February Volunteer Planting Weekend: Caldero
2023-02-18 10:00 - 14:00, 2023-02-19 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Saturday & Sunday 10am-2pm
Sign up HERE!
We have several thousand plants to get into the ground and we’ll need your help! If you would like an up-close-and-personal view of the site, we’d love to have you join us at a planting event. Thanks to our January volunteers and stalwart Washington Conservation Corps Crew we are about 25% of the way to our goal of planting nearly 12,000 native trees and shrubs. Our next planting weekend is February 18-19. If those dates don’t work for you, check our website or social media in the coming weeks for more planting events in early Spring!

The new side channel of the Dungeness River on the left. To the right is the riparian area where 11,000+ native trees and shrubs need to be planted this year as the next step in the restoration project. Photo by NOSC staff.

This past summer, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe approached the Salmon Coalition to assist in revegetating the site of a newly constructed side channel on the Dungeness River a short distance upstream of Highway 101. The site was acquired by the Tribe in 2017 and is named Caldero after the former landowner. The Caldero side channel project creates nearly 1,000 feet of off-channel habitat for both spawning adult salmon and rearing juveniles.
Side channels such as the one at Caldero are critical refuges for salmon during flood events. This is particularly the case for juveniles, who can be easily overcome by heavy flows. Off-channel habitat can also be important spawning areas for returning adults. In fact, on a recent visit to the project site, Salmon Coalition staff members observed several adult coho salmon utilizing the new channel!

Header photo by Charles Espey.

March Volunteer Planting Weekend: Caldero
2023-03-04 10:00 - 14:00
Saturday & Sunday 10am-2pm
Sign up HERE!
We have several thousand plants to get into the ground and we’ll need your help! If you would like an up-close-and-personal view of the site, we’d love to have you join us at a planting event. Thanks to our January volunteers and stalwart Washington Conservation Corps Crew we are about 25% of the way to our goal of planting nearly 12,000 native trees and shrubs. Our next planting weekend is March 4th & 5th.

Stewardship Coordinator, Nate Roberts, distributes native shrubs and trees to volunteers at a January volunteer event to revegetate the recently completed Caldero side channel. Photo by Charles Espey.

This past summer, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe approached the Salmon Coalition to assist in revegetating the site of a newly constructed side channel on the Dungeness River a short distance upstream of Highway 101. The site was acquired by the Tribe in 2017 and is named Caldero after the former landowner. The Caldero side channel project creates nearly 1,000 feet of off-channel habitat for both spawning adult salmon and rearing juveniles.
Side channels such as the one at Caldero are critical refuges for salmon during flood events. This is particularly the case for juveniles, who can be easily overcome by heavy flows. Off-channel habitat can also be important spawning areas for returning adults. In fact, on a recent visit to the project site, Salmon Coalition staff members observed several adult coho salmon utilizing the new channel!

March Volunteer Planting: Caldero
2023-03-05 10:00 - 14:00

Education Volunteer Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-03-14 09:00 - 14:00, 2023-03-15 09:00 - 14:00
7th-8th Grade Real Learning Real Work – Planting Project Implementation

Students will be executing the planting plans that they have spent this winter developing in the classroom after conducting a site assessment last fall. Volunteers will help groups of 4-6 students follow their planting plans on their restoration plot. This involves helping students follow their plans and getting your hands dirty planting with them! Sequim, Chimacum, and Clallam will also be doing some site maintenance that may include invasive species removal, installing protective blue tubing, and mulching. Students will also talk to career professionals in field ranging from restoration to ecology to fisheries.
A NOSC volunteer helps students assess their restoration plot. Photo by Charles Espey.
March 14th & 15th – Serenity Lane along Dungeness River
March 21st & 24th – WDFW Salmon Creek Site in Discovery Bay
April 13th – Pysht River Conservation Area
Tentative timing of these field trips is from 9am-2pm.
Sign up HERE

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-03-21 09:00 - 14:00

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-03-24 09:00 - 14:00 | Salmon Creek in Discovery Bay, W Uncas Road

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-04-11 09:00 - 14:00
7th-8th Grade Real Learning Real Work – Planting Project Implementation

Students will be executing the planting plans that they have spent this winter developing in the classroom after conducting a site assessment last fall. Volunteers will help groups of 4-6 students follow their planting plans on their restoration plot. This involves helping students follow their plans and getting your hands dirty planting with them! Sequim, Chimacum, and Clallam will also be doing some site maintenance that may include invasive species removal, installing protective blue tubing, and mulching. Students will also talk to career professionals in field ranging from restoration to ecology to fisheries.
A NOSC volunteer helps students assess their restoration plot. Photo by Charles Espey.
March 14th & 15th – Serenity Lane along Dungeness River
March 21st & 24th – WDFW Salmon Creek Site in Discovery Bay
April 11th – Pysht River Conservation Area
Tentative timing of these field trips is from 9am-2pm.
Sign up HERE

Earth Day Mulching Event 2023!
2023-04-22 10:00 - 14:00
Are you hoping to spend this Earth Day doing something that will having a lasting impact on our local environment? Come join us for a fun, community-filled day of mulching (and possibly planting) on the wild & scenic Dungeness River.

This winter, over 200 volunteers and students and our Washington Conservation Corps crew dedicated their time to plant and mulch nearly 7,000 trees and shrubs at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Caldero Side Channel Project. These trees and shrubs will grow to be a future forest that will support salmon and the many species of wildlife that depend upon these floodplain corridors.

So much of the work has been completed by our amazing community so far, but we still have more mulching to do and a few more plants to get in the ground!
Event Date/Time: April 22, 2023, 10-2 PM
Event Agenda:

10:00-10:15am Welcome and orientation
10:15-12:00pm Mulching/Planting
12:00-12:30pm Break time with a bonfire, hot drinks and treats
12:30-1:30pm Mulching
1:30-2:00pm Project site tour w/ NOSC or Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe staff

Merchandise: NOSC merchandise will be available at the beginning of the event, during the midday break, and after the site tour by cash or check only. You may leave early if you wish, but time flies when you’re planting with NOSC!
Please bring: warm, waterproof clothes and boots, water, and a lunch. You are also welcome to bring your own wheelbarrow, or other mulching tools.
Register Here

About the Caldero Side Channel Project:

The Caldero site was acquired by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in 2017 and is named after the former landowner. The Caldero Side Channel Project created nearly 1,000 feet of off-channel habitat for both spawning adult salmon and rearing juveniles.
Side channels such as the one at Caldero are critical refuges for salmon during flood events. This is particularly the case for juveniles, who can be easily overcome by swift flows. Off-channel habitat can also be important spawning areas for returning adults. In fact, since project completion in October, staff have seen adult Coho spawning in the new channel!
PHOTO CAPTION: A VOLUNTEER SHOVELS MULCH AT CALDERO, PHOTO BY ÆLFHILD WIKLUND.

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-05-25 09:00 - 14:00 | Salmon Creek in Discovery Bay, W Uncas Road
7th-8th Grade Real Learning Real Work – Site Maintenance & Career Connections

Students work to install protective blue tubing around their plants. Photo by NOSC Staff.
Students will be assessing plant health and conducting a mortality study, while executing maintenance tasks such as installing blue tubing and removing invasive species. Students will also talk to career professionals in field ranging from restoration to ecology to fisheries.
May 25th – WDFW Salmon Creek Site in Discovery Bay
Tentative timing is from 9am-2pm.
Sign up HERE

Education Volunteering Opportunity: Real Learning Real Work Field Trip
2023-06-09 09:00 - 14:00
7th-8th Grade Real Learning Real Work – Site Maintenance & Career Connections

Students work to install protective blue tubing around their plants. Photo by NOSC Staff.
Students will be assessing plant health and conducting a mortality study, while executing maintenance tasks such as installing blue tubing and removing invasive species. Students will also talk to career professionals in field ranging from restoration to ecology to fisheries.
June 9th – Pysht River Conservation Area
Tentative timing is from 9am-2pm.
Sign up HERE

Orca Recovery Day
2023-10-14 10:00 - 12:30
Come join us again in celebrating Orca Recovery Day as the Jefferson County Conservation District, the North Olympic Salmon Coalition, and Jefferson Land Trust team up for a planting event at the Snow Creek Estuary! This estuary is important habitat for Endangered Hood Canal summer chum salmon. Recent studies have shown that when Chinook salmon, the preferred prey of Southern Resident Orcas, is in short supply, they’ll supplement their diet with other species, including chum salmon.
Please bring the following:

Gloves
Water Bottle
Snacks
Layers for fall weather

31 Fairmount Road Port Townsend, WA 98368

*CANCELLED EVENT* MLK Jr Day of Service at the Caldero Restoration Site
2024-01-15 10:00 - 14:00
* Cancelled due to inclement weather *
Are you hoping to spend this Martin Luther King Jr. Day doing something that will having a lasting impact on your local community? Come join us for a fun, community-filled day of mulching and planting on the wild & scenic Dungeness River.
Last winter, over 200 volunteers and students and our Washington Conservation Corps crew dedicated their time to plant and mulch nearly 7,000 trees and shrubs at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Caldero Side Channel Project. This year, we are moving on to Phase 2 of the planting to completely reforest the site. These trees and shrubs will grow to be a future forest that will support salmon and the many species of wildlife that depend upon these floodplain corridors.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.

**Cancelled due to snow and ice** Caldero Side Channel Phase 2 Planting Party
2024-01-20 10:00 - 14:00
Come join us for the final phase of the Caldero Side Channel planting!
Last winter, over 200 volunteers and students and our Washington Conservation Corps crew dedicated their time to plant and mulch nearly 7,000 trees and shrubs at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Caldero Side Channel Project. This year, we are moving on to Phase 2 of the planting to finish reforestation of the site. These trees and shrubs will grow to be a future forest that will support salmon and the many species of wildlife that depend upon these floodplain corridors.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.

Caldero Side Channel Phase 2 Planting Party
2024-01-27 10:00 - 14:00

Snow Creek Uncas Tree Planting Party
2024-02-09 10:00 - 14:00, 2024-02-10 10:00 - 14:00, 2024-02-17 10:00 - 14:00
Come join us as we plant a forest along the banks of the newly restored Snow Creek Uncas Preserve Reach!
We have nearly 9,000 trees and shrubs to plant this winter to reforest the Snow Creek Uncas Restoration project area. A tour of the restoration project will be included after the planting.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.

Parking is limited and there will be an attendance cap.

Snow Creek Uncas Volunteer Planting
2024-02-16 10:00 - 14:00

Volunteer Planting - Orca Recovery Day
2024-10-19 10:00 - 12:30 | Salmon Creek in Discovery Bay, W Uncas Road
Come join us again in celebrating Orca Recovery Day as the Jefferson County Conservation District and the North Olympic Salmon Coalition team up for a planting event at Salmon Creek Wildlife Area! This is important habitat for Endangered Hood Canal summer chum salmon. Recent studies have shown that when Chinook salmon, the preferred prey of Southern Resident Orcas, is in short supply, they’ll supplement their diet with other species, including chum salmon.
Parking is limited. We highly encourage carpooling!
Please bring the following:

Gloves
Water Bottle
Snacks
Layers for fall weather

Saturday, October 19th, 10am – 12:30pm.
321 West Uncas Road Port Townsend, WA 98368

Volunteer Planting - Salmon Creek
2024-11-16 10:00 - 14:00 | Salmon Creek in Discovery Bay, W Uncas Road
Volunteer with NOSC on November 16th to plant native trees and shrubs to expand the riparian buffer at Salmon Creek!
November 16th, 10am-2pm at Salmon Creek Wildlife Area
This winter we aim to extend the riparian buffer on the west side of Salmon Creek. Outside the 50 – 150-foot current buffer, the floodplain is currently dominated by invasive Reed Canary Grass which provides little ecosystem services. Riparian buffers play crucial roles in controlling erosion, providing shade, filtering pollutants, slowing runoff, and are future sources of large woody debris.
About the site:
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Salmon Creek Wildlife Area is part of the broader 196-acre Discovery Bay Wildlife Area Unit which was acquired for stream, riparian, and estuarine restoration and protection. Salmon Creek is one of two major salmon streams that flow into Discovery Bay, providing crucial habitat for ESA-listed Hood Canal Summer Chum and steelhead. Extensive salmon monitoring via WDFW spawner and smolt traps over the past 20 years shows rebounding chum populations after a stream re-meandering, riparian buffer planting, and numerous estuary and nearshore projects. Learn more about NOSC’s estuary and nearshore restoration HERE.
Please bring:

Lunch
Water
Layers for our late fall weather
Sturdy shoes

We will have work glove and all needed tools/equipment. We will also have some heavy-duty rain gear available to borrow.
Getting There: Google Maps

From Clallam County – take 101 east to Discovery Bay. Just past the old Disco Bay Outdoor Gear Exchange, turn right on W Uncas Road. Travel about 1/4 mile, and look for the NOSC sign at a pullout on your left.
From Port Townsend/Hwy 20 – take Hwy 20 south to 101. Turn right on Hwy 101 then take a left on W Uncas Road just before the old Dico Bay Outdoor Gear Exchange. Travel about 1/4 mile, and look for the NOSC sign at a pullout on your left.
From 104/101 interchange – take 101 west towards Port Angeles, continue into Discovery Bay and take a left on W Uncas Road (the north end) just before the old Dico Bay Outdoor Gear Exchange. Travel about 1/4 mile, and look for the NOSC sign at a pullout on your left.

Photo by Jeremy Johnson.

Volunteer Planting - Snow Creek
2024-12-07 10:00 - 12:30 | Snow Creek Uncas Preserve, 47°58'07.8"N 122°53'04.8"W
Join us as we plant a forest along the banks of the newly restored Snow Creek Uncas Preserve Reach near Discovery Bay!
December 7th, 10am-12:30pm
After completing the first stage of floodplain and large woody debris work in the summer of 2023, the next stage of this project is working to restore a healthy and diverse riparian forest on the shores of Snow Creek. We will plant native trees and shrubs from 10am-12pm. After planting, we will give a tour of the restoration project from 12-12:30pm.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.
Parking is very limited, so please try to carpool if you can!
About the site:
During the summer of 2023, NOSC undertook a comprehensive habitat restoration project at the Jefferson Land Trust’s Snow Creek Uncas Preserve. The Land Trust acquired the property in 2015 to conserve the stream and riparian habitat to support salmon recovery.
This reach of the stream was identified as a major source of bank erosion, contributing fine sediments that were being washed downstream. This erosion impacts downstream redds of endangered Hood Canal Summer Chum. As sediment settles into the gravels around salmon eggs, it limits the flow of water across the eggs and restricts their access to dissolved oxygen.
To minimize bank erosion in the project reach, water traveling through the stream needed to be slowed down. This was achieved by installing 39 engineered log jams in order to slow water flow and add stream complexity. Additionally, ¼ mile of side-channels and 1.4 acres of floodplain were created or reconnected, allowing water to spread out and slow down during moderate to high flows.
Interested in learning more about the whys behind restoration work like this? Check out this talk by NOSC’s Project Manager, Kevin Long, on Stage 8 Restoration from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s Future of Oceans Lecture Series
While the first phase of the project is complete, the second phase, reforesting the site with a healthy and diverse riparian forest is just beginning. After an initial planting phase last winter, we aim to complete the reforestation this winter by infilling with additional understory and increasing plant density in some areas.

Photo by Jeremy Johnson.

Volunteer Planting - Dungeness River
2025-01-11 10:00 - 14:00 | Dungeness River
Join NOSC on January 11th to plant trees and shrubs along the Dungeness River!
New growth on plants at the Caldero Side Channel Project in Spring 2024. Photo by NOSC.
As part of an ongoing riparian forest restoration project, we will be returning to the Dungeness River to plant trees and shrubs along the Caldero Side Channel Project (on Fish Hatchery Road). Two years ago, hundreds of volunteers helped plant several acres of future forest along a new side channel of the Dungeness. After being snowed out for several plantings last year, we are returning this January to finish the job! We aim to improve plant density and plant the remaining portion of the project. This diverse future forest will grow to shade the salmon stream, control erosion, and provide habitat for the birds, insects, amphibians, and mammals that also call the Dungeness ecosystem home.
Planting Details:
Saturday, January 11th
10am – 2pm
Please arrive by 10am for site orientation. We’ll take a break for lunch around noon. A site tour will take place at about 1:30pm.
Please bring lunch, water, and layers/footwear you need to be comfortable in our winter weather!
Directions will be provided in RSVP confirmation email.

About the Project:
In 2022, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe approached the Salmon Coalition to assist in revegetating the site of a newly constructed side channel on the Dungeness River, a short distance upstream of Highway 101. The site was acquired by the Tribe in 2017 and is named Caldero after the former landowner. The Caldero side channel project creates nearly 1,000 feet of off-channel habitat for both spawning adult salmon and rearing juveniles.
Planting volunteers take a break and look at the side channel project. Photo by Charles Espey.
Side channels such as the one at Caldero are critical refuges for salmon during flood events. This is particularly the case for juveniles, who can be easily overcome by heavy flows. Off-channel habitat can also be important spawning areas for returning adults. In fact, on a recent visit to the project site, Salmon Coalition staff members observed several adult coho salmon utilizing the new channel!
During January and February of 2023, the Salmon Coalition, our Washington Conservation Corps Crew, and hundreds of volunteers planted 7,000 native trees and shrubs! Large scale planting efforts like this one often require several subsequent plantings to ensure full revegetation.
Top Photo by Charles Espey.

MLK Jr. Day of Service Volunteer Planting – Discovery Bay
2025-01-20 10:00 - 14:00 | Discovery Bay, Fairmount Road, Discovery Bay, WA, 98368, United States
Join NOSC on January 20th to plant trees and shrubs at Discovery Bay!
A newly planted tree, with gloves and a shovel. Photo by Lindsey Aspelund.
Are you hoping to spend this Martin Luther King Jr. Day doing something that will have a lasting impact on your local community? Would you like to improve salmon habitat for years to come? Join us as we continue 20 years of restoration work at Discovery Bay.
In partnership with the Jefferson Land Trust and Peninsula Trails Coalition, we will gather to vegetate the site of the new Hall Baetz viewpoint with native trees and shrubs.
Planting Details:
Monday, January 20th
10am – 2pm
Please arrive by 10am for site orientation. We’ll take a break for lunch around noon. A site tour will take place at about 1:30pm.
Please bring lunch, water, and layers/footwear you need to be comfortable in our winter weather!
Directions will be provided in RSVP confirmation email.

Top: An aerial photo of Discovery Bay. Photo courtesy of John Gussman.

Winter Twig Identification Course - Clallam County
2025-01-23 13:00 - 15:00 | Lyre Conservation Area, Reynold Rd, Port Angeles, Washington, 98363, United States
Join NOSC to learn how to identify winter twigs!
**REGISTRATION FULL** If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please reach out to outreach@nosc.org
Are you interested in plant identification? Have you wondered what the bare twigs you see throughout winter will grow into? Join us as we host winter twig identification courses in both Clallam and Jefferson counties. We will discuss plant identification methods suitable for winter, when you cannot immediately identify plants by their leaves or flowers.
On Thursday, January 23rd, we will meet at the Lyre Conservation Area in Clallam County in partnership with the North Olympic Land Trust. On Thursday, February 6th, we will meet at the Illahee Preserve in Jefferson County in partnership with the Jefferson Land Trust. We will cover the same material in each class. Please RSVP as space is limited.

Clallam County Class Details:
Date: Thursday, January 23rd
Time: 1-3pm
Location: Lyre Conservation Area
Partner: North Olympic Land Trust
**REGISTRATION FULL** If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please reach out to outreach@nosc.org

General Information:
Please arrive by 1pm for site orientation.
Please bring water and layers/footwear you need to be comfortable in our winter weather!
Directions will be provided in RSVP confirmation email.

Caption: A newly planted winter twig emerging from the ground. Photo by NOSC.

Volunteer Planting – Serenity Lane
2025-01-25 10:00 - 14:00 | Serenity Lane, Otter Way, Sequim, WA, 98362, United States
Join NOSC on January 25th to plant trees and shrubs along the Dungeness River!
An aerial image of the Dungeness River, taken in 2020. Photo by John Gussman.
As part of an ongoing riparian forest restoration project, we will be returning to the Dungeness River to plant trees and shrubs at the Serenity Lane Riparian Restoration Project. In previous years, this site underwent a massive invasive species removal effort. We aim to fill in the remaining portion of the project with native plants. This diverse future forest will grow to shade the salmon stream, control erosion, and provide habitat for the birds, insects, amphibians, and mammals that also call the Dungeness ecosystem home.
Planting Details:
Saturday, January 25th
10am – 2pm
Please arrive by 10am for site orientation. We’ll take a break for lunch around noon. A site tour will take place at about 1:30pm.
Please bring lunch, water, and layers/footwear you need to be comfortable in our winter weather!
Directions will be provided in RSVP confirmation email.
Riverbank lupine growing along the Dungeness River. Photo by John Gussman.
About the Project:
In 2015, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe purchased and removed several homes at danger of washing into the Dungeness River. The Salmon Coalition joined the Dungeness River Riparian Project in a massive community effort to remove invasive species and replace them with native plants, including seeding the area with riverbank lupine. In recent years, Serenity Lane has been the site of several NOSC student plantings. It is time to return to the site to fill in remaining areas with native trees and shrubs, ensuring invasive vegetation remains at bay.

Top: A Washington Conservation Corps restoration crew member stands near invasive butterfly bush being removed from the Serenity Lane Riparian Restoration project. Photo by Torin Blaker.

Volunteer Planting 2/1 – Discovery Bay
2025-02-01 10:00 - 14:00 | Discovery Bay, Fairmount Road, Discovery Bay, WA, 98368, United States
This event is being rescheduled. Thanks to your hard work, we were able to plant 900 native trees and shrubs at our MLK Day of Service event. We expect to return to the Hall Baetz Viewpoint in March to continue planting the shoreline of Discovery Bay. Stay tuned for future events!
Join NOSC on February 1st to plant trees and shrubs at Discovery Bay!
A newly planted tree, with gloves and a shovel. Photo by Lindsey Aspelund.
In partnership with the Jefferson Land Trust and Peninsula Trails Coalition, we will gather to vegetate the site of the new Hall Baetz Viewpoint with native trees and shrubs. The North Olympic Salmon Coalition has been engaged in restoration work at Discovery Bay for over 20 years. This new site covers a large area of shoreline along Discovery Bay. Reforesting this area will provide habitat for the fish, birds, insects, amphibians, and mammals that call the Discovery Bay ecosystem home.
Planting Details:
Saturday, February 1st
10am – 2pm
Please arrive by 10am for site orientation. We’ll take a break for lunch around noon. A site tour will take place at about 1:30pm.
Please bring lunch, water, and layers/footwear you need to be comfortable in our winter weather!
Directions will be provided in RSVP confirmation email.
About the site:
The Hall Baetz Viewpoint is a new wildlife viewing shelter and gathering place along the Olympic Discovery Trail. The property is owned by the Jefferson Land Trust and covers a large portion of the shoreline at Discovery Bay. It is part of greater restoration efforts at Discovery Bay. This viewpoint was named in honor of the late Hall Baetz, a dedicated Olympic Discovery Trail volunteer.

Top: An aerial photo of Discovery Bay. Photo courtesy of John Gussman.

Volunteer Planting 2/15 - Snow Creek
2025-02-15 10:00 - 14:00 | Snow Creek Uncas Preserve, 47°58'07.8"N 122°53'04.8"W
Join us as we plant a forest along the banks of the newly restored Snow Creek Uncas Preserve Reach near Discovery Bay!
February 15th, 10am-2pm
After completing the first stage of floodplain and large woody debris work in the summer of 2023, the next stage of this project is working to restore a healthy and diverse riparian forest on the shores of Snow Creek. We will plant native trees and shrubs from 10am-1:30pm, with a break for lunch around noon. After planting, we will give a tour of the restoration project at around 1:30pm.
Refreshments, gloves and tools will be provided.
Parking is very limited, so please try to carpool if you can!
About the site:
During the summer of 2023, NOSC undertook a comprehensive habitat restoration project at the Jefferson Land Trust’s Snow Creek Uncas Preserve. The Land Trust acquired the property in 2015 to conserve the stream and riparian habitat to support salmon recovery.
This reach of the stream was identified as a major source of bank erosion, contributing fine sediments that were being washed downstream. This erosion impacts downstream redds of endangered Hood Canal Summer Chum. As sediment settles into the gravels around salmon eggs, it limits the flow of water across the eggs and restricts their access to dissolved oxygen.
To minimize bank erosion in the project reach, water traveling through the stream needed to be slowed down. This was achieved by installing 39 engineered log jams in order to slow water flow and add stream complexity. Additionally, ¼ mile of side-channels and 1.4 acres of floodplain were created or reconnected, allowing water to spread out and slow down during moderate to high flows.
Interested in learning more about the whys behind restoration work like this? Check out this talk by NOSC’s Project Manager, Kevin Long, on Stage 8 Restoration from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s Future of Oceans Lecture Series
While the first phase of the project is complete, the second phase, reforesting the site with a healthy and diverse riparian forest is just beginning. After an initial planting phase last winter, we aim to complete the reforestation this winter by infilling with additional understory and increasing plant density in some areas.

Photo by Jeremy Johnson.

Winter Twig Identification Course - Jefferson County
2025-02-20 13:00 - 15:00 | Illahee Preserve, Creekview Lane, Port Hadlock-Irondale, WA, 98368, United States
Join NOSC to learn how to identify winter twigs!
Are you interested in plant identification? Have you wondered what the bare twigs you see throughout winter will grow into? Join us as we host winter twig identification courses in both Clallam and Jefferson counties. We will discuss plant identification methods suitable for winter, when you cannot immediately identify plants by their leaves or flowers.
Please RSVP as space is limited.

Jefferson County Class Details:
Date: Thursday, February 20th
Time: 1-3pm
Location: Illahee Preserve
Partner: Jefferson Land Trust

General Information:
Please arrive by 1pm for site orientation.
Please bring water and layers/footwear you need to be comfortable in our winter weather!
Directions will be provided in RSVP confirmation email.

Caption: A newly planted winter twig emerging from the ground. Photo by NOSC.
