The mossy, tree-laden Hoh River is among Washington’s most iconic places. Clear and unrestricted by human dams, the river hosts one of the healthiest wild salmon runs in the Lower 48 states. Downstream of Olympic National Park, people come to the Hoh River valley to fish, hunt and gather plants. The Hoh Tribe lives at the river’s mouth, with deep and profound cultural ties to resources and places in the watershed.
Nature is a powerful tool for protecting people and nature from the impacts of climate change.
Forest manager Kyle Smith stares up at one of the giant trees of the Hoh River Conservation and Recreation Area. © Joel Rogers
Here and in the surrounding Olympic Rainforest, The Nature Conservancy seeks to rebuild the region’s health and resilience to climate change by reconnecting habitat corridors along the Quillayute, Hoh, Queets, and Quinault Rivers from Olympic National Park to the Pacific Ocean.
These wild and undammed rivers are strongholds for wild salmon and will be resilient to climate change if restored and managed well. Their lowland riparian forests are some of the most productive on earth, storing immense amounts of carbon in trees and downed logs. The economies and cultural foundation of the Quileute, Hoh, and Quinault Tribes depend on salmon productivity within these rivers.
The Hoh is featured in a new report from the Conservancy, Natural Highways and Neighborhoods, about places around the United States that offer resilience to climate change. Scientists at the Conservancy have identified and mapped a network of landscapes across the United States with unique topographies, geologies, and other characteristics that can help withstand climate impacts. This roadmap of natural highways and neighborhoods shows where plant and animal species have the best chance to move away from growing climate threats and find new places to call home.
The Conservancy manages about 10,000 acres on the Hoh River as the Hoh River Conservation and Recreation Area. It’s part of our holdings in the larger Olympic Rainforest, outside of Olympic National Park.
The Olympic Rainforest is the southern anchor of the world’s most expansive temperate rainforest. The broader region The Nature Conservancy calls the Emerald Edge stretches from Washington to Southeast Alaska, and is abundant with salmon, old-growth forests and marine life.
Banner photo © Keith Lazelle
A CLIMATE-RESILIENT FUTURE FOR WASHINGTON
We’re calling on elected leaders in Olympia to put us on the path to a cleaner, healthier, more equitable economy. The Resilient Future platform from the Washington Climate Alliance is based on principles for tackling the intertwined crises we’re facing and building a more just and sustainable future for nature and for all people - no exceptions. Read more and learn how you can support it.
