The Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board today announced the award of nearly $76 million in grants across the state to help ensure the survival of salmon in Washington.

San Juan County was given $671,434.

The board also approved an additional $58 million in grant requests for 55 projects through the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration program once funding is approved by the Legislature in 2023. If approved, the combined funding would be the largest amount of money directed at salmon recovery in a single year since the board was created 23 years ago.

The grants that were funded today went to 138 projects in 30 of the state’s 39 counties. The grants will pay for work to restore salmon habitat, including repairing degraded habitat in rivers, removing barriers blocking salmon migration and conserving pristine habitat.

“This is incredibly important work,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “The projects will help restore salmon across the state. That means more salmon for our endangered orcas, more jobs for people and industries that rely on salmon and improved habitat that can better protect us from floods and the effects of climate change.”

Click here for descriptions of each grant: https://rco.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/SAL-Grants-2022.pdf.

“These grants are a driving force for salmon recovery in Washington,” said Jeff Breckel, chair of the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. “Without this funding, we likely would lose our salmon. And that’s a Washington I wouldn’t want to live in.”

Funding for the grants comes from the sale of state bonds, a federal grant from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, and funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The grant recipients also invest in salmon recovery and will be contributing more than nearly $59 million in matching resources, such as materials, staff labor, and donations.