Collaborating on Farms, Fish, & Flooding
With so many rivers running through Snohomish County, it is no surprise that many residents, farmers, and species–including our native salmon–face challenges from seasonal flooding. Property can be damaged, fields and livestock put at risk, and important riparian habitat can sometimes be destroyed. However, floodplains provide many social, economic, cultural, and environmental benefits.
Since 2010, when the Sustainable Lands Strategy (SLS) was first convened, Snohomish Conservation District has been part of this coalition of diverse stakeholders brought together by the shared goal of improving the coexistence of farming and fishing in Snohomish County’s floodplains.
Collaboration is at the heart of SLS, but the pandemic prevented the face-to-face community building that is an essential element of the work. In 2023, SLS partners were finally able to gather in ways that had been inaccessible for several years.
In April, SLS collaborators attended a Farm to Table dinner at The Lodge at Sonneveldt Vineyard. They celebrated a new video about SLS efforts called “Life in the Floodplain - Skykomish, WA.”
This video features Anna and Chris Groeneveld of Groeneveld Family Farms, Morgan Ruff of Tulalip Tribes, and Andy Werkhoven of Werkhoven Dairy who also serves as an SLS Steering Committee Member. The video highlights the challenges and benefits of living in the floodplain—a place important to farmers and fish alike.
“Flooding is a great unifier; we’re all impacted by it,” Morgan Ruff shared in the video.
The energy in the room was warm and electric as partners connected, sharing stories and challenges about their work and experiences in the floodplain.
It was a beautiful afternoon at the Lodge at Sonneveldt Vineyard. Quotes from “Life in the Floodplain” were displayed throughout the venue.
Agriculture Department Director Bobbi Lindemulder speaks with partners at the Farm to Table event in March 2023.
Attendees listen as interviewees from “Life in the Floodplain” share their experiences with the land and the importance of partnerships across different cultures and livelihoods.
In September, the Floodplains by Design partnership between Washington Department of Ecology, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and America Rivers, with strong support from The Nature Conservancy (a founding organization of the Floodplains by Design partnership), hosted a Floodplains by Design Convening event.
It was the first Convening held in person after several years and was an opportunity to celebrate the people and projects that preserve farming, promote salmon habitat and livelihoods, and mitigate flooding and flood risks.
Staff from several SLS partner organizations were able to participate in the one-day event which included a field trip to visit highlighted projects at Chinook Marsh and Swans Trail Slough.
Sustainable Lands Strategy (SLS) partners visited project sites at Chinook Marsh and Swans Trail Slough. Both projects, once completed, will help mitigate flooding and improve drainage infrastructure.
Looking ahead, the District is committed to implementing work in the floodplain, including the Swans Trail Slough multi-benefit project. Located in the Snohomish Estuary adjacent to Chinook Marsh, this project will improve drainage infrastructure and other systems in an area with recurrent flooding issues.
The completed project will improve agricultural drainage and flood protection for over 400 acres of productive farmland, enhance watershed resilience to changing river conditions, and improve up to 1.5 miles of juvenile salmonid rearing habitat in Swans Trail Slough within Drainage and Diking Improvement District 13.
The Swans Trail Slough project presents an opportunity for regional learning about how partners can accomplish coordinated and integrated floodplain and agricultural resilience, estuary habitat restoration, viability goals, and project implementation in the Puget Sound region.
Another area of focus for the District in our work with SLS has been on reuniting partners and telling the stories about the places we hold dear. SLS and SLS partner participation in gatherings embody these values by bringing together stakeholders committed to protecting people, farms, and fish in our floodplains, and we’re excited for the work to come.
The District is grateful to support these collaborative, multi-benefit efforts that yield so many positive outcomes for such a diversity of stakeholders.
Funding to support the District’s involvement in SLS comes from a variety of sources including Floodplains by Design. Floodplains by Design is a public-private partnership working to reduce flood risk, restore habitat, and create resilient communities along Washington’s major rivers. Through this program, the Washington Department of Ecology provides grants that support locally-driven and multi-benefit floodplain projects. SLS and Floodplains by Design both rely on collaborative partnerships to seek solutions that work for all stakeholders.