Two local salmon habitat projects are getting a boost in funding as part of a $918,700 grant package announced Thursday.
The region’s endangered Southern Resident orca whales are the focus of the grants offered through the Killer Whale Research and Conservation Program overseen by the National Fish and Wildlife Federation.
The grants support research and restoration to address the three major issues orcas face: too few salmon, too much boat traffic noise and polluted water.
The recent round of grants — supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, Shell Oil Company and SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. — is helping to fund eight projects.
One of those is Skagit County Public Works’ $2.5-million plan to restore 5 acres of off-channel habitat along the south fork of the Skagit River. This project adds to a previous project that restored 21.5 acres of habitat.
The county is receiving $200,000 in Killer Whale Research and Conservation Program grant funds for that project.
The restored acreage will create important habitat for young chinook salmon on their way out to sea.
Another $200,000 grant will go to The Nature Conservancy for a project in nearby Port Susan Bay south of Stanwood.
There, the nonprofit plans to continue its restoration efforts, this time investing $450,000 in restoring 150 acres of habitat for young chinook salmon and monitoring how the fish make use of the changes.
Chinook are the focus of both local projects because they are the primary food source for the imperiled orcas.
