Aquatic Species Restoration Program 2025 Progress

Aquatic Species Restoration Program

2025 progress report

State engineers and environmental planners visit the Stillman Creek restoration project in Lewis County two years after construction. This project is highlighted in our report. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

This progress update for the Aquatic Species Restoration Program (ASRP) highlights this year’s actions and activities to restore and protect aquatic habitat in the Chehalis River basin.

Project implementation: progress and accomplishments

Program development

Science, monitoring, and adaptive management

Community involvement

ASRP and the Chehalis Basin Strategy

a photo of salmon — *Coho salmon and other species in the Chehalis basin rely on healthy aquatic habitats to thrive. Photo: Roger Tabor (USFWS)*

The science-informed Aquatic Species Restoration Program is funded by the Office of Chehalis Basin within the Washington Department of Ecology and approved by the independent Chehalis Basin Board. The restoration program is an integral part of the Chehalis Basin Strategy, the action plan for restoring aquatic life and reducing flood damage in the 3.400 square-mile Chehalis River basin in southwest Washington.

The ASRP approach is structured around five key elements:

Habitat and Process Protection
Habitat and Process Restoration
Community Planning
Community Involvement
Institutional Capacity

Printable 2025 ASRP progress report flyer

Learn more about the ASRP

Project implementation: progress and accomplishments

To support the Chehalis Basin Strategy, the Aquatic Species Restoration Program is focused on bringing back natural processes that shape aquatic habitats for fish, frogs, and other species. Salmon species, for instance, need wide bands of tall trees along stream and riverbanks to provide shade and bugs to eat while fallen logs offer places to lay low and keep cool. We work in close partnership with willing landowners to restore river system processes and aquatic habitat. These projects include:

Planting native vegetation
Enhancing wetlands and floodplains
Placing wood in and along streams and rivers
Installing engineered log jams and other structures to attract and benefit wildlife
Using bio-engineering techniques to slow eroding banks

Since 2016, the Washington Legislature has invested more than $83 million to develop, design, and put projects in place that benefit aquatic life in the basin.

See how progress has been made in each county in the map below.

Map of progress in Grays Harbor, Mason, Thurston, and Lewis counties

Acres of Habitat Restored

Acres of Habitat Protected

Landowners Contacted

River Miles Made More Accessible for Fish

River Miles Restored

In 2025, the Chehalis Basin Board invested nearly $12 million for habitat restoration and projection projects.

The Aquatic Species Restoration Program’s prioritization and sequencing approach has guided over 90% of its project funding to geographic areas that are near-term priorities. Within these highest priority areas, the plan has helped:

Restore 16.5 miles of river and stream habitat
Correct the highest priority fish passage barriers improving access to over 40 miles of stream habitat
Control over 1100 acres of invasive plant species and planted over 300 acres of native vegetation along river banks
Install ponds and manage wetland vegetation to support breeding and overwintering habitat for threatened Oregon spotted frogs in Thurston County
Restore over 250 acres of floodplain habitat, often providing additional benefits for communities

Learn more about near term priority areas and actions

It will take rapidly increasing investments to fully support the 30-year restoration plan while continuing to build the capacity of project sponsors and contractors to put projects on the ground through at least 2030.

In addition, the restoration program will continue to move forward while the Board evaluates which flood-control elements are needed to put the long-term Strategy in place.

In 2025, the restoration program’s steering committee recommended funding several new projects. These include:

Developing a watershed-level restoration strategy and prioritization for the Black River basin and Grays Harbor estuary
Protecting wetlands along several tidal sloughs in Grays Harbor
Restoring habitat function to more than two river miles
Development of designs for restoring over 10 miles of river throughout the Chehalis Basin

ASRP goals

These goals were developed to guide the ASRP strategies, actions, and restoration scenarios:

Protect and restore natural habitat-forming processes within the Chehalis Basin watershed context.
Increase the quality and quantity of habitats for aquatic species in priority areas.
Protect and restore aquatic species viability considering viable species population parameters.
Increase resiliency to climate change by protecting and improving natural water quantity, water timing, and water quality characteristics.
Build recognition of and support for ASRP actions and the ways the ASRP supports resilient human communities.

