North Olympic Salmon Coalition

Vision

Realizing that salmon are vital to our community and are a product of healthy watersheds, we want to restore the anadromous fish stocks, protect the genetic resource, restore and protect their habitat to ensure their long–term survival. We realize that time is critical and if the salmon are to survive diverse interests must cooperate and work toward a common goal of restoring salmon runs to abundance and health. Community understanding, cooperation, and feeling of stewardship are critical to success. In addition, we must establish and maintain a viable organization, working in concert with Federal, State, Tribal, and local stakeholders, that will enable NOSC to attain its goals and objectives.

Mission

To restore, enhance, and protect habitat of North Olympic Peninsula wild salmon stocks and to promote community volunteerism, understanding, cooperation and stewardship of these resources.

Goals

The NOSC strategic plan shall address the NOSC mission, restore and enhance the stocks and habitat of salmon from North Olympic Peninsula Watersheds, and the rules and regulations established by the Washington Legislature that established the Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups.

The near and long term goals for NOSC to meet its mission and address the vision are...

1. Vision — Increase advocacy for the salmon resource Increase resources necessary to maintain a regional fisheries enhancement group as a registered Washington Corporation, with IRS 501.3.C non profit designation 1. Provide paid staff support to maintain a fiscally prudent organization that meets all federal and State funded RFEG mandates as required for the proper functioning of NOSC within the context of RCW 77.95 to include

• Management and Administration
• Habitat Restoration
• Production
• Research
• Outreach and Education 2. Provide an office with supporting equipment for staff. 3. Conduct open monthly meetings, including staff, directors, WDFW, and other interested parties. 4. Recruit additional Board of Directors to strengthen intra and inter community linkages. 2. Vision — Maintain a healthy habitat for diverse species and stocks Increase community based project development. 1. Identify both near term (tactical), and long term (strategic) projects and activities that can be easily integrated with Clallam and Jefferson salmon restoration and conservation efforts. 2. Establish watershed priorities traceable to a limiting factor analysis, watershed analysis, ESA listing. 3. Increase identification of habitat restoration, protection and assessment projects in priority watersheds or where requested by partners and agencies. 4. Increase landowner contact regarding project implementation in priority watersheds or where requested by partners and agencies. 5. Prioritize projects and activities to reflect the realism of funding, schedule constraints, and other pertinent factors such as linkage to existing projects, potential ESA listing or delisting. 6. Identify future targets of opportunity, projects and or funding sources. 3. Increase community based project implementation 1. Seek additional funding through a variety of granting sources. 2. Promote projects and activities that are NOSC managed and funded, or are a match (monetary or in kind) provided by NOSC, or pass through funding to another entity. 3. Evaluate projects and activities for benefit to salmon and cost effectiveness. 4. Increase project submittals through Salmon Recovery Funding Board activities incorporating elements of Acquisition (Habitat Protection), Assessment, and Monitoring. 5. Continue and increase the native plant nursery effort. 6. Obtain increased WDFW technical support for project development and implementation. 4. Vision — Restore and protect anadromous fish runs Protect genetic integrity of the species and stocks. 1. Increase efforts to increase weak and extirpated stocks through participation in artificial propagation programs. 2. Obtain increased WDFW technical support for project development and implementation. 3. Increase volunteer and funding resources to stock improvement programs and partnerships. 5. Vision - Nurture the self-sustaining values of the resource Increase educational and volunteer opportunities for community participation in restoration activities 1. Secure stable funding to increase staffing of volunteer coordination, outreach and education. 2. Increase support to partner organizations as activity co-sponsors. 3. Increase volunteer participation in habitat restoration through site stewardship. 4. Increase volunteer participation in resource assessments 6. Vision — Promote cultural and community values of salmon Increase opportunities for community and stakeholder appreciation of the salmon resource 1. Continue and expand educational programs to North Olympic schools. 2. Increase participation in a variety of community events, public outreach activities and cultural events. 3. Increase coordination and registration of volunteers for partner projects. 4. Improve communication and cooperation with State, Local, and Tribal resource agencies. 7. Increase communication and foster mutual support among community groups for whom salmon is a valued resource 1. Increase volunteer and staff participation in watershed planning activities such as the Chumsortium. 2. Increase outreach to land trusts, conservation districts, fishing organizations and habitat groups. 3. Develop additional watershed partnerships across the North Olympic Peninsula. 4. Increase participation in Lead Entity, Marine Resource Committee and other efforts to develop protection and recovery strategies.