Our mission is to protect the world’s salmon strongholds.
Reconnecting Olympic Peninsula Strongholds
Stay Informed
Get the latest news on our restoration efforts, and how you can make a difference for Olympic Peninsula wild salmon.
Our Goal
Clearing the way for fish
Journey to the Olympic Peninsula
Location: Hoh River, Washington
Photo Credit: Luke Kelley with aerial support from LightHawk
The Olympic Peninsula’s Cold Water
Threats to the Olympic Peninsula
What We’re Doing Daily
To keep Washington’s wild salmon and steelhead thriving, we focus on three types of work.
Restoring Stronghold Habitat
Across the Olympic Peninsula, we guide projects from start to finish that restore high quality habitat for Washington salmon
Empowering Tribes & Local Partners
We work with coastal salmon communities to bring more funds and resources to their watersheds.
Advocating for Washington Salmon
Wild Salmon Center is a trusted science and policy partner at every level of government.
The Impact at Home
Restoring wild salmon on the Olympic Peninsula benefits the entire community.
Decreased Flood Risk
We restore watershed function and repair old infrastructure benefitting salmon and communities.
Food for People and Wildlife
From orca pods to fishing towns, abundant salmon runs sustain life in the Pacific Northwest.
Resilient Communities
Our restoration work improves infrastructure and creates jobs.
Cold Water Connection Project Progress
We’re working to remove barriers to reconnect prime, cold water salmon and steelhead habitat.
What's Next
125 total river miles reconnected across the Washington Coast
We’re driving construction projects across the Olympic Peninsula to reconnect 43 remaining river miles of high-quality salmon and steelhead habitat.
2025
32 total miles of wild fish habitat opened
Wild Salmon Center and our partners have been hard at work, removing barriers to fish passage, building beaver analogues and replacing defunct culverts.
WSDOT restores fish passage to 50 additional miles of habitat
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reconnected 50 miles of Olympic Peninsula wild salmon and steelhead habitat by removing fish passage barriers, like old culverts.
Seven projects ready to start
Designs have been finalized for seven new project sites, restoring 6.4 miles of habitat. Now we just need construction funding to begin work.
Four sites funded through preliminary design stage
We’re working on securing funding for the final design and construction phases of these key projects, allowing fish passage through an additional 2.4 miles.
11 project plans in development
We’re applying for grants to give wild salmon and steelhead access to 11.2 miles of their habitat above these 11 sites.
Planning stage on 9.4 additional miles
Planning is underway for reconnecting 9.4 anadromous miles of access to upper rivers and streams for wild fish.
13.6 river miles on tap for exploration
Our team is in the exploring phase to restore the remaining 13.6 miles of habitat.
News From Washington's Olympic Peninsula
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