Lend a hand for orca whale recovery

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Ten conservation districts from across Puget Sound, including the Clallam Conservation District, host events on Saturday, Nov. 10, to celebrate, honor and restore local southern resident killer whale (orca) populations.

With the help of volunteers, the conservation district plans to augment the Low Water-Use Landscaping Demonstration Garden located near the Albert Haller soccer fields at Carrie Blake Community Park with about 500 hundred new plantings, beginning at about 1 p.m.

The garden is a showcase of landscape plants that tolerate poor soil conditions and no irrigation. The planting project, conservation district representatives say, will help restore local salmon populations, the primary food source of orcas, by helping ensure there’s enough water in local rivers as salmon return to spawn.

Sequim has the lowest rainfall of any community in Western Washington; however, an elaborate system of canals, ditches and pipelines divert water from the Dungeness River to irrigate the arid valley. As much as half the river’s flow is diverted in late summer for irrigation purposes.

Late summer also happens to be the time when many salmon return to the river to spawn, conservation district representatives say, and their numbers have been declining for decades.

Though pre-registration is not required to help with the planting, event organizers said RSVPs are helpful for planning.

Volunteers should come prepared to help with planting; bring gloves and shovels or trowels.

Learn more about the event and sign up to volunteer by visiting clallamcd.org, email to info@clallamcd.org or call 360-775-3747.

For more about how to help orcas, see BetterGround.org.