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Mission
Long Live the Kings’ (LLTK) mission is to restore wild salmon to the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Since 1986, LLTK has created on-the-ground and in-the-river recovery projects designed to rescue and rebuild imperiled salmon runs. LLTK is known for developing and demonstrating innovative fish rearing techniques, empowering local communities to establish watershed recovery plans, and creating community-based project partnerships between tribal, business, government and non-profit leaders. In recent years, LLTK has gained a reputation for involving strategic and innovative thinkers and stimulating private sector involvement in long standing salmon management and recovery issues, most particularly hatchery reform.
Primary Programs/Projects
LLTK projects fall into four categories:
1) The Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Private Sector
2) Hatchery Reform
3) Wild Salmon Rearing and Habitat
4) Community Building.
Project highlights include:
The Endangered Species Act and the Private Sector (Back to Primary Programs/Projects)
Tri-County Salmon Recovery County executives invited LLTK to serve on the 33-member "Tri-County Executive Committee," a voluntary coalition of Puget Sound's urban core counties (King, Pierce and Snohomish), which represent over 70% of the region's population. The Committee collaborates to develop a coordinated recovery plan that addresses the particular needs of densely populated, heavily urbanized and industrialized areas newly charged with the responsibility of recovering dying salmon runs. Washington Salmon Collaboration LLTK helped design and staff (and was a founding member of) this effort convened and chaired by Bill Ruckelshaus to make early, joint recommendations on salmon recovery to Governor Locke from environmental and business leaders. The Collaboration also urged strong leadership from the Governor's office in developing a long-term recovery plan for Puget Sound chinook salmon. Working closely with the western Washington treaty tribes and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the group published joint recommendations in March 1999. Puget Sound Shared Strategy The above-mentioned recommendations cited the need for a Puget Sound-wide forum to address wild salmonid recovery in a coordinated way. LLTK helped design and staff the resulting Puget Sound Salmon Leadership Forum, chaired by Bill Ruckelshaus and Senator Dan Evans. This three-day event brought together over 150 leaders from around Puget Sound and resulted in a call for a regional, shared strategy for salmon recovery. That Shared Strategy for Recovery of Salmon in Puget Sound is now in draft form and was presented at a follow-up forum in January 2001. LLTK served on the steering committee for the development of the draft and will continue to serve as the draft is refined and implemented. The strategy is an effort to develop basin-wide recovery goals; a collaborative recovery plan at the watershed level; and an organizational structure to identify, link and support on-going Puget Sound salmon protection efforts.
Hatchery Reform (Back to Primary Programs/Projects)
The Puget Sound and Coastal Washington Hatchery Reform Project The goal of this multi-year project is to create a coordinated, scientifically-based system of hatchery uses in Puget Sound and Coastal Washington to help recover wild salmon, satisfy tribal treaty obligations and provide sport catch where possible. LLTK is providing facilitation and strategic assistance. Until now, LLTK has been known primarily for conducting projects that demonstrate how hatcheries can be used to help restore wild salmon and for community-based watershed recovery planning and design. In 2001, LLTK will help the Hatchery Reform Coordinating Committee and Hatchery Scientific Review Group develop a scientific framework and comprehensive strategy for hatchery reform in Puget Sound and Coastal Washington.
Wild Salmon Rearing and Habitat (Back to Primary Programs/Projects)
Glenwood Springs With wild salmon populations depressed and facing federal ESA listing throughout Puget Sound, LLTK brought chinook salmon and a natural rearing program to an Orcas Island stream. This new fishery diverts pressure from wild runs and provides salmon for sport and commercial fishers from Oregon to Alaska. Now, LLTK is working with NMFS to explore the feasibility of creating a naturally spawning, self-sustaining chinook run at Glenwood, thereby exploring a significant scientific unknown in salmon recovery planning. Lilliwaup Creek LLTK's captive brood stock facility on Hood Canal was built with one million dollars in private funds to establish an emergency room for salmon. The facility has been named a centerpiece of Washington state's plan to restore the most threatened local wild salmon runs. This includes the fourth year of rebuilding summer chum populations in the Hamma Hamma and Lilliwaup rivers of Hood Canal, an integral part of the Summer Chum Salmon Conservation Initiative, written by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and the Point no Point treaty tribes. It also includes LLTK's project to "jump start" depressed chinook runs on the Hamma Hamma and Duckabush Rivers and our Hamma Hamma steelhead captive brood stock program. In 2001, we will implement a rigorous monitoring study-in partnership with NMFS-to evaluate our Hamma Hamma Steelhead Project. Wishkah River LLTK created low-tech, low-cost off-channel rearing habitat for coho salmon to increase juvenile survival rates and bolster naturally spawning populations, while supporting policy changes needed to restore the Wishkah as suitable salmon habitat. Juvenile survival rates doubled in one year. We are currently working to repeat this success throughout the watershed. LLTK also maintains a long-term partnership with the state, local tribes, the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force, the Port of Grays Harbor and other local groups and landowners to supplement wild salmon runs from this facility. In the coming year we will conduct monitoring and evaluation research to document the effects of LLTK efforts at the Wishkah facility. Willapa Bay This project modifies a hatchery to simulate conditions found in nature. Research is underway to determine if rearing salmon in more natural conditions increases juvenile survival rates and/or better prepares them for their ocean migration. Other studies include a comparison of the effectiveness of different techniques used to restore naturally spawning fish populations in depleted watersheds. The Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation, NMFS, WDFW, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the University of Washington (UW) are partners.
Community Building (Back to Primary Programs/Projects)
Skagit Watershed Council with LLTK assistance as the elected Chair, the Council has produced a science-based strategy for prioritizing habitat recovery projects throughout the Skagit and Samish basins and is the only non-governmental organization in the state to be named the lead entity for such activities. Hood Canal Community Building Since 1997, LLTK has supported the Hood Canal Coordinating Council (elected officials from three counties and two tribes) in developing a recovery plan for threatened Hood Canal summer chum salmon. LLTK has provided facilitation and technical assistance, hosted stakeholder forums, co-sponsored regional conferences and provided issue papers on key topics (including a first-of-its-kind handbook for local governments on how to respond to the requirements of the ESA). The Seattle Salmon Stream Project-LLTK is working with multiple partners (the Port of Seattle, City of Seattle, Alliance for Education, UW and others) to create a salmon stream on the working waterfront of urban Seattle, in order to educate and delight residents and visitors and inspire them to restore wild salmon to the landscape of the Pacific Northwest.
Reason for Participating on the Skagit Watershed Council
In selecting our projects we seek to place our resources where there is the greatest potential for making a significant difference. Success in the Skagit would mean success throughout Puget Sound and beyond because of the significance of this river system. We also look for new ways to address the seemingly intractable problem of salmon decline. The SWC offers a new partnership model, one that can effectively engage all affected interests, not only those traditional supporters of salmon conservation.
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