Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes launch fish habitat projects

This month, the Yakama Nation and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation began construction for fish habitat restoration projects along the Twisp and Methow rivers.

The two entities, which are working independently on adjacent sites along the Twisp River, oversaw the transport of hundreds of logs to project sites via helicopter earlier this month. Now, that timber is being used to create log structures in the water, designed to restore critical habitat for endangered fish like spring Chinook, steelhead and bull trout.

"It's a very exciting time to be in habitat restoration, because people see the impact that we have had on the environment," said Jarred Johnson, fish biologist for the Yakama Nation Fisheries. "We actually have the ability to improve that and leave it better for future generations."

Fish play an important role in ecosystems and serve as a cultural resource for the Yakama Nation and Confederated Tribes. Restoration of endangered fish habitat will be completed under two distinct projects.

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