Hood Canal: Difference between revisions

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{{place}}[[category:sub-basin]]
{{place}}[[category:sub-basin]]
[[file:hoodcanal.jpg|left|300px]]'''Hood Canal is a natural fjord separating the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. It stretches 68 miles from the northern tip of the Kitsap peninsula to [[Lynch Cove]], forming an L shape that remains narrow, only one and a half to two miles across. The Action Area includes the Canal, streams and upland areas draining into it, and all the land north to Point Wilson, in [[Port Townsend]]. Major rivers entering Hood Canal from the Olympics, on the west side, include the [[Skokomish]], [[Dosewallips]], and Big [[Quilcene]]. Precipitation is variable – Port Townsend receives only 19 inches per year, while 90 inches annually fall at Skokomish.
[[file:hoodcanal.jpg|left|300px]]'''Hood Canal is a natural fjord separating the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. It stretches 68 miles from the northern tip of the Kitsap peninsula to [[Lynch Cove]], forming an L shape that remains narrow, only one and a half to two miles across ... Precipitation is variable – Port Townsend receives only 19 inches per year, while 90 inches annually fall at Skokomish. (From [https://www.eopugetsound.org/terms/8 Encyclopedia of Puget Sound], 2021)


Water circulation in the Canal is a serious issue. The average depth is only 177 feet, but it reaches a maximum depth of 600 feet, and circulation is poor, especially in the southern portion. Water from the Strait of Juan de Fuca mixes poorly due to an underwater sill south of the Hood Canal Bridge, and freshwater entering the canal often forms a layer at the surface. Algal blooms reduce dissolved oxygen, providing a poor habitat for marine species. However, fisheries and aquaculture are economically important to the region, and the Canal is famous for its oysters and other shellfish species. Many salmon populations, including an evolutionarily significant unit of [[Hood Canal Summer Chum|summer chum]], spawn in the streams of Hood Canal and migrate through on their way to other waters.
On the [[Kitsap Peninsula]] side of the Canal is drained by a series of small lowland rivers, from south to north: [[Union River]], [[Mission Creek]], [[Tahuya River]], [[Rendsland Creek]], [[Dewatto River]], [[Anderson Creek]], [[Seabeck Creek]], and [[Big Beef Creek]].


The Hood Canal region is less developed than other Puget Sound basins, and around 90 percent of the drainage area is forested. The shoreline is the most utilized, with an estimated 33 percent modified by human activity.''' (From [https://www.eopugetsound.org/terms/8 Encyclopedia of Puget Sound], 2021)
The [[Olympic Peninsula]] side of the Canal is drained by a series of steep rivers, starting with the [[Skokomish River]] at the southern hook, and from there to the north: [[Hamma Hamma River]], [[Duckabush River]], [[Dosewallips River]], Big and Little [[Quilcene Rivers]], and a series of lowland creeks in Jefferson County, [[Tarboo Creek]], [[Thorndyke Creek]], and [[Shine Creek]] and from there into the lowland creeks of [[Admiralty Inlet]].
 
Hood Canal is covered by [[Mason County]], [[Jefferson County]], and [[Kitsap County]], with no large urban areas in the watershed, however the [[Bangor Navy Reservation]] is a significant area of development.  These are the usual and accustomed areas of the [[Skokomish Indian Nation]] and [[Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe]] as well as the [[Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe]].
 
Water circulation in the Canal is a serious issue. The average depth is only 177 feet, but it reaches a maximum depth of 600 feet, and circulation is poor, especially in the southern portion. Water from the Strait of Juan de Fuca mixes poorly due to an underwater sill south of the Hood Canal Bridge, and freshwater entering the canal often forms a layer at the surface. Algal blooms reduce dissolved oxygen, providing a poor habitat for marine species. However, fisheries and aquaculture are economically important to the region, and the Canal is famous for its oysters and other shellfish species. Many salmon populations, including an evolutionarily significant unit of [[Hood Canal Summer Chum|summer chum]], spawn in the streams of Hood Canal and migrate through on their way to other waters. The Hood Canal region is less developed than other Puget Sound basins, and around 90 percent of the drainage area is forested. The shoreline is the most utilized, with an estimated 33 percent modified by human activity.''' (From [https://www.eopugetsound.org/terms/8 Encyclopedia of Puget Sound], 2021)


==Notes==
==Notes==

Revision as of 21:03, 15 June 2021


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Hoodcanal.jpg

Hood Canal is a natural fjord separating the Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas. It stretches 68 miles from the northern tip of the Kitsap peninsula to Lynch Cove, forming an L shape that remains narrow, only one and a half to two miles across ... Precipitation is variable – Port Townsend receives only 19 inches per year, while 90 inches annually fall at Skokomish. (From Encyclopedia of Puget Sound, 2021)

On the Kitsap Peninsula side of the Canal is drained by a series of small lowland rivers, from south to north: Union River, Mission Creek, Tahuya River, Rendsland Creek, Dewatto River, Anderson Creek, Seabeck Creek, and Big Beef Creek.

The Olympic Peninsula side of the Canal is drained by a series of steep rivers, starting with the Skokomish River at the southern hook, and from there to the north: Hamma Hamma River, Duckabush River, Dosewallips River, Big and Little Quilcene Rivers, and a series of lowland creeks in Jefferson County, Tarboo Creek, Thorndyke Creek, and Shine Creek and from there into the lowland creeks of Admiralty Inlet.

Hood Canal is covered by Mason County, Jefferson County, and Kitsap County, with no large urban areas in the watershed, however the Bangor Navy Reservation is a significant area of development. These are the usual and accustomed areas of the Skokomish Indian Nation and Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe as well as the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe.

Water circulation in the Canal is a serious issue. The average depth is only 177 feet, but it reaches a maximum depth of 600 feet, and circulation is poor, especially in the southern portion. Water from the Strait of Juan de Fuca mixes poorly due to an underwater sill south of the Hood Canal Bridge, and freshwater entering the canal often forms a layer at the surface. Algal blooms reduce dissolved oxygen, providing a poor habitat for marine species. However, fisheries and aquaculture are economically important to the region, and the Canal is famous for its oysters and other shellfish species. Many salmon populations, including an evolutionarily significant unit of summer chum, spawn in the streams of Hood Canal and migrate through on their way to other waters. The Hood Canal region is less developed than other Puget Sound basins, and around 90 percent of the drainage area is forested. The shoreline is the most utilized, with an estimated 33 percent modified by human activity. (From Encyclopedia of Puget Sound, 2021)

Notes[edit]

Restoration Overview[edit]

Pages using Hood Canal Category[edit]