Comment on St. Helens Wildlife Area plan now

[fireweed]

The new Mount St. Helens Wildlife area plan is open for public comment until April 8.  Of significance is the lack of emphasis on public access--by far the #1 topic brought up at public meetings and a high priority in the past.


https://wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/sepa/sepa_comment_docs.html

[BDildine]

151 page draft, just some light reading..... anyone have a paired down version?

[fireweed]

151 page draft, just some light reading..... anyone have a paired down version?

The "action items" are in a chart toward the back. 

[bbarnes]

Did you know they want to raise the sediment dam 21 feet it's going to wipe out 1000 s of acres of wildlife habitat.Also all the pilling WDFW PAID 1000 s of dal lord to put in.

[Magnum_Willys]

Did you know they want to raise the sediment dam 21 feet it's going to wipe out 1000 s of acres of wildlife habitat.Also all the pilling WDFW PAID 1000 s of dal lord to put in.

How else are you going to stop the sediment flowing downstream ?   

[CementFinisher]

let it flow down stream.

[Magnum_Willys]

Well the Cowlitz fills up with sediment then the Columbia needs constant dredging to put the silt where? 

[bbarnes]

They could dredge above the dam and didn't address the issue from the start.

[JoeVon]

Did you know they want to raise the sediment dam 21 feet it's going to wipe out 1000 s of acres of wildlife habitat.Also all the pilling WDFW PAID 1000 s of dal lord to put in.

How else are you going to stop the sediment flowing downstream ?   

I think they should knock 20 feet out of the sediment dam and let the river pick a course.  You wouldn't have that meandering that causes all of the sediment issues and wipes out all of the ground that has started to grow trees and shrubs again.    Once the river picks a spot to run, get aggressive with tree planting to help stabilize soils.    Just look above the pond that the sediment dam creates and below it...

[HntnFsh]

Did you know they want to raise the sediment dam 21 feet it's going to wipe out 1000 s of acres of wildlife habitat.Also all the pilling WDFW PAID 1000 s of dal lord to put in.

How else are you going to stop the sediment flowing downstream ?   

I think they should knock 20 feet out of the sediment dam and let the river pick a course.  You wouldn't have that meandering that causes all of the sediment issues and wipes out all of the ground that has started to grow trees and shrubs again.    Once the river picks a spot to run, get aggressive with tree planting to help stabilize soils.    Just look above the pond that the sediment dam creates and below it...

I agree. I don't think they should have put the sediment dam in, in the first place. Ya, they would have had to dredge the Cowlitz and Columbia but at least the Toutle could have cut a channel and I think the dredging wouldn't have lasted very long and the sediment would be on the banks of the Toutle where it belongs.

Raising that dam 21 feet will be a horrible idea.

[Ghost Hunter]

Did you know they want to raise the sediment dam 21 feet it's going to wipe out 1000 s of acres of wildlife habitat.Also all the pilling WDFW PAID 1000 s of dal lord to put in.

How else are you going to stop the sediment flowing downstream ?   

    get aggressive with tree planting to help stabilize soils.   

Volunteers have planted thousands of trees, along with other projects.  Some have been flooded out.  Work party coming up on March 15th and 16th for anyone interested in getting behind the effort.   



Mt. St. Helens Tree Planting March 15 & 16

~ PLEASE  RSVP~ REGISTER ON THE  WDFW VOLUNTEER PAGE AT  wdfw.wa.gov/about/volunteer/ If you have difficulties registering online,  Please contact Daren Hauswald at  360-906-6756

[fireweed]

The Army Corps claims in their 2018 review that any new area flooded will remain within the original "footprint" they have a sediment storage easement on.  WDFW and Weyco and many others are skeptical of this and think with each raise of the dam the river will push and wander farther upstream into the main wildlife area.  Pullen Creek will back up beyond the area, too.

Also, according to the Corps and the original agreement between the feds and the state, the STATE is responsible for all the mitigation projects caused by the dam (except the fish trap).  The WDFW can't really put much effort into the lower reaches near the dam because of all the shifting and flooding.  Most of their efforts are up stream of the old dam, where they are less likely affected by spillway raises.

[JoeVon]

The Army Corps claims in their 2018 review that any new area flooded will remain within the original "footprint" they have a sediment storage easement on.  WDFW and Weyco and many others are skeptical of this and think with each raise of the dam the river will push and wander farther upstream into the main wildlife area.  Pullen Creek will back up beyond the area, too.

Also, according to the Corps and the original agreement between the feds and the state, the STATE is responsible for all the mitigation projects caused by the dam (except the fish trap).  The WDFW can't really put much effort into the lower reaches near the dam because of all the shifting and flooding.  Most of their efforts are up stream of the old dam, where they are less likely affected by spillway raises.

"Shifting and flooding" caused by a dam...  who woulda thought.  WDFW and Weyco are correct.  That's exactly what will happen.  Raising the dam level only delays the inevitable.  Knock a hole in it and get it over with.

[WSU]

The Elwha got rid of the majority of its sediment in two years: https://www.usgs.gov/news/moving-mountains-elwha-river-still-changing-five-years-after-world-s-largest-dam-removal

Rip the bandaid off and get it over with.

[CementFinisher]