A photo of a foggy river with log jams, and a person fishing. — Restoration projects along the Satsop River led by Grays Harbor Conservation District. The projects feature large wood structures to slow bank erosion and flood fencing to protect farm fields during floods and other high flow events. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Aquatic Species Restoration Projects approved, 2015-present

Aquatic Species Restoration Plan Projects Approved, 2015 to Present

Want to learn more about the projects shown here? Please visit the Salmon Recovery Portal Map and filter projects using the Aquatic Species Restoration Program tag.

Featured project: Schafer Creek river mile 8 to 9

This was definitely a different project type to problem solve (compared to for example a planting project), which made the project pretty interesting to manage. We had to figure out how to source large amounts of pre-commercial thin material for brush bundles and how to efficiently move them around the site. A lot of what we learned, such as using hi-line systems for materials moving, we will be able to apply for future projects.
— Jeff Mach, Grays Harbor CD Project Manager

Pre-project conditions (structure 92 location): perched wood; lack of in-stream functional wood; reduced sediment/water storage; reduced habitat complexity.

Post project conditions (structure 92): wood engaged with channel providing complexity.

Grays Harbor Conservation District Crew Lead Amy Scherer chainsawing perched wood to add to in-stream woody debris structures.

Completed Post Assisted Log Structure with large wood incorporated to provide additional complexity and ballast.

Alex Gustafson (Trout Unlimited) and Jeff Mach (Grays Harbor Conservation District) developing the plan for construction of structure 94 that will incorporate the perched wood.

Grays Harbor Conservation District crew using a pneumatic post pounder to install posts.

Completed Post Assisted Log Structure (pre-large wood supplementation).

See more project highlights

Program development

Process improvements

The Aquatic Species Restoration Program helps expedite funding decisions for restoration projects by streamlining and coordinating administrative oversight and reviews.

Projects are prioritized using the best available science to ensure they provide the most benefits for native aquatic species and their habitats.

We refined the project approval process in 2025 to promote better information sharing and improve how projects are developed. This means many projects currently being designed will be ready to be built during the next five years.

The funding pathway for developing projects allows sponsors to build local capacity, conduct landowner outreach, and create conceptual plans.
This year, we made more technical assistance available to support projects.
We welcomed innovative project ideas including developing plans at a more localized scale.
We were also able to spend more time evaluating projects, receiving feedback and adjusting how various teams work together.

Project sponsors, technical experts, and community members gather at Riverbend Ranch in Thurston County where a host of restoration activities have been completed. Attendees learned about the precautions we can take to protect freshwater mussels and other streambed habitats. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Estuary

Estuaries are complex, dynamic “in-between” habitat areas where freshwater from the basin’s rivers and streams meets and mixes with marine waters from Grays Harbor and the Pacific Ocean. Estuaries are important feeding and transition zones for salmon, lamprey, and shorebirds, and provide shelter for native eelgrass and a host of shellfish species.

Learn more about interim project guidance for the estuary

In 2024, we began to focus on understanding the Chehalis River estuary better. This includes building more knowledge about current ecological conditions and identifying the highest priority actions needing to be taken for restoration. We also developed interim guidance to help project sponsors focus their efforts.

As we move into 2026, project sponsors will be working with local partners and technical experts to develop protection and restoration strategies for the Chehalis River estuary.

Photo of a man with binoculars looking across the water at Rennie Island, Grays Harbor, Washington. Photo credit: John Gaffney. — *Looking at the past, envisioning the future. Rennie Island, Grays Harbor, WA.* *Photo: John Gaffney*

Science, monitoring, and adaptive management

a photo of a biologist measuring a small fish held in their hands — An unusually large Olympic mudminnow being measured at West Rocky Prairie in Thurston County in 2025. This sensitive fish species shares habitat with the federally threatened Oregon spotted frog in the Black River system in the Basin. Both are sensitive to water level changes due to human development and climate change. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The technical advisory group supports the steering committee by conducting studies and research in the Basin. Advisory group members also apply scientific findings from other rivers basins across the state, and provide recommendations for consideration.

