3-12-2019
FERNDALE, Wash. — A newly designed, fish-friendly floodgate aims to help protect fish and farmland along the Nooksack River.
Older floodgates held back Nooksack River floodwaters but also blocked fish from moving upstream to grow and spawn.
John Thompson with Whatcom Public Works focuses on salmon recovery and said this new floodgate was only possible because of Appel Family Dairy.
“The vast majority of the work that we propose to do is voluntary, and we can’t do that work without landowners like the Appels,” he says.
Appel Family Dairy Co-owner Rich Appel adds, “Taking care of the land, the streams, and the life that lives in them is crucial to our future.”