Seattle City Light Stewardship Program Background: SCL stewardship work was contracted with SFEG to be conducted on the City’s lands purchased under the Endangered Species Act Early Action Program (ESA Lands) and the Wildlife Mitigation Lands (Wildlife Lands). The properties were purchased to protect important salmonid and wildlife habitat. SCL’s objective with setting up the stewardship program was to address the need for increased on-the-ground presence on SCL’s ESA and Wildlife Lands to detect any stewardship issues and have the ability to respond quickly to the identified issues as they arise. In 2010 SFEG set up the Stewardship Manager position to coordinate this work and be a single point person for SCL on these properties. Task 1: “perform land stewardship checklist” - conduct quarterly site visits to properties as directed Task 2: “propose stewardship remedies” – write quarterly reports for all visited properties and submit to SCL. Task 3: “Implement Stewardship Remedies” – implement recommended restoration/ site repair with SCL approval.

stewardship [stoo-erd-ship, styoo-]  noun 1.the position and duties of a steward, a person who acts as the surrogate of another or others, especially by managing property, financial affairs, an estate, etc. steward  2.the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving:   Environmental stewardship refers to responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices. Aldo Leopold (1887–1949) championed environmental stewardship based on a land ethic "dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it." [1]natural environmentconservationsustainableAldo Leopoldland ethic [1] Seattle City Light Stewardship Program

Perform quarterly site visits Look for any trespass or major issues that need to be Look for any trespass or major issues that need to be addressed. addressed. Identify restoration actions/check on restoration. Identify restoration actions/check on restoration. Monitor sites over time Monitor sites over time Be a presence on the ground. Be a presence on the ground. Each site has a lead. Each site has a lead. Some sites are visited 4x a year others only 2. Some sites are visited 4x a year others only 2. Seattle City Light -Stewardship

Quarterly Site Visits: Site Leads/ 22 properties (began with 9 in 2010). Seattle City Light -Stewardship

SCL emergency response Dumping Dumping Illegal timber harvest Illegal timber harvest Access Issues: Rocking, Barricades, Gates Access Issues: Rocking, Barricades, Gates Seattle City Light -Stewardship

What do we report on each quarter? Each property visited has a report that includes: Highlights Highlights Accomplishments Accomplishments Recommendations Recommendations Photos Photos Excel checklist Excel checklist Map Map Summarized Reporting Seattle City Light -Reporting

Value added Table 1. Matching funds contributed during quarter 1, 2015 reporting period. Seattle City Light -Reporting

 22 properties ( new property this quarter Farm and Fowl)  Restoration projects on 16 Properties Seattle City Light -Stewardship

- SFEG submits an annual proposal for site work “implementation”, reporting - and stewardship visits. Seattle City Light -Stewardship

Newhalem Riparian Restoration Project

{{ Before, 2014 clematis and ivy After, 2015 replanted clematis and ivy removed Newhalem Riparian Restoration -Mainstreet

{{ Before, 2014 clematis and ivy After, 2015 replanted clematis ivy removed Newhalem Riparian Restoration -Trail to Cedars Bridge Site

Presented by: Michelle Murphy Stewardship Manager SKAGIT FISHERIES ENHANCEMENT GROUP 1202 S. 2 nd Street, Mount Vernon, WA Upper Skagit Knotweed Program

Members  WA Dept of Fish and Wildlife  Washington DNR  North Cascades National Park  Seattle City Light  Snohomish Co. Weed Board  Skagit Co. Weed Board  Whatcom Co. Weed Board  The Nature Conservancy  Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group  Skagit Land Trust  Samish Tribe Skagit CWMA Working Group 2015Partners Washington Dept. of Agriculture Washington Dept. of Agriculture U.S. Fish and Wildlife U.S. Fish and Wildlife Washington Conservation Corps Washington Conservation Corps WSU Extension WSU Extension National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Upper Skagit Tribe Upper Skagit Tribe Sauk-Suiattle Tribe Sauk-Suiattle Tribe US Forest Service US Forest Service

 Program started by TNC in 2001, taken over by SFEG in 2010  Systematic, top down approach  Project area, upper watershed above Rockport (confluence of Sauk and Skagit)  Infestations reduced to small patch size (10 or fewer stems on average)  Work with partners in the watershed through CWMA Upper Skagit Knotweed Program

Project Area

{ Program Detail Surveys: - Top down approach - Survey in transects - Small patch sizes Tracking: -GPS (etrex unit) points for all patches, each patch has a unique ID, flaggingung at each site. has a unique ID, flaggingung at each site. - Lamanated maps with patches and aerial images - Revisit all patches each year Data : - Managed in GIS master shapefile.

 Surveys completed within the 100-year floodplain along 53.8 mainstem river miles along the Skagit and Sauk rivers  22 miles of tributaries.  Total of 77 river and tributary miles surveyed.  All “ highest ” and “ high ” priority river segments identified were surveyed in Knotweed Survey Details