NEAH BAY — The Makah Tribe and Olympic National Park are seeking volunteers to support a salmon habitat restoration project at Lake Ozette next week.
Tribal members, park staff and volunteers will remove vegetation from a section of lake’s shoreline to improve spawning habitat for Lake Ozette sockeye from July 16-18.
Those who are interested in volunteering can email Jonathon Scordino, the tribe’s marine mammal biologist, at jonathan.scordino@makah.com.
Unlike most salmon, which create redds to spawn in streams, Lake Ozette sockeye spawn in gravel beds along the lake’s shoreline during November and December.
The eggs rely upon wave action to drive oxygenated water onto the gravel beds.
“Historic logging practices between the 1950s-1970s and other factors have increased fine sediments flowing into the lake,” said Patrick Crain, Olympic National Park fisheries biologist. “Sediment settling on the spawning gravel has allowed vegetation to establish, resulting in thick vegetation and dense root mats along the shoreline, reducing the effectiveness of the wave action that cleans the gravel.”
The vegetation also physically prevents fish from using the gravel that was formerly available.
The Grassroots Salmon Recovery Project was established in 2022 as a partnership of the tribe, the park and citizen volunteers with a goal of improving the habitat by clearing vegetation by hand from Olsen’s Beach to promote recovery of Lake Ozette sockeye.
The work needs to be done with hand tools instead of machinery due to the culturally sensitive nature of the entire lake shoreline.
Since 2023, U.S. Coast Guard Station Neah Bay has partnered on the project.
“Our involvement in the Lake Ozette rehabilitation project is just one of many initiatives that demonstrate our commitment to the Makah community,” said Micah Kaneshiro, the commander of the Coast Guard station. “This project not only allows us to contribute to the preservation of a vital natural resource but also gives us the opportunity to work side by side with local residents, reinforcing the importance of collaboration and mutual support.”
The project, through the efforts of more than 100 people volunteering 850 hours of work, has cleared 285 feet of shoreline at Olsen’s Beach and is beginning the treatment of an additional 75 feet.
“The Makah Tribe is proud of the dedication and hard work demonstrated by our fisheries staff in leading the Grassroots Salmon Recovery Project,” said Timothy J. Greene Sr., the Makah Tribe’s chairman. “We’re just getting started, but we’re starting to see coarsening of the sediment and increased use of the site by spawning salmon. We are hopeful that our efforts will help kickstart the recovery of Lake Ozette sockeye.”
