The First People•The Nisqually Tribe

•“Squally-absch”, or “People of the river, People of the grass country”.

•Traditionally lived off the land and

rivers

•Salmon are important to their diet and culture.

• Cleared local vegetation

• Farmed crops and animals

• Ditched creeks

European Settlers came….

Modern Life….

Our region changed…1972 1996

How does this affect wildlife?

Ohop Valley Restoration

The Ohop Valley Story

Ohop Creek is the 2nd most important salmon-producing tributary of the Nisqually River.

A century ago, the creek was drained into a ditch. This was done to dry-out the valley for dairy farming.

Restoration Activities• Re-meander stream

• Removing old buildings

• Removing invasive plants

• Replanting the large

floodplain

Why Re-meander a stream?

Meander= to follow a winding, bending course.

A river is always changing shape due to

natural erosion processes.

Improves connection with other streams

within the floodplain

Provides temperature control

Creates different speeds of water, giving

fish rest areas instead of one fast stream

Ohop Creek

Replanting 100 acres

along the river.

Installing 40 log jams 400

trees

Ohop Creek

Realigning ditched channel

Engineered Log Jams

Mimicking

Nature

Our Purpose

Replant native vegetation to re-establish a healthy

riparian zone.

5 Main Reasons We Plant Trees For Salmon

A. Roots hold dirt, preventing erosion which can smother the redds within the stream.

5 Main Reasons We Plant Trees For Salmon

B. Large woody debris (LWD) provides pools, resting spots, feeding areas, and hiding spaces from predators.

C. Trees provide shade, keeping stream temperatures low, a necessity for the survival of salmon.

5 Main Reasons We Plant Trees For Salmon

D. Trees provide oxygen, which is good for not only the salmon, but us too.

5 Main Reasons We Plant Trees For Salmon

Lastly…

Provide habitat for bugs, which are food for the juvenile salmon!

Trees drop leaves, which feed the base of the food chain in the stream!

5 Main Reasons We Plant Trees For Salmon

What is a Native Plant?

Native Plants are

Native to our Bioregion!

Red Alder Alanus rubra

Red alders can grow to be more than 120 feet tall

Have the ability to fix nitrogen, contributing to the abundance of this limited nutrient

Oregon Ash Fraxinus latifolia

The Oregon ash is a deciduous tree that can grow over 80 feet tall and live up to 250 years

Balsam PoplarPopulus balsamifera

Balsam poplar is a fast growing deciduous tree that can grow up to 98 feet tall.

Bees collect resin and use it to seal off intruders, such as mice, which might damage and infect the hive.

Sitka Spruce Picea sitchensis

The Sitka Spruce is an evergreen tree that can grow over 340 feet tall and is the largest species of spruce

Natives used softened pitch to patch and waterproof boats, harpoons and fishing gear.

Pacific Crab Apple Malus fusca

Natives would cook and mash the apples

The wood is hard and somewhat flexible and was used to make tool handles, bows, wedges, and digging sticks.

The Pacific crab apple can grow up to 30 feet tall and has can look like a multi-stemmed shrub

Red Osier Dogwood Cornus sericea

Red osier dogwood is a woody, deciduous shrub with a rounded form and can grow in thickets of up to 3-10 feet

Natives sometimes used the branches for basket rims

Twinberry Honeysuckle Lonicera involucrata

The berries are incredibly bitter and attract birds, bears, and small mammals

Twinberry is a deciduous shrub that grows between 6-10 feet with a 6-10 feet spread

Pacific NinebarkPhysocarpus capitatus

Pacific Ninebark is a deciduous shrub that can grow 10-15 feet

Natives would use parts of this plant for medicinal purposes

Cascara Rhamnus purshiana

Cascara is deciduous and can grow as a shrub up to 15 feet tall or as a small tree up to 50 feet

Natives used cascara as a medicine to wash wounds and to reduce swelling

Swamp Rose Rosa pisocarpa

Bears rose hips that attract and provide food for birds and mammals

Swamp or cluster rose is a deciduous shrub that grows in thickets up to 3-6 feet tall

Rose spirea Spiraea douglasii

Rose spirea or hardhack is a deciduous shrub that grows in thickets of 3-12 feet

Reproduce from rhizomes (an underground stem) that allows it to grow in thickets

Sitka willowSalix sitchensis

A large, deciduous shrub that can reach heights of 25 feet

Natives pounded the bark and applied it topically to wounds as a healing agent, ground it to a powder and mixed with cereal to make bread and used it to make rope

Remember,

Safety First! Walk, don’t run.

Stay in sight of the group at all times.

Shovels:

Sharpened regularly, which makes them dangerous.

Never carry shovels over your shoulder.

Tip should always be pointed towards the ground, like walking sticks.