Summary

A unique partnership created 25 years ago in King County has so far reconnected 730 acres of floodplain, completed 719 salmon recovery projects, and planted nearly 1,500 acres of native vegetation in riparian areas. The partners recently signed a new agreement that will sustain the effort for at least the next decade.  

News

Twenty-five years after creating a first-of-its-kind regional partnership for salmon recovery, King County and a coalition of partners are celebrating progress and renewing the alliance for another decade.  

The partners have so far reconnected 730 acres of floodplain, completed 719 salmon recovery projects, and planted native vegetation in nearly 1,500 acres of riparian areas while also improving water quality, reducing flood risks, and expanding public access to greenspace. They are achievements that would have been nearly impossible without the agreement signed in 2000 that unified investments and aligned actions across jurisdictional boundaries.  

Coinciding with a 25th anniversary summit hosted in December at the University of Washington, the partners signed a new agreement that will ensure progress continues for the next decade.  

“The inspiring progress we have made with salmon recovery partners over the past 25 years demonstrates the power of collective action, unifying our efforts to produce the best results for people, fish, and wildlife,” said King County Executive Girmay Zahilay. “Our unique approach in King County recognizes that we are most effective when we apply a regional approach to achieve shared goals that reflect our values.”   

After the federal government listed nine salmon runs in the Pacific Northwest as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1999 – unprecedented in a major metropolitan region – local governments and community partners throughout King County mobilized to create a unique partnership that applied a watershed-scale approach to salmon recovery that is not constrained by city limits.  

Rather than the traditional approach in which restoration projects, land use regulations, flood risk reduction, and environmental protections operate in isolation, the partners began focusing on what will achieve the best results for salmon, recognizing that restored landscapes would benefit people as well.  

Successful restoration projects improve salmon habitat, reduce flood risks, provide more access to natural areas

In rural and urban areas throughout King County, partners have completed major salmon recovery projects that restored ecological functions, reduced flood risks, protected homes and farmland, and provided more public access to natural areas and river corridors.  

Successful projects include the sweeping Lower Russell Levee Setback along the Green River in Kent that better protects homes and business from flooding, improves habitat for fish and wildlife, and improves connections to existing parks and trails. The Downey Farmstead Restoration Project restored 2,000 feet of floodplain in Kent, providing young Chinook salmon with a greater amount of healthy habitat. A seawall removal and beach restoration along the Puget Sound shoreline in Burien has created a dynamic landscape for people, fish, and wildlife.  

Restoring Lower Issaquah Creek in Lake Sammamish Park — Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust’s largest-ever restoration project — placed more than 500 logs into a restored stream channel with volunteers helping plant native vegetation along 4,600 feet of stream. 

Each of those projects complement ones coordinated by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks that restored salmon habitat along the Green, Duwamish, Cedar, and Snoqualmie rivers. A creative approach to financing helped the department transform a dilapidated hotel along the Duwamish River into a pocket estuary where young salmon have safe habitat where they can transition from freshwater to saltwater in addition to offering much-needed greenspace in Tukwila.  

Contact