in April 2014, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell joined local conservation leaders to announce that Lake Sammamish, Wash., had been chosen as one of eight pilot partnerships nationwide under the Urban Wildlife Refuge Initiative.
At the heart of Puget Sound, the Lake Sammamish Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership (UWRP) encompasses 100 square miles of habitat, with Lake Sammamish State Park at its center. Just 10 miles from downtown Seattle, the partnership provides a gateway for the Greater Seattle community to connect with the Pacific Northwest's natural environment. The partnership is working to connect urban dwellers with nature, inspire stewardship of the shared watershed, and improve habitat and water quality.
More than 50 partner groups work together as part of the Lake Sammamish UWRP to conserve fish & wildlife, protect watershed health, & enhance community connection to the natural environment.
Educate & Engage
Partnership programming inspires King County communities to connect to their natural environments & each other, growing the next generation of watershed stewards and advocates.
Protect & Restore
The Lake Sammamish UWRP was born from a community powered effort to save Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon from extinction. Together we are working to improve habitat and water quality for all of our native fish species, wildlife, and the community.
Designated by the Department of the Interior in 2014, the Lake Sammamish UWRP was one of the first in a network of Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnerships across the nation. These place-based partnerships bring together nonprofits, state, local, Tribal, and federal agencies to foster education and improve access to nature and outdoor recreation.
From habitat restoration to educational events and lakeshore clean-ups, events take place from UWRP partners year-round. For additional information: www.lakesammamishrefuge.org or contact Alix Lee-Tigner at alix.lee-tigner@tu.org
Lake Sammamish Kokanee
Kokanee salmon are native to the Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington watershed but now spawn in only a few streams that feed into Lake Sammamish. Unlike their larger relative the sockeye salmon, kokanee do not go out to the ocean but spend their entire lifecycle in fresh water. They migrate from streams as inch-long fry and spend three to four years in Lake Sammamish before returning to spawn in the late fall and early winter in their natal streams.
This kokanee population’s habitat once encompassed the lower Cedar River, smaller tributaries to Lake Washington and the Sammamish River, and the Lake Sammamish watershed, but today its range is only Lake Sammamish and primarily three of its tributary streams used for spawning. This population once numbered in the tens of thousands of fish. Since 2007-2008 the number of returning spawners has dipped below 150 spawners four times. Causes of this decline are currently understood to include altered stormwater flows, past hatchery practices, predation, fishing, passage barriers, and lake temperature and dissolved oxygen levels.
Among many other education and restoration events during the year, the Lake Sammamish UWRP also holds clean-ups of the state park after major holiday weekends
The Urban Wildlife Conservation Program improves lives by expanding access to green space, education and outdoor recreation for Americans living in and around cities. Program members work to clear social and historical barriers and foster new connections that advance conservation and strengthen...
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages an unparalleled network of public lands and waters called the National Wildlife Refuge System. With more than 570 refuges spanning the country, this system protects iconic species and provides some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities on Earth.
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