Increasing Connectivity with the Snoqualmie River

A resilient Snoqualmie River for all means more active management of the Upper Valley. A responsible planning approach is needed to respond to the constantly changing river environment.

The Snoqualmie Tribe’s relationship with the river valley is a generational commitment that has existed since time immemorial. The Tribe is recommending actions to increase access to a clean river for all.

The Snoqualmie Tribe is studying the river ecology and landscape processes in the Upper Snoqualmie Corridor and developed a plan to share how conditions are expected to change in a warming climate. The Upper Snoqualmie Resilient River Corridor Management Plan is now available detailing the existing conditions, climate change projections, and 22 actions to increase the connectivity of the river.

The plan will serve as a knowledge source and discussion tool to support a richer cultural relationship with the Upper Snoqualmie River and promote a collective understanding of a resilient river for all.

Walking Tour of the Snoqualmie River

Take a look at the 22 actions recommended by the Snoqualmie Tribe, and we invite you to visit the river! We invite community members to use this walking tour guide and walk along the study area of the resilient river corridor management plan, enjoy the views, and learn more about the actions in the plan recommended by the Snoqualmie Tribe.

After extensive restoration work on Zackuse Creek by the Snoqualmie Tribe and other local governments and organizations, kokanee salmon have been spotted in the creek for the first time in roughly 40 years! It’s exciting to see these “little red fish” returning to their native spawning grounds after so many years!

As of November 15, the Snoqualmie Tribe’s Environmental & Natural Resources Department and other local organizations have observed 45 kokanee salmon in Zackuse Creek, though the total could be more. This has been one of the most productive returns that has been observed on Lake Sammamish in the past 5 years. And the return season for the kokanee isn’t over yet!

To see some of the first footage of these kokanee salmon visit the Snoqualmie Tribe’s Facebook Page or watch the following video credited to David Kyle of Trout Unlimited.

To learn more about the partnership that is behind this success, please visit the Lake Sammamish Kokanee Work Group page of the King County website.

The ENR Department keeps a look out for opportunities that apply to or seek out Snoqualmie Tribal Membership and descendants. These opportunities include volunteer and board member positions that often work towards bettering our community and shared environment in the Pacific Northwest. To find out more, click the link below.

Opportunities for Snoqualmie Tribal Membership & Youth

Here in the Puget Sound we commonly see high mortality in Coho salmon due to stormwater exposure when adults migrate up urban creeks to reproduce. Though there is a large spectrum of urban pollutants, a highly toxic 6PPD quinone product commonly used in tire rubber has now been identified in creeks at toxic levels. This breaking research will hopefully lead to regulation and consumer products that do not contain this toxic chemical as we rely on cars for transportation in our society and cannot escape the fact that tires are an important part of that.

“A ubiquitous tire rubber-derived chemical induces acute mortality in coho salmon”

Z. Tian et al., Science 10.1126/science.abd6951 (2020).

After years of advocating for regulatory reform of suction dredge mining in Washington State’s streams and rivers, the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe is celebrating progress in Olympia. Prior to the passing of HB 1261, Washington State regulations on suction dredging were the laxest of many Western states, including Idaho, Oregon, California, and Montana. After many previous attempts, and years of hard work to raise awareness of this outdated and habitat-destroying practice, suction dredge reform finally passed both houses of the Legislature and was signed into law by Governor Inslee on March 18th, 2020. Suction dredge mining will now be banned from 11,000 miles of Washington stream habitat designated as ‘critical’ for salmon and trout, while remaining legal on 61,000 miles of ‘non-critical’ stream habitat.

Suction dredging is a motorized method that mineral prospectors use to search for gold in the bottoms of waterways. Imagine a giant, floating vacuum that sucks up streambed gravels, then spits the tailings back out after sifting for precious metals. Miners say it’s a quick and effective way of covering ground, but the process damages in-stream habitat. Photo courtesy of Kim McDonald; originally published in the Yakima Herald.

The Snoqualmie Tribe ENR Department is currently closed to the public but is still planning and hosting in-person volunteer events for restoration. If you would like to learn more abour ENR volunteer events, please sign up for our ENR Volunteer Email List.

If you need to contact any staff members at the ENR Department, you can find our contact information on the Our Mission page.