CHIMACUM — For 83 years, coho salmon entering Chimacum Creek have passed through miles of muddy drainage ditch to get to spawning areas.
But this fall, they will find stretches of clear water rushing over gravel spawning beds and splashing over logs into deep pools.
As part of an ongoing effort, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition has completed work on one stretch of the creek this week, and will start restoring another section tomorrow.
“Historically it was one of the most productive salmon streams in the local watershed, and the most degraded.” said Kevin Long, project director for the Salmon Coalition.
Long is overseeing the restoration of mile 6 of the creek’s West Fork, which runs through pasture land parallel to Center Road.
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The rest of the story appears in the Thursday Peninsula Daily News Jefferson County edition. Click on SUBSCRIBE to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.