We can all probably agree, 2020 was a year to forget. The COVID19 pandemic presented crises, challenges and heartbreak not seen in our lifetimes. But we persevered.

At the conservation district, we adapted. Staff had the good fortune to be able to continue working, albeit mostly from home. We learned how to use Zoom and other online platforms for virtual meetings and workshops, but we truly missed getting out into the field and interacting directly with the people we serve. We directed our focus on our core mission of helping people practice better stewardship of our natural resources. What follows is a summary of our major accomplishments for this year to forget.

Although not an actual conservation accomplishment, perhaps our most significant achievement was securing stable funding that will provide us with a solid foundation to continue our conservation work. Thanks to the Clallam County Board of Commissioners, and Commissioner Johnson in particular, we now can expect to receive $125,000 annually from the County for the next four years. This is an increase from $26,000 that we had received for the past two decades (with the exception of 2019 when we received an additional $20,000). Knowing we will receive these funds over the next four years not only gives us peace of mind, it allows us to direct more of our time and effort toward getting actual work done.

Expenditures for 2020 totaled $1,440,956. State grants comprised 88 percent of revenues, and conservation practice implementation (not including staff time) accounted for 75 percent of expenditures.

Our focus was on water, fish and wildlife habitat, and soil, with the following specific objectives:

• Reduce Water Use

• Improve and Protect Water Quality

• Enhance and Restore Fish and Wildlife Habitat

• Conserve Farmland and Forestland

Continue reading as we take a closer look at how we tackled these conservation objectives. 

Reduce Water Use

Most of our efforts to reduce water use have focused on big-ticket water conservation projects with the Dungeness irrigation districts and companies, most notably, piping leaky irrigation ditches. In 2020 we completed the piping of the Sequim Prairie-Tri Irrigation Association’s Evans Road lateral. This project totaled over 10,000 feet of piped ditch, nearly 3,000 feet of shallow aquifer recharge system, and Dungeness River water savings of 1.5 cubic feet per second during late summer. We also partnered with the Agnew Irrigation District on the piping of three of their laterals, one of which was completed in 2020.

We continued partnering with a diverse group of stakeholders to develop plans and secure funding for the Dungeness Off-Channel Reservoir. This project will result in substantial reductions in irrigation water diversions from the Dungeness River during the last four to six weeks of the irrigation season when river flows are low and irrigation water demand is high.

Also, in the Dungeness watershed, we’ve been managing the distribution of meters under a pilot project for the Dungeness Water Rule area. In 2020 we distributed 47 meters for new water mitigation certificate holders.

We worked with two farmers to develop irrigation water management plans to help them use irrigation water more efficiently.

In the outreach and education arena, we gave two presentations specifically about water use and conservation (85 participants), five workshops on sustainable landscaping (165 participants), and seven newsletter articles. Our sustainable landscaping education program promotes a variety of resource conservation objectives, including water conservation, habitat enhancement, and stormwater management.

Conserve Farmland and Forestland

Our activities in this area in 2020 were limited mostly to a series of 15 weekly noxious weed alert articles published on Facebook and posts during the spring and summer in our monthly eNewsletter. We also processed soil tests and provided support for the passage of the Conservation Futures program, which will generate revenue for the purchase of development rights on farmland.

Enhance and Restore Fish and Wildlife Habitat

Our habitat activities are focused on restoration of riparian habitat for salmon and addressing impacts from forest roads, including fish passage barriers and road related erosion and sedimentation.

In 2020 we oversaw the planting of 0.7 miles of riparian buffers along the Elwha River, Little River and Ennis Creek, maintenance of nine previously planted riparian sites. We also worked to secure funding for Forest Service road drainage upgrades in the Sitkum basin.

Information and technical assistance was provided to 89 individuals throughout the county on topics such as habitat, native plant landscaping, forestry, critical areas, soils, and drainage. And as mentioned previously, the sustainable landscaping educational programs address these topics, too. We also sold 26,150 native trees and shrubs to 425 individuals. It’s so great to see all these native plants being put to use in landscapes, forests and riparian areas!!!

Improve and Protect Water Quality

We have two primary water quality focus areas: helping homeowners repair failing septic systems and helping horse and livestock owners implement best management practices. Our ultimate goals are safe and healthy shellfish growing areas (surface water) and drinking water (groundwater).

