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Photo credit Amelia Kalagher

Ediz Hook Revegetation

Nearshore Habitat

The MRC partnered with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe in March 2024 to revegetate areas of Ediz Hook that the Tribe had restored with beach nourishment.

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe has long been stewarding the nearshore area on Ediz Hook, and in 2021 took on a particularly large restoration project. This complex work included the removal of shoreline armoring, and its replacement with more natural beach logs and sand. The goal was to restore high quality habitat for seabirds and forage fish, and to improve recreation opportunities in this culturally important area.

Because that project included the addition of new sand, known as beach nourishment, the MRC partnered with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and the Clallam Conservation District to revegetate the restored areas in March 2024. Native plants create rich and beautiful backshore habitat for seabirds, as well as securing sand in place with their roots to moderate natural erosion.

Looking down on an open canvas bag of large plant seeds

Bag of seed to be sown. Photo credit Tiffany Royal, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

A dirty hand holds a grass like plant with long fibrous roots

An example of the 3,000 plants added in March 2024. Photo credit Tiffany Royal, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

In March 2024, 59 volunteers worked together with staff to add 3,000 native nearshore plants and sow 5 pounds of seed. Plants for 2024 included pearly everlasting, dune grass, mugwort, beach strawberries, and gumweed.

Because of the incredible outpouring of volunteer effort, the group was even able to add plants to an additional area of Ediz Hook managed by the City of Port Angeles. Special thanks to project lead Helle Andersen, and to MRC member and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Revegetation Manager Allyce Miller for their time and expertise.

About a dozen children and chaperones cluster around listening to instructions for the day's planting

Young volunteers and their chaperones gather around to listen to planting instructions. Photo credit Helle Andersen.

Several volunteers, including children, dig holes among beach logs

Volunteers begin the day by digging holes for the nearshore plants. Photo credit Rebecca Mahan.

Several volunteers lean down to plant plants in a grassy nearshore area

Volunteers carefully worked to add plants to areas that did not already have them. Photo credit Rebecca Mahan.

Several volunteers lean down to plant plants on a beach, with a man in bright orange in the foreground

Volunteers work on planting along the extra section of Ediz Hook managed by the City of Port Angeles. Photo credit Tiffany Royal, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

A male volunteer on a beach behind beach logs looks down while he digs a hole

A volunteer digs a deep hole to provide for long roots. Photo credit Tiffany Royal, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

A young girl holds a plant on a beach while an adult digs a hole for planting next to her

A young volunteer supervises their assistant digging a large hole. Photo credit Helle Andersen.

Hands in orange gloves press the soil down around a freshly planted grass like plant

Allyce Miller, MRC Alternate Representative for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, presses the soil down after a fresh planting. Photo credit Tiffany Royal, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

A woman in blue leans down to press the soil around a freshly planted plant on a beach, while another volunteer digs a hole in the background

MRC Admin Specialist Amelia Kalagher finishes getting a plant settled in ideal microhabitat next to a beach log. Photo credit Tiffany Royal, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

A woman in overalls sows seed from a large white bag among large beach logs

Allyce Miller, MRC Alternate Representative for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, sows seed over the revegetation area.

Ediz Hook Revegetation