SalmonSafe: Peerreviewed standards for the management of urban parks and natural areas

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Salmon-Safe Peer-reviewed standards for the
management of urban parks and natural areas

• Carrie Foss
• WSU Puyallup

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Salmon-Safe in the Pacific Northwest

• Agriculture salmon
• Salmon-Safe parks project
• Expanding on the urban landscape

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How land management impacts stream ecosystems

• Introduction of sediment, energy, or chemicals
• Stream channelization that reduces habitat
  complexity
• Loss of riparian vegetation
• Alteration of stream flows water diversions or
  excessive ground water pumping

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Salmon-Safe started in 1995 with farm focus

• Goal was the development of market incentives to
  reward agricultural conservation practices
• Early task was development of ecologically robust
  farm certification program

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Science-based farm certification

• Riparian wetland area management
• Irrigation water use
• Erosion sediment control
• Fertility and pest management systems
• Animal management
• Biological diversity

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Drinking wine, saving salmon

• Regional marketing of Salmon-Safe wine
• Planting of cover crops to reduce erosion, a
  major cause of down-stream fish habitat
  degradation.

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The Salmon-Safe campaign works for farmers

• Marketplace response 15-20 retail sales
  increase
• Working to quantify economic benefits to growers

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Introducing Salmon-Safe Parks Project
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Salmon-Safe Parks Project

• Advance restoration of Willamette River and its
  tributaries
• Peer reviewed standards for certification of
  parks natural areas
• High profile public education campaign to engage
  urban residents

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Key considerations for park system participation

• Identification and provisions for protection of
  endangered species
• BMPs implemented system-wide
• Policy for new park design
• Infrastructure restoration
• IPM program
• Field monitoring

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Science-based Park Certification Standards

• In-stream habitat protection and restoration
• Riparian wetland area protection
• Water use management

• Stormwater management
• Erosion and sediment control
• Chemical and nutrient containment

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Becoming Salmon-Safe Certified

• Application
• System-wide management assessment
• Site visits at randomly selected locations
• Annual verification
• Recertification every five years

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Certifying Portland Parks Recreation

• Park system includes 10,000 acres, 244 sites
• Formal assessment in Dec 2003 with independent
  certification team

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The OutcomeProvisional Certification
Contingent upon meeting 10 restoration and
planning conditions within 5 years
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Media Campaign

• 30 buses, 5 months
• 15 billboards, 3 months of placement
• Reaching 600,000 Portland area residents
• Newspaper PSAs
• Celebration event

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Urban Expansion

• Engaging other park systems from Seattle to
  Ashland
• Beginning further urban expansion beyond
  parks - college campuses - corporate
  campuses
• Nike was first

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Why Salmon-Safe Certification?

• Third party validation
• Technical assistance
• Community and consumer recognition
• Endangered species protection

For more information http//www.salmonsafe.org dan
_at_salmonsafe.org