Onsite Septic System (OSS) Repair Program

In 2020 we helped three homeowners repair failing septic systems – two near Dungeness Bay and one on a tributary to Bell Creek. Since its creation in 2014, this program has provided financial assistance to 19 homeowners to help repair or replace failing onsite septic systems impacting water quality. The geographic focus areas are the current Pollution Identification & Correction (PIC) activity areas.

Agricultural Water Quality

For agricultural water quality, our focus has been on the Dungeness-Sequim Bay Clean Water District; however, we provided assistance throughout Clallam County, for both surface water and groundwater improvement and protection.

We provided technical assistance to five horse and livestock owners to implement six practices that improve/protect surface water quality. Those practices included fencing (725 total feet) to exclude access to surface water on five properties and heavy use area protection on one property.

For groundwater improvement/protection, we helped six horse owners install heavy use area protection. Two horse owners installed waste storage structures and one installed a roof runoff collection system. Thirty-five soil tests were processed for 20 properties.

We conducted six horse and livestock land and water stewardship workshops (225 participants), and published ten articles in our newsletter. We helped seven horse and livestock owners develop holistic conservation plans to address natural resource concerns, including water quality. Countywide, we provided information and technical assistance to 19 commercial livestock farms, 38 non-commercial livestock farms, and 19 non-livestock farms in 2020.

WEED WATCH: Poison Hemlock

Spring showers bring more than May flowers! Walk your property now to identify new infestations of poison hemlock, as well as other weeds, before they mature and flower.

Poison hemlock is extremely toxic! It is often found on poorly drained soils, particularly near streams, ditches, and other surface water. It also grows alongside roads, edges of cultivated fields, and vacant areas. All parts of this plant can kill humans and animals, even when dried, and it can easily be mistaken for more benign members of the carrot or parsley family.

Early growth includes clusters of lacey-like leaves on the ground surface. Mature plants can grow up to 12 feet in height, and often stalks from the previous year my still remain standing to help with identification. It has strong, smooth stems with purple splotches, and white flowers in 4 to 8 inch umbrella shaped clusters.

To control, pull out, bag up and dispose of all dead plant material at the landfill. Wear gloves while handling this plant. Mowing and cutting this plant is not effective.

Horse & Livestock Workshops

We’re working on some exciting educational events for this summer and fall. Click HERE to sign-up for our horse and livestock email list. We will notify you of upcoming educational events and publications.

We also have created a collection of recorded webinars over the past few months on topics such as poultry keeping, pasture management, weed management, creating gravel heavy use areas, soil testing and more. 

Forest & Wildlife Webinars

In partnership with the State Department of Natural Resources, we started a webinar series this year on a variety of forestry and wildlife topics. Our next presentation is:

Birdscaping, Part II

Wednesday, April 28, 2021 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Carolyn Wilcox will build on her previous week’s presentation and teach participants how to create better shelter and space for native birds, including information on the importance of snags and dead trees. Topics will also include detailed nest box design, incorporating bird habitat into landscape planning, and impacts of noxious weeds on wild birds.

(Part 1 - “Introduction to Birdscaping”, took place on April 21st click below to view)

Forest Insects & Diseases

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Glenn Kohler, Forest Entomologist for the WA Department of Natural Resources, will cover identification and management of common insects and pathogens that may cause damage to forest trees. The focus will be on pests that primarily affect young forest trees, including Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, western red cedar, grand fir, shore pine, and some broadleaf trees.

Free Bee-U-Tify Seed Packets

The Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board has created a non-invasive flower mix to attract pollinators to gardens and other landscaped areas.

FREE seed packets can be requested at: www.nwcb.wa.gov/bee-u-tify

In addition to planting the Bee-U-Tify seed packets, both the Washington State and Clallam County Noxious Weed Control Boards suggest you take the following steps to help nurture and protect bees:

• Control noxious weeds on your property. Although some noxious weeds benefit honey bees and other pollinators, these plants compete with native vegetation and can cause huge economic losses for agriculture. Visit www.clallam.net/weed/ for the Clallam County noxious weeds list.

• Plant and maintain pollinator-friendly species. Here's where those seed packets come in handy! Replace noxious weeds and under-utilized patches of land with noninvasive pollinator-friendly plants, especially those that bloom from spring through fall. These plants provide bees with food throughout their active season.

Thank You Conservation Sponsors!