Tree-Planting on Orca Recovery Day

This weekend the Clallam Conservation District and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe requested volunteers to plant 2,000 conifer trees during Orca Recovery Day in the former Lake Aldwell reservoir, and Kate and I made the trek out to the peninsula to help.

What is Orca Recovery Day?

With the population of Southern Resident Orca Whales at a 30-year low, the need for large scale restoration efforts has become crucial. Accustomed to being boots on the ground organizations, Washington conservation districts saw the need to mobilize people into action and created Orca Recovery Day, a day of action that has brought people throughout the Pacific Northwest together to restore habitat, reduce stormwater pollution, and provide education. 

On October 17, 2020 conservation districts around the state, along with dozens of non-profit and agency partners, are coming together for the third annual Orca Recovery Day to provide opportunities for people to take action on this critical issue. 

Locally, Clallam Conservation District and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe are teaming up to support orca recovery by focusing restoration efforts on the Elwha River. The removal of the Lower Elwha Dam in 2011 and the upper Glines Canyon Dam in 2014 gave unrestricted passage to Chinook salmon, as well as other fish species, to make their way through the Elwha River system. The removal of the dams left roughly 600 acres of former lakebeds to return to native forests for the freed up Elwha River to flow through. Harsh growing conditions, such as no top soil, have made establishing conifer trees a challenge in the old lakebeds. Restoration plantings, such as those being planned for Orca Recovery Day, are crucial to help accelerate restoration of fish habitat in the Elwha River for both salmon and orca recovery.

We checked in, picked up our two bags of trees, and hiked to the designated area, where we planted a total of 40 conifers (mix of Doug firs and Western red cedars). Here's hoping they all succeed!

Existing vegetation

New planting

I hope they make it! We plan to return in another year or so to see how they're doing.

Salmon remains -- an encouraging sight! Photo credit: Kate