| What
is Habitat? |
| "Habitat"
is what plants and animals call "home." Habitat for a particular
plant or animal consists of the elements it needs to survive.
These elements may be tied to temperature, water, soil, sunlight,
source of food, refuge from predators, place to reproduce, and
other living and non-living factors. It
is impossible to talk meaningfully about a plant or animal
without referring to its habitat. This is especially true
when trying to manage the survival of a plant or animal. Salmon
recovery projects, bald eagle protection activities, mule
deer enhancement programs, and other similar management actions
are, at their core, based on habitat considerations. Habitat
is the key to fish and wildlife management.
|
|
| Habitat
Condition |
| What is
the Condition of Habitat in Washington? |
| Habitat
Science Division: |
The WDFW Habitat Program's
Science Division offers expertise and conducts research to support
habitat protection and enhancement efforts. Through research studies,
program biologists monitor the condition of fish and wildlife habitat,
identify habitat protection needs and assess whether protection and
enhancement efforts are producing the desired results |
| Priority
Habitats and Species: |
PHS List, Management Recommendations,
and GIS information for land use planning purposes. |
| The
Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Inventory and Assessment Program (SSHIAP): |
A partnership-based information
system that characterizes freshwater and estuary habitat conditions
and ditribution of salmonid stocks in Washington. The western Washington
Treaty Indian Tribes and WDFW are co-managers of the program. |
Puget
Sound Ambient Monitoring
Program (PSAMP): |
A multi-agency
effort to monitor the health of Puget Sound waters, fishes and macro-invertebrates. |
| Puget
Sound Nearshore Project: |
The Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership
is a large-scale initiative that affords a unique opportunity to tackle
some of the foremost habitat restoration needs in Washington State's
Puget Sound basin. Nearshore Project goals are to identify significant
ecosystem problems, evaluate potential solutions, and restore and
preserve critical nearshore habitat. |
| Drought:
Frequently Asked Questions |
Since 2005, droughts
have been a concern because of their far-reaching impacts to fish,
wildlife and their habitats, as well as commercial and recreational
uses of fish and wildlife. WDFW continues to assess and identify drought-related
risks and liabilities affecting the survival, conservation, and use
of fish and wildlife resources. |
| Pacific
Salmon and Wildlife: |
Salmon/Wildlife Relationships
- This 138 page Technical Report synthesizes information linking salmon
with wildlife species and the broader aquatic and terrestrial realms
in which they co-exist. |
| Wildlife
Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington: |
The biggest challenge facing
natural resource conservation efforts today is to maintain biological
diversity and viable ecosystems. This requires the best available
scientific information on the relationships between individual species
and their habitat. Wildlife-Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington
is the first book to compile and synthesize in a single convenient,
comprehensive volume a vast amount of diverse information on 593 wildlife
species and their relationships with the 32 terrestrial, freshwater,
and marine habitat types of Oregon and Washington. |
| Maps
and GIS data: |
WDFW maintains a number of
GIS databases that contain information on important fish and wildlife
species that should be considered in land use decisions and activities. |
| Shrubsteppe/Sagebrush
Publications: |
Status, extent, ownership,
wildlife/vegetation relationships and conservattion. |
| Assessment
of Fisher Habitat in Washington State : |
This
document reviews activities involved with the assessment of habitat
for the possible reintroduction of fishers (Martes pennanti)
to Washington State. |
| Wildlife
Areas |
| An
Introduction to Washington's Wildlife Areas: |
Some of the highest quality
habitats for fish and wildlife are protected as Wildlife Areas by
