Columbia Land Trust

1351 Officers' Row, Vancouver, Washington 98661
360.696.0131 voice, 360.696.1847 fax

Champions for chum Wednesday, November 24, 2004 By Foster Church VANCOUVER, Wash. -- The movers are chum salmon, spawning on a late fall day. It's one of the few spawning grounds on the main river channel for chum, a type of salmon listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. There is another about a quarter-mile upstream, and a few others are downstream from Bonneville Dam. The riverbank is a prime location for residential development, which many fear could ruin the spawning ground. Recently, the Columbia Land Trust, a nonprofit land-conservation group, struck a deal with a family that has owned nearby land for more than a century to allow the spawning ground to remain a haven for the fish. Using a conservation-easement gift from the Wood family and discounts on a land purchase and another easement, the trust now owns or holds easements on three parcels totaling 5 acres with 600 feet of Columbia River shoreline at the site of the spawning ground. Efforts are under way to purchase an adjacent 4.5-acre site to the west. The riverfront here hasn't been filled or developed. That makes it a rarity on the river in the metropolitan area -- a landscape and salmon spawning ground similar to what the Lewis and Clark Expedition might have seen when it passed through in 1805 and 1806. "That is a key site," said Wolf Dammers, district fish biologist for the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. "You don't see that much spawning activity on the Columbia." In late afternoon, the muffled roar of traffic from the bridge is a sharp contrast to the river at this undisturbed spot. The other noticeable sound is of water skittering over stones from a nearby spring and entering the river. "Strong conservationists" The presence of springs is one reason the spawning grounds have survived in a place where cars thunder and where real estate developers wheel and deal. Development in metropolitan areas can create erosion and runoff that muffle gravel spawning beds with silt. But the springs flush the gravel beds and prevent silt buildup. And property owners, including the Wood family, have not developed the land heavily, maintaining its integrity. Wood family members are determined to keep the spawning beds intact. "We are all strong conservationists, and we believe the land out there is more beautiful undeveloped," said Rebecca Wood Hardesty, a great-granddaughter of Henry J. Biddle, who bought a large swath of land in 1889. "So we value beauty in that light, not necessarily in its monetary value." Biddle's daughter, Rebecca, married Erskine Wood, and their son, Erskine Biddle Wood, was a Portland lawyer. Hardesty, who has four siblings, is his daughter. The family donated the conservation easement on part of the land, and individual family members sold one parcel of land and sold a conservation easement on another parcel at discounts. The land trust purchased these for $575,000, less than the appraised value of $765,000, using money from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, a state agency. Fear of disruption Keeping the property intact is crucial because fish biologists fear development could disrupt the springs necessary for the spawning bed. "It is one integrated project involving several parcels," said Hardesty, who now resides in Boise. "Of course, the chum don't respect legal parcels. They know where their home is, and it is necessary to protect all of their home rather than just part of the property." The Wood family, working with the land trust and the Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center, which is near the property, is soliciting grants and private donations to purchase the adjoining 4.5-acre parcel, which is owned by Vancouver developer Bill Maitland. Already, the city of Vancouver has pledged $300,000 to buy the property. Members of the Wood family have paid $25,000 for an option to buy the property for about $2 million, though that option expires in February. "The story here is about chum salmon and their struggle to survive," said Glenn Lamb, executive director of the land trust. "This is one of those spots where the serendipity of history has allowed the habitat to remain and placed a family there that had an interest in working with us to conserve them." Foster Church: 360-896-5720 or 503-294-5900; fosterchurch@news.oregonian.com

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