Mulching party to support Dungeness side channel’s new trees, shrubs
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 12, 2023
The North Olympic Salmon Coalition (NOSC) and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe are looking for volunteers to help mulch native trees along a new side channel on the Dungeness River on Earth Day — Saturday, April 22.
This “fun, family-friendly, community-filled day of mulching,” and possibly some planting, is set alongside the scenic Dungeness River from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Participants are asked to arrive by 10 a.m. for orientation, and to bring warm, waterproof clothes and boots, water and a lunch. They are also welcome to bring your own wheelbarrow, or other mulching tools.
RSVPs are required. To RSVP and for more information, visit nosc.org/earth-day-mulching-event-2023.
This winter, more than 200 volunteers dedicated their time to plant nearly 7,000 trees and shrubs at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Caldero Side Channel Project. Over time, NOSC representatives note, these plants will mature into a riparian forest that support salmon and other species of wildlife that depend upon these ecosystems.
The Earth Day work party will focus on surrounding the newly-planted trees and shrubs with a thick layer of mulch. During hot and dry summer days, this thick, moisture-retentive layer will help these young plants get established, NOSC representatives said.
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe acquired the Caldero site in 2017 for habitat restoration. The excavation of the new side channel created about 1,000 feet of off-channel habitat for both spawning adult salmon and rearing juveniles.
Side channels,coalition representatives note, are critical refuges for salmon during flood events because they provide slower waters than the main channel. This is particularly the case for juvenile fish, who can be easily swept away by swift flows.
Off-channel habitat can also be important spawning areas for returning adults. Since project completion in October, NOSC representatives said staff have seen adult Coho spawning in the new channel.
For more information about the mulching party or NOSC, call 360-504-5611 or email to outreach@nosc.org.
