Pacific Coast Salmon Coalition Mission

Official Mission Statement

The Pacific Coast Salmon Coalition (PCSC) is a grass roots, non-profit volunteer-based organization whose mission is: to be actively involved in local volunteer-based habitat restoration in order to achieve a healthy salmon resource within our region.

Vision Statement

We envision a restored environment that maintains a healthy self sustaining salmonid population. We envision having a salmonid resource we can utilize and enjoy far into the future.  We see a local community that not only utilizes the resource but one that takes responsibility and is actively involved in the well being of that  resource.  We envision a strong working relationship with all relivent entities  that have a vested interest in a salmonid habitat restoration.

Salmon have three basic needs for survival. Clean water, food supply, and good habitat. In reality, all living creatures have these basic needs, which is why you see lots of wildlife in an area of good habitat. Because of past indifference by humans, all three of these basic needs have been damaged and/or neglected on the Olympic Peninsula.

CLEAN WATER:  The smaller creek and wetland outlets are often blocked for fish passage by culverts used in road building.  The Olympic Peninsula has many miles of logging road and there are lots of culverts that were placed without regard to the needs of salmon.

The Pacific Coast Salmon Coalition is helping to identify these blocking culverts and working with Washington State Fish and Wildlife to seek funding for their replacement with salmon friendly culverts or fish passages.

FOOD SUPPLY: Salmon are feeding machines. They eat insects and small fish and have been observed feeding directly on the carcasses of spawned out salmon laying in the stream beds.  The Pacific Coast Salmon Coalition works with the Sol Duc River Salmon Hatchery to place surplus salmon carcasses in the streams and creeks that flow into the Quillayute River System (Sol Duc River, Calawah River, Dickey River, Bogachiel River). Hatcheries have been blamed for part of the decline in wild salmon because they release thousands of ‘hatchery fish’ into streams where they compete with wild fish for available food.  The Coho Salmon run from the Sol Duc Hatchery began with native fish from the Sol Duc River.  This prevented the cross-breeding with non-native fish.  When this run returns to the hatchery, thousands of extra salmon (surplus fish not needed for egg hatching) are first given to the local food bank and also used to enhance the food chain.  By placing these salmon carcasses in the streams we are adding nutrients to the food chain. The Salmon Coalition has traveled 500 miles each year using pick-up trucks and a helicopter to place salmon carcasses into the headwaters of the river systems.  As these salmon carcasses release their nutrients down stream, the Sol Duc Hatchery enhances many more miles of river system than it impacts.

GOOD HABITAT:  Coho Salmon spend 18 months in the small streams and creeks before they head to the Pacific Ocean.  The Salmon Coalition is working with Washington State Fish and Wildlife to improve the habitat of these creeks.  Wood debris (trees, tree-stumps) provides cover for small fish to hide from predators.  When placed in the right spot, it acts to block gravel from rolling downstream.  This creates an area of spawning gravel.  Wood debris in streams also acts as an anchor for vegetation to grow providing habitat for insects.

SPAWNING GRAVEL:  Spawning gravel has been added to several of our projects.  Beaver Lake for Sockeye Salmon & Eagle Creek Springs for Coho Salmon are two of these projects.  These were areas that were damaged from past logging activity.  By providing clean spawning gravel, the salmon runs in these areas are increasing each year.

TREE PLANTING:   In the past years, it was common practice to log to the edge of, and sometimes, over the top of small creeks and streams.  This practice has caused the stream temperatures to rise and the streams sides to break free, causing silt build up problems.  On several of our projects, we have planted native trees and wet land plants to protect these streambeds.