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Congressman Norm Dicks (D-Belfair), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) director Dr. Jeff Koenings, special assistant Tim Smith and InterLocking Software Corporation (ILSC) president Jim Nall recently recognized the development of a new tool to aid salmon recovery. While the first generation Habitat Work Schedule (HWS) will focus on habitat projects, future efforts will address other components of salmon recovery by integrating hatchery and harvest actions into the system as well.
Dicks applauded WDFW for its initiation to implement the online HWS System developed by Poulsbo’s ILSC to develop and host this database.
“This is a huge step forward to recovering salmon,” said Dicks. “Natural resource managers need data to make the best decisions possible. Without the Habitat Work Schedule, gathering that valuable data is an overwhelming challenge.”
“The HWS gives local watersheds the opportunity to plan and prioritize their salmon recovery activities at an ecosystem scale, and the ability to identify and address all aspects of salmon recovery,” said WDFW’s Smith. “HWS also reflects our agency belief that the actions necessary to recover salmon must be coordinated and implemented at the local watershed level. The state’s Salmon Recovery Lead Entities are in position to make salmon recovery successful if we can continue to provide them high-quality tools, like HWS.”
Natural resource professionals across the state will work even more closely together to communicate their progress outlined in their salmon recovery plans. The online HWS will serve as a resource for the public to learn about those efforts. Training for professionals on the online system begins this month. The database will be available to the public beginning Oct. 1, and all projects will be uploaded into the online HWS system by the end of this year. | 
