Habitat Restoration

Overview

Do you have a creek or stream on your property but aren't sure what you can or can't do nearby? The Clallam Conservation District offers free, on-site technical assistance to help landowners better understand and protect their waterways.

Our conservation planners can help you:

• Learn more about your stream and its role in the ecosystem

• Identify native plants and noxious weeds

• Enhance fish and wildlife habitat
  

How It Works

Getting started is easy:

1. Request Assistance: Fill out a short Riparian Buffer Assistance Form to be connected with a conservation technician.

2. On-Site Visit: A conservation planner will visit your property to provide personalized recommendations.

3. Explore Financial Assistance: If your stream is salmon-bearing—or drains into one—you may qualify for programs that cover 100% of planting and maintenance costs for riparian buffers.

4. Implement a Project: Choose from short-term or long-term buffer planting options, both of which support habitat for fish and improve water quality.
   

Program Benefits

• Environmental Stewardship: Improve habitat for salmon and other species, especially anadromous fish like coho, chum, and steelhead.

• Cost Savings: Eligible projects receive full funding for planting native trees/shrubs, including protective tubes and maintenance.

• Water Quality: Shaded streams stay cooler, benefiting aquatic life and promoting healthy ecosystems.

• Erosion Control: Deep-rooted native vegetation stabilizes streambanks and reduces erosion.
  

Eligibility

Two major funding programs are available:

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

• Covers 100% of planting and 5 years of maintenance

• Requires a minimum of 1 acre

• Land must have been historically used as cropland or pasture

• Ideal for farmers or large properties
  

Riparian Grant Program (RGP)

• Covers 100% of planting

• No acreage minimum or long-term contract required

• Perfect for smaller or short-term projects

• Property must include drain into a salmon-bearing stream

• Planting area must be at least 50ft wide from the creek for 75% of the buffer
  

Other Resources

Local Regulations & Guidance

• Clallam County Critical Areas Ordinance (see Part III for waterway buffer rules)

Stream & Habitat Restoration

• Ecological/Habitat Restoration

• SalmonScape – WDFW

• Salmon Recovery Funding Board

• Society of Ecological Restoration

• WA State Conservation Commission (CREP)

• WA Dept. of Ecology

• WA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife

Plant Resources

• Clallam County Noxious Weed Control Program

• Washington Native Plant Society

Wildfire Resources

• Firewise Washington

• Fire-Resistant Landscape Plants

• Wildfire Prevention

Wetlands

• Society of Wetland Scientists

Local Stream & Weather Data

• Dungeness River Flow

• Elwha River Flow

• NRCS - Washington State Snow Surveys