Restoration
Restoring salmon habitat in Whatcom County.
Since 1991, NSEA and our community have worked together to repair the streams of Whatcom County so salmon can come home. We remove the culverts that block fish and replant stream banks with the native trees and shrubs that keep water cold, clean, and clear.
Our work
Where the work happens.
Healthy salmon streams need shaded, well-planted banks and an open channel that fish can swim up. NSEA rebuilds this where it once was lost.
Planting & streamside habitat
Riparian Work
We plant native trees and shrubs along stream banks. The trees shade the water to keep it cold and hold the banks to keep it clear.
Barriers & channel habitat
Instream Work
We remove fish passage barriers, taking out old culverts or replacing them with bridges, and rebuild channel habitat with Large Woody Debris and spawning gravel.
Why it matters
Why we restore streams
Pacific salmon and steelhead need cold, clean, and clear water and the ability to reach their natal spawning grounds. Decades of development have left many of our streams in poor condition for salmon, with up to 90% of our forested banks lost, and thousands of old culverts that block fish from going upstream.
Together with landowners, volunteers, and our crew, we’re putting the streams back the way salmon need them to survive and thrive.
Where we work
Across every major watershed in Whatcom County.
NSEA’s restoration work reaches into watersheds across the Nooksack Basin. Explore where we’ve opened streams and replanted banks, going back decades.
By the numbers
Thirty-five years in the field.
migratory barriers removed
145+ mi
of upstream habitat opened
500,000+
native trees and shrubs planted
2,200+
pieces of large woody debris installed
600,000+
linear feet of stream improved
Cumulative since 1991, current through end of 2025.
For landowners
Own land along a stream?
Much of Whatcom County’s most important salmon habitat runs through private land. NSEA works with willing landowners to design and implement riparian restoration projects at no cost to the landowner.
Get involved
Join a volunteer work party.
Most work parties run Saturday mornings, 9 to noon, in spring and fall. We bring the tools, the gloves, and the instructions. No experience needed, and all ages are welcome!