the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Scattered across the state, Washington's
Wildlife Areas are jewels of immense social, economic, and fish and
wildlife value. |
| WDFW
Wildlife Areas and Water Access Sites: |
Maps, driving instructions,
and other information for WDFW's wildlife areas and water access sites. |
| Habitat
Restoration |
| [ Grants
and Funding ] [ Technical Assistance
] [ Oil Spills ] [ Other
Information ] |
| Grants
and Funding |
| Fisheries
Restoration Irrigation Mitigation Act (FRIMA) Grants Program |
The Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is now accepting grant proposals
for the 2007 FRIMA Grants Program. Funding for this program is from
annual federal appropriations to state fish and wildlife agencies
to "create a voluntary, cost-shared fish screen and fish passage
construction program for water withdrawal projects in Idaho, Oregon,
Washington, and western Montana”. |
| Aquatic
Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA) Volunteer Cooperative Projects Grant
Program |
The Volunteer Cooperative Projects
Grant Program is a competitive grant process intended to provide monetary
support for qualifying volunteer organizations and individuals who
want to undertake activities which are beneficial to fish and wildlife
across the state of Washington. |
| Landowner
Incentive Program |
Landowner Incentive Program
information, instructions, and application forms. |
| Lead
Entity Organizations |
State of Washington Lead Entity
Organizations for Salmon Recovery. |
| Salmon
Recovery Funding Board |
Supports salmon recovery by
funding habitat protection and restoration projects. |
| Pheasant
Habitat Enhancement Grant Program: |
Grant program that authorizes
WDFW to release pheasants and award grants to improve pheasant habitat
in order to increase pheasant hunting opportunities. |
| Family
Forest Fish Passage Program (DNR's WebSite) |
A program providing
technical assistance to small forest landowners to remove or correct
fish passage barriers. The Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife,
Natural Resources,
the Interagency Committee
for Outdoor Recreation, and the Washington
Farm Forestry Association coordinate and administer the program |
| Regional
Fisheries Enhancement Group Program |
RFEGs conduct
habitat restoration projects. Contact groups regarding potential project
funding or management. RFEG contact information available on WDFW
website. |
| Technical
Assistance for Habitat Restoration |
| Aquatic
Habitat Guidelines: An Integrated Approach to Habitat Protection and
Restoration: |
A series of guideline documents
to facilitate the consistent application of good science and practice
for resource and habitat management; project design, construction,
and operation in, near, or affecting aquatic systems. Includes new
2003 Integrated Streambank Protection
Guidelines and 2004 Stream Habitat
Restoration Guidelines. |
| Upstream
Fish Passage at Dams and Culverts: |
Information on design guidance
and standards, barrier assessment and prioritizations, and fish passage
regulations. |
| Fish
Protection Screens at Water Diversions: |
Information on design guidance,
fish screen operation and maintenance, and fish passage regulation. |
| Technical
Applications Division: |
The Technical Applications
Division plans, constructs, and evaluates statewide capital habitat
projects and provides professional technical assistance that directly
support state, local, and federal initiatives to maintain and restore
wild salmonid populations and their habitat. |
| Intensively
Monitored Watershed Project |
The Intensively
Monitored Watershed project is a joint effort of the Washington Departments
of Fish and Wildlife and Ecology, NOAA Fisheries, EPA, Lower Elwha
Klallam Tribe and Weyerhaeuser Company. The premise of the IMW project
is that the complex relationships controlling salmon response to habitat
conditions can best be understood by concentrating monitoring and
research efforts at a few locations. |
| Maps
and other digital data: |
WDFW maintains a number of
GIS databases that contain information on important fish and wildlife
