no substitute for a healthy river, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to protect and conserve than to restore, but this structure will provide a bandaid of immediate habitat to help bolster the rapidly declining Salmon and Trout populations in this watershed. For the love of Wild Salmon! @tlaoquiaht.tribal.parks @interfluve @gibson_brothers_contracting #salmon #habitat #fish #restoration #watershed #river #logging #forestry #solutions #education #nature #water #edu