Scientific monitoring informs how restoration plans and projects in the basin are developed and put in place, often using adaptive management principles.

Each year, advisory group members collect and review new, emerging information gained from monitoring projects in the river drainage system as well as science knowledge gleaned from studies conducted outside the Basin, such as intensively monitored watersheds. These studies and technical information help the steering committee make adaptive management recommendations to the Chehalis Basin Board. (2021 Monitoring and adaptive management plan)

In 2025, the steering committee oversaw 12 different monitoring studies that are enhancing the Aquatic Species Restoration Program and building a better scientific understanding of the Basin. Past reports and other scientific information are posted on the Office of Chehalis Basin website.

ASRP monitoring studies

These studies investigate existing habitat conditions, track changes over time, and identify the best techniques for improving specific habitats.

Beaver Dam Analog Project Effectiveness
Chehalis Thermalscape
Ecology of Non-Native Fish
Fish In/Out: Salmon & Steelhead Adults
Fish In/Out: Salmon & Steelhead Smolts
Freshwater Mussels
Offchannel Reconnection Project
Oregon Spotted Frogs
Run-Type Composition of Juvenile Chinook Salmon in the Upper Chehalis River Basin
Sediment Wedge Project Effectiveness
Stream-Associated Amphibians
Western Toads

a photo of a biologist snorkeling in a river in the rain. — Emilie Blevins, Xerces Society, demonstrates snorkel survey protocols to monitor native freshwater mussel beds. Projects are in place to monitor, protect and restore this vital species in the Basin. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The results of ongoing monitoring studies inform adaptive management of the ASRP.

Adaptive management

In 2025, scientists and restoration specialists worked together to better understand and restore the different types of aquatic ecosystems in the Chehalis Basin. They conducted meetings and workshops focusing on specific needs and strategies including:

Chinook salmon in the upper Basin
Rivers with headwaters in the Olympic Mountains
Wetlands, Black River and Scatter Creek watersheds, and Oregon Spotted Frog
Grays Harbor estuary

In addition, scientists, restoration experts and local partners assembled in focus groups around these issues and geographic areas at the annual Progress & Planning Workshop. These focus groups have continued to meet intermittently throughout the year to continue making progress.

a photo of a large group of people in an assembly hall watching a presentation. There are scientific posters displayed in the background. — On October 16, 2025, scientists, restoration experts and landowners came together at an annual workshop to discuss how to best integrate plans and project sites designed to restore aquatic life in the Basin. Work included identifying key next steps and anticipated funding needs for the Basin’s distinct geographic regions. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

On Schafer Creek, an experimental restoration technique has transformed this previously simple channel into a more complex, three-dimensional mosaic of micro-habitats. — At the Schafer Creek restoration site in Grays Harbor County, an experimental technique has transformed what was once a simple stream channel into a complex mosaic of micro-habitats. This work is being closely monitored to determine how well the project is able to cool and slow the water flowing in the stream. We are evaluating whether this approach could work for other Basin restoration projects. Photo: Washington Department of Fisha and Wildlife

The program incorporates new scientific findings to address complex challenges including:

Assessing restoration projects at various stages to assess whether they are working as expected.
Developing a restoration and protection strategy for the Grays Harbor estuary including community involvement.
Evaluating stream flow and water availability in Black River and Scatter Creek wetlands in Thurston County and its effect on fish species and Oregon spotted frogs.
Building better knowledge base about habitat needs and influences on spring Chinook at its different life stages in the Newaukum and Skookumchuck watersheds in Lewis and Thurston counties.