species that should be considered in land use decisions and activities. |
| Contacts: |
WDFW, other agencies, and restoration
groups. |
| HETA
Contacts |
Habitat Engineering
Technical Asistance Staff |
| WDFW
-- Fish Passage Technical Assistance |
This page contains guidance,
policy, and regulations from WDFW on upstream
fish passage at dams and culverts and protection
of fish at water diversions. |
| ERTA
Contacts |
Environmental Restoration
Technical Assistance |
| Riverbank
Stabilization Guidelines: Pend Oreille River in the Box Canyon Reservoir:
|
Increased land development along the Pend Oreille River within the
54-mile long Box Canyon Reservoir and high rates of riverbank erosion
have led to the implementation of a large number of bank stabilization
projects in recent years. Most of these projects have not accounted
for protecting environmental conditions and have not incorporated
measures to mitigate for environmental impacts. This document is intended
to provide guidance to assist the public with identifying the causes
of riverbank erosion along their property and selecting environmentally
appropriate design options in order to gain WDFW approval. |
| Oil
Spills |
| WDFW
Oil Spill Team |
WDFW's Oil Spill Team works
with other state and federal agencies to protect fish and wildlife
resources at risk to injury from petroleum spills statewide. |
| Other
Information |
| Proposed
Sprague Lake rehabilitation: |
The Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is proposing to treat Sprague Lake with rotenone
this fall to remove all fish so the lake can be re-stocked to provide
a vital recreational fishery. The 1,860-acre lake, south of Interstate
90 on the Lincoln-Adams county line, was last treated with rotenone
in 1985. |
| Puget
Sound Nearshore Project: |
The Puget Sound Nearshore Partnership
is a large-scale initiative that affords a unique opportunity to tackle
some of the foremost habitat restoration needs in Washington State's
Puget Sound basin. Nearshore Project goals are to identify significant
ecosystem problems, evaluate potential solutions, and restore and
preserve critical nearshore habitat. |
| Fish
and Wildlife Issues Related to the Use of Lead Fishing Gear: |
There is growing concern about
the amount of lead that is deposited into our environment by various
means. Federal laws have addressed what appear to be the most common
pathways. The manufacture of paint with high levels of lead was banned
in 1978, and leaded gasoline was banned in the mid-1980s. A more recent
area of concern is the lead deposited into the environment from hunters
and fishers in the form of lead shot and lead fishing tackle.
|
| Restoring
the Watershed: |
A Citizen's Guide to Riparian
Restoration in Western Washington [PDF Format (395KB)] |
| An
Evaluation of Fish and Amphibian Use of Restored and Natural Floodplain
Wetlands: |
Palustrine wetlands are prominent
habitats of Pacific Northwest coastal floodplains. The importance
of these flooded wetlands (e.g. marshes, beaver ponds, remnant oxbows)
to fish has not been well documented historically. The goal of this
study was to broaden our understanding of the role of regulated floodplain
wetlands in the Pacific Northwest as rearing (i.e. feeding, refugia)
habitat for fishes. |
| Shrubsteppe
Research Publications |
A collection
of WDFW shrubsteppe habitat research and restoration documents. |
| Habitat
Protection |
| [ What
Can You Do? ] [ Planning ] [ Permits
] [ Technical Assistance ] |
| What
Can You Do? |
| Your
Impact on Salmon/Fish: A Self-Assessment: |
This assessment guides your
choices to protect your land and quality of life while helping salmon.
|
| Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) |
WDFW is developing
two habitat conservation plans (HCP) to ensure species protection
and compliance with the Endangered Species Act. One HCP will cover
activities conducted under the Hydraulic Project Approval authority
and the other will cover activities occurring on WDFW's Wildlife Areas. |
Recreational
Activities May Harm Salmon and Steelhead Spawning Beds
|
Recreational activities
may decrease the spawning success of the very fish that we enjoy.
