Grays Harbor County groups will get about $770,000 from the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board to help fund five projects to improve habitat for the fish.

The money will go to three projects backed by the Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force and one project each backed by the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust and the Quinault Indian Nation.

The funding will support the following