Community involvement

a photo of an educational booth at a festival. A child is using forceps to extract a fish scale from a salmon laid on a table at the booth. A biologist is assisting the child while several people observe. — Julie Grobelny, environmental planner for Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, helps a future fish biologist take tissue samples from a Chinook salmon. Local events like the 2025 Onalaska Apple Harvest Festival provide invaluable opportunities for scientists and restoration experts to engage the public and share information about ongoing aquatic habitat restoration work in the Basin. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

To identify opportunities and ensure restoration projects align with community needs, local conservation districts guide outreach to local landowners as well as coordinate with project sponsors.

Connect with regional implementation teams

2025 events

In 2025, we attended a number of events in the Basin to engage community members. These fun and formal events included:

Onalaska Apple Harvest Festival, including scientific and educational displays as well as activities for all ages.
The Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival demonstrates the importance of healthy shoreline habitats and robust shorebird populations to the Grays Harbor economy.
About 200 landowners are currently participating with ASRP groups and processes.

Curious about upcoming events near you? Click the button below to check out a 2026 calendar.

Get involved!

ASRP and the Chehalis Basin Strategy

The Chehalis Basin Strategy represents an innovative, collaborative, and forward-looking network of partners tackling complex management actions and activities.

The ASRP continues to advance restoration projects that dovetail with other Office of Chehalis Basin programs. Integration of elements across programs is already in action:

The Chehalis Basin Strategy Report describes the integrated long-term plan to improve aquatic species and reduce flood damage, updated by this year’s Chehalis Basin Strategy 2025 Year in Review.
The Erosion Management Program promotes the use of natural materials in bank protection to maintain and improve stream and riparian habitat while also slowing erosion.
The Multi-Benefit Acquisition Program (MAP) supports projects reducing flood damages and improving habitat for aquatic species.

In 2026, the Chehalis Basin Board is evaluating multiple options for a long-term Chehalis Basin Strategy that reduces flood damages across the basin while restoring aquatic species, including deciding between different funding levels for the ASRP. The ASRP will continue to be an essential part of the Strategy no matter which option the Board chooses.

Get involved with the Chehalis Basin Strategy

Explore restoration for salmon recovery led by the Chehalis Lead Entity

A photo of a person standing next to a river. — Kirsten Harma, watershed coordinator for the Chehalis Basin Partnership and Chehalis Basin Collaborative for Salmon Habitat, looks at Chehalis River during an April 2025 field tour of Basin restoration sites. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Beaver Dam Analog (BDA) in action on Halsea Creek, July 2023. These hand-built structures help to pool water from the creek, benefitting coho and other species, jump-starting restoration of natural riverine processes, and attracting beavers back to the habitat to steward these processes into the future. *Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife*

Many restoration projects in the Basin also help reduce flood-related damage:

Introducing large wood to slow down the flow of water can reduce erosion and protect land along river banks.
Restoring habitats along stream bank and floodplains gives rivers and streams more room to move and occupy when it floods.
Installing flood fencing protects young plantings and keeps large wood in the river away from farm fields.

Aquatic Species Restoration Program playing pivotal role

a photo of a group of around a dozen people walking through a sunny field towards a river with log jams. — During a tour of aquatic restoration projects in the Basin, attendees stop at a site on the Satsop River in Grays Harbor County. Many projects such as this one involve installing flood fencing and placing large woody structures along streams and rivers. Both approaches help humans, salmon and other aquatic life co-exist more harmoniously. Photo: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Climate change, harmful land use practices, and uncoordinated human development all threaten sensitive aquatic life in the Chehalis Basin. People, communities, and infrastructure can adapt to the intensifying effects of climate change, but fish, frogs, and other wildlife need more help.

While the Aquatic Species Restoration Program helps address these needs throughout the Basin, we need to ramp up funding and planning actions to keep pace with the Basin’s 30-year plan to restore aquatic life.

In 2026, we will focus on ensuring the long-term success of the restoration program through planning, building capacity and actively engaging willing landowners and communities in the Basin.