Wildlife groups oppose fish habitat project

A public meeting on a controversial proposal to restore fish habitat at the Shillapoo Wildlife Area in the Vancouver Lake lowlands will begin at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2108 Grand Blvd.

The proposed project would reestablish a connection between floodplain wetlands and the Columbia River across the 1,000-acre South Unit of Shillapoo Wildlife Area and Buckmire Slough. Money for the project would come from the Bonneville Power Administration.

The goals of the project include restoring habitat for threatened salmon and steelhead; minimizing flood risk to adjacent landowners with flood protection; continuing to provide wetland habitat for sandhill cranes, Columbian whitetail deer and dusky Canada geese, and maintaining or improving existing hunting and other outdoor recreation.

In August, the Lower Columbia chapter of the Washington Waterfowl Association wrote a letter to state wildlife director Jim Unsworth stating the chapter “adamantly opposes the implementation of any direct introduction of Columbia River water in the Shillapoo Wildlife Area.”

The waterfowl association called for shutting down the project.

“It is almost inconceivable you would drain and destroy existing year-round wetlands to create marginal at best juvenile salmon habitat,” wrote Ted Blade, chapter president. “The year-round wetlands would be replaced by a small window of flooding in late winter/early spring that would adversely affect wildlife and waterfowl in the area the other 80 percent of the year.”

The Vancouver Wildlife League also has opposed the project.

“This project is part of an ongoing effort to encourage thriving salmon populations in the Columbia Basin,” said Nicole Czarnomski, Lower Columbia habitat program manager. “We are in the early stages of this process still, and we want to gather community perspective on how to improve our plans.”

Department staff will provide an overview of the project and answer questions.

Comments can be submitted to Czarnomski at nicole.czarnomski@dfw.wa.gov.