Many recreational activities can cause impacts that we don’t
even consider. Thank you for your concern for the protection of salmon
and steelhead spawning beds. As citizens and visitors to the state
of Washington we all wish to preserve and protect the valuable natural
resources that we enjoy. |
| Puget
Sound Eyes on Wildlife: |
Promoting understanding, appreciation,
and conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitats. |
| Backyard
Wildlife Sanctuary: |
A WDFW program to help you
help wildlife around your home. |
| Planning |
| Columbia
River Water Management Program |
The 2006 legislature
approved the Columbia River Water Mgt Program, which directs Department
of Ecology to aggressively pursue new sources of water to supply both
instream and out-of-stream needs. |
| Fish
and Wildlife Planner: |
This newsletter was specifically
developed for Washington’s planning professionals. It includes articles
about relevant activities occurring at WDFW, case studies of jurisdictions
that have tackled difficult issues using innovative approaches, updates
on workshops and other learning opportunities, as well as a directory
of contacts at our agency to answer planning-related questions. |
| Growth
Management Act: |
Documents outlining WDFW's
response to the Growth Management Act (GMA) regarding the protection
of fish and wildlife habitat. |
| Habitat
Conservation Plan (HCP) |
WDFW is developing
two habitat conservation plans (HCP) to ensure species protection
and compliance with the Endangered Species Act. One HCP will cover
activities conducted under the Hydraulic Project Approval authority
and the other will cover activities occurring on WDFW's Wildlife Areas. |
| Maps
and other Digital Data: |
WDFW maintains a number of
GIS databases that contain information on important fish and wildlife
species that should be considered in land use decisions and activities. |
| Priority
Habitats and Species: |
PHS List, Management Recommendations,
and GIS information for land use planning purposes. |
| State
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Lead Agency Projects: |
SEPA projects being sent out
for review and a list of finalized SEPA projects. |
| Permits |
| Public
Workshops on Mineral Prospecting Rules |
Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is proposing new rules regulating mineral
prospecting activities. WDFW developed the proposed rules in cooperation
with representatives from the mineral prospecting community, other
state and federal agencies, tribes, and environmental interests during
a series of meetings in 2007. |
| Hydraulic
Project Approval (HPA): |
Any person, organization, or
government agency wishing to conduct construction activity in or near
state waters must do so under the terms of the Hydraulic Project Approval
(HPA) permit. |
| Area
Habitat Biologists Geographic Coverage Areas |
Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife Area Habitat Biologist geographical coverage
areas and contact information. Use this document to find out which
biologist can best assist you with the permitting process for your
hydraulic project. |
| HPA
Program Review Task Force: |
The 2002 State Legislature
directed WDFW to create the HPA Program Review Task Force to conduct
a thorough review of the HPA program, including making recommendations
for a potential fee structure and schedule. Governor Locke then directed
the Task Force to address the question of the overlap of state statutory
requirements and local programs to determine if they adequately address
impacts covered by the HPA process. |
| Joint
Aquatic Resource Permits Application (JARPA): |
JARPA can be used to apply
for Hydraulic Project Approval (HPA), Shoreline Management Permits,
Approvals for Exceedance of Water Quality Standards, Water Quality
Certification, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 and Section
10 Permits. |
| Fish
Habitat Enhancement Projects |
A streamlined
permit process may be used for fish habitat enhancement projects that
meet certain criteria. To find out if your project qualifies for the
streamlined process, first view the application form. |
| Summary
of Acceptance and Rejection Criteria for Streamlined Process for Fish
Habitat Enhancement Projects |
A summary of
acceptance and rejection criteria for the streamlined process for
Fish Habitat Enhancement Projects. |
| What
Constitutes Complete Plans and Specifications When Applying for an
HPA |
Potential
guidance for identifying what constitutes complete plans and specifications
for an HPA- DRAFT |
| State
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Lead Agency Projects: |
SEPA projects being sent out
for review and a list of finalized SEPA projects. |
| Bald
Eagle Protection in Washington State |
This document
provides general information for landowners about requirements and
procedures related to Bald Eagle Management Plans and habitat protection
in Washington State. |
| Mineral
Prospecting and Placer Mining Regulations: |
Rules governing mineral prospecting
and placer mining operations in Washington State. |
| Aquatic
Plants and Fish: How to Control Aquatic Plants: |
Beneficial and noxious aquatic
plant control. |
| Application Packet for Stocking
of Triploid Grass Carp: |
Available in both Adobe PDF
Format and MS Word.
|
| Technical
Assistance for Habitat Protection |
| Aquatic
Habitat Guidelines: An Integrated Approach to Habitat Protection and
Restoration: |
A series of guideline documents
to facilitate the consistent application of good science and practice
for resource and habitat management; project design, construction,
and operation in, near, or affecting aquatic systems. Includes new
2003 Integrated Streambank Protection
Guidelines and 2004 Stream Habitat
Restoration Guidelines.
|
| Fish
Protection Screens at Water Diversions: |
Information on design guidance,
fish screen operation and maintenance, and fish passage regulation. |
| Priority
Habitats and Species: |
PHS List, Management Recommendations,
and GIS information for land use planning purposes. |
| Technical
Applications Division: |
The Technical Applications
Division plans, constructs, and evaluates statewide capital habitat
projects and provides professional technical assistance that directly
support state, local, and federal initiatives to maintain and restore
wild salmonid populations and their habitat. |
| Protecting
Nearshore Habitat and Functions in Puget Sound: An Interim Guide |
This
guidance has been developed as a companion to the Department of
Ecology’s SMA Guidelines and critical areas protection guidance
offered by the Community, Trade, and Economic Development Department.
This guidance provides a synthesis of current science on several
important nearshore habitats and processes, and directions for
where to find data and specific recommendations for moving through
the mitigation sequence; from avoidance of new activities and reducing
impacts from approved activities, to mitigating for cumulative
impacts. In addition to helping local planners prepare SMP updates,
this document will also assist Ecology in their review to ensure
that SMP updates are based on good science. |
| Wind
Power Guidelines: |
Contains agency guidelines
designed to provide guidance to agency personnel, wind power developers,
government decision-makers, and
the interested public. The guidelines contain three sections: Baseline
and Monitoring Studies for Wind Projects; Wind Project Habitat
Mitigation
(Conventional); and, Wind Project Alternative Habitat Mitigation
Pilot Program. A cover letter from the Director of WDFW introduces
these
guidelines. |
| Woodland
Fish and Wildlife Project Publications: |
Publications in this series
provide practical information on fish and wildlife management to private
woodland owners and managers. |
| WDFW
Contacts: |
Regional Habitat Program Managers.
|
| HETA
Contacts |
Habitat Engineering
Technical Asistance Staff |
| WDFW
-- Fish Passage Technical Assistance |
This page contains guidance,
policy, and regulations from WDFW on upstream
fish passage at dams and culverts and protection
of fish at water diversions. |
| ERTA
Contacts |
Environmental Restoration
Technical Assistance |
Land
Management
WDFW Lands and wildlife areas are managed by the WDFW Wildlife Program |
| |
| Lands
20/20: A Clear Vision For The Future |
Washingtonians’
unique quality of life is inextricably linked to the diversity and
accessibility of natural wonders so uniquely captured within our state’s
boundaries. From teeming shoreline or temperate rainforest, through
broad grasslands or pine and fir forests, to looming plateaus or glaciated
peaks, people from near and far enjoy the singular outdoor opportunities
that Washington offers. Washington’s diverse fish and wildlife
and their habitats make a significant contribution to our quality
of life through hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife watching, and other
forms of recreation, as well as through the economic benefit derived
from these activities. |
| Land
Line: Newsletter of the WDFW Land Management Division: |
This newsletter
will appeal to those with an interest in WDFW management issues on
public or private lands in Washington. WDFW manages land for fish
and wildlife needs and for recreation such as hunting, wildlife watching,
fishing, camping, hiking, and boating. We plan to produce this newsletter
twice a year. Our goal is to keep you informed about these and related
issues and to start a dialogue so we can better address your questions
and needs. |
| Fish
and Wildlife Commission Adopted Revisions to
WAC 232: Public Conduct in Wildlife Areas & Access
Sites Owned or Controlled by the Department of Fish and Wildlife |
The
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) developed a package
of new rules for public conduct on WDFW wildlife areas and water-access
sites to protect fish and wildlife resources and ensure public
safety through establishment of a new chapter (13) in Washington
Administrative Code (WAC) 232. At its Dec. 7 meeting, the Washington
Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a number of the proposed
rules and deferred action on three others. |
| |
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