Restoration of Puget Sound Rivers

The recent listing of Pacific salmon under the Endangered Species Act has led to substantial interest in the scientific basis for river restoration in the Pacific Northwest. Millions of dollars in state and federal funding have been programmed for habitat restoration efforts to stem the decline of salmon populations in the region. This volume addresses the need for a solid understanding of fluvial processes and aquatic ecology in order to predict both river and salmonid response to restoration projects.

In the Pacific Northwest, as in most regions of the United States, we are still learning about the processes that create habitat and river structure, how those processes influence aquatic ecosystems, and how to gauge the response of river systems to both land-use changes and restoration efforts. River systems are still responding to historic changes, and degraded habitat may not be restored successfully if natural conditions are not well understood, particularly if massive changes in watershed hydrology or other processes are the root cause. These issues faced in the development of regional river restoration programs are by no means unique to the Northwest, and so the initiation of a regional program of river restoration provides an opportunity to evaluate the state of river restoration in general.

The eighteen chapters of Restoration of Puget Sound Rivers--presented by the region’s experts at a symposium of the Society for Ecological Restoration--examine geological and geomorphological controls on river and stream characteristics and dynamics, biological aspects of river systems in the region, and the application of fluvial geomorphology, civil engineering, riparian ecology, and aquatic ecology in efforts to restore Puget Sound Rivers.

This volume will be of interest to geomorphologists, aquatic biologists, civil engineers, planners, and all those interested in the interface of science and policy in addressing one of the fundamental environmental challenges of the twenty-first century.

David R. Montgomery is a professor of earth and space sciences; Susan Bolton is a professor of forest resources; Derek B. Booth is a research associate professor of civil and environmental engineering; and Leslie Wall is a research associate in forest resources--all at the University of Washington, Seattle. Other contributors include Tim Abbe, Eric Beamer, Timothy Beeschie, Dean Rae Berg, John Bethel, Robert E. Bilby, John M. Buffington, Brian D. Collins, Loveday Conquest, Kevin Fetherston, Martin Fox, Ralph A. Haugerud, Lisa Holsinger, Sara M. Jensen, Christopher P. Konrad, Martin Liermann, John Lombard, Gino Lucchetti, Arthur McKee, Michael J. Maki, Dale E. Miller, Kathryn Neal, Roger A. Nichols, George Pess, Geoffrey C. Poole, Stephen C. Ralph, Philip Roni, Clare M. Ryan, Amir J. Sheikh, Peter B. Skidmore, Sallie G. Sprague, Ashley Steel, Kathy Goetz Troost, and Richard D. Woodsmith.

Puget Sound Rivers and Salmon Recovery

The Geology of Puget Lowland Rivers

Fluvial Processes in Puget Sound Rivers and the Pacific Northwest

Reconstructing the Historical Riverine Landscape of the Puget Lowland

Anthropogenic Alterations to the Biogeography of Puget Sound Salmon

Scientific, Institutional, and Individual Constraints on Restoring Puget Sound Rivers

The Politics of Salmon Recovery in Lake Washington

Role of Watershed Assessments in Recovery Planning for Salmon

Putting Monitoring First: Designing Accountable Ecosystem Restoration and Management Plans

Restoring Floodplain Forests

Opportunities and Constraints for Urban Stream Rehablitiation

Monitoring and Evaluating Fish Response to Instream Restoration

Establishing a Standard of Practice for Natural Channel Design Using Design Criteria

Reference Conditions for Instream Wood in Western Washington

Stream Enhancement Projects: A King County Perspective

Use of Long-Line Cabled Logs for Stream Bank Rehabilitation

Integrating Engineered Log Jam Technology into River Rehabilitation

Restoration of Puget Sound Rivers: Do We Know How to Do It?

Contributors

Index