Haberzetle Dam
Landowner and Tribe partner on salmon recovery
About the Project
Haberzetle Dam was a 65-foot-wide earthen dam used as a bridge and, before the pond behind the dam filled with silt, water for livestock. The dam crosses an unnamed creek that is a
tributary to the Snoqualmie River and completely blocks fish from entering the river. At the mouth of the river, where the Snoqualmie meets the Puget Sound, sits the 35-square-mile reservation of the federally recognized Tulalip Tribes of Washington where 2,700 of its 5,000+ members live.
The Tulalip Tribes’ Natural Resources Department is leading an extensive salmon restoration effort in the Snoqualmie River watershed as one of two priority river basins within their Treaty-designated hunting and fishing area.
The Tulalip Tribes worked with the landowner to replace the dam in the fall of 2021 with a bridge that allows the Haberzetles to access their property on the other side of the creek. In late 2021, after the project was completed, a salmon redd was found upstream of the dam, demonstrating the immediate impact of the project.
The Tribes are also coordinating with the Washington State Department of Transportation to remediate a nearby highway culvert immediately upstream of the Haberzetle Dam as part of the federal court-ordered program to remediate fish-blocking culverts on state highways. Without the Haberzetle project, fish would not reach the upstream culvert project.
Joe Haberzetle and his brother are third-generation co-owners of the 40-acre property. The brothers eagerly supported and financially contributed to the project and its end goal to restore salmon on their property and for the Tribes.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
OUTCOMES
- Open 0.4 miles of stream that reestablishes salmonid access to high quality, complex stream habitat in a tributary with nearly full tree canopy cover and cobble and gravel substrate suitable for spawning that is directly connected to the mainstem Snoqualmie River
- In coordination with State culvert remediation upstream, open one mile of prime habitat
- Support treaty-protected cultural, economic, and spiritual values for the Tulalip Tribes
- Address landowner’s safety, reliability, and liability concerns
Videos
Project Partners
Haberzetle Family and Haberzetle Farm
Tulalip Tribes of Washington
Washington State Department of Transportation
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Brian Abbott Fish Barrier Removal Board