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Living With the Methow River Monthly Activities and Learning Opportunities March 2016
A healthy river includes a mix of habitat types. Strong flows in the main channel are needed to scour the river bottom, cleaning and rearranging the smaller cobbles that returning adult salmon lay their eggs in. Slower water areas allow nutrients to drop out and provide salmon and other species with places to rest and feed. Healthy vegetation along the banks helps limit erosion, shades the water and provides additional nutrient fall-in from insects. Even the fallen trees you see in the river provide salmon and other species shelter from predators. The log structures that MSRF has constructed at the WDFW Side channel Project on the Methow River serve a similar function. Like natural log jams, they slow the water around them, providing shelter and cover for salmon and other species. Plants growing in and around these features also slow erosion and help shade the water. Over time, these plantings will help soften the constructed look and they will begin to function much like the natural jams they were designed after. Unlike natural logjams, however, these artificial ones were dug deep into the banks to prevent washout, more effectively preventing erosion and ensuring that their benefits won’t be swept downstream with the next high water. Important habitat for salmon and other species is often found outside of the main river channel in smaller side channels or pool alcoves. Unfortunately, many of these features have been lost on the Methow, isolated by road and levee construction. In addition to the more visible large structures on the Methow River’s main stem, the WDFW Side channel Project included additional efforts to restore fish access to Plummer’s Pond, a seasonal habitat that was previously isolated by under-sized culverts. New wider and deeper culverts and a restored connecting channel were completed in 2012 to allow fish to access the slow water and abundant food of the pond during spring high water.
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This year’s MRC calendar connects to ADVENTURES, ACTIVITIES AND INFORMATION tailored to each month. If you haven't gotten your calendar yet, you can download an electronic version here. Come back each month and find interactive activities, print outs, and suggested learning opportunities in our community.
Just follow the fish and engage in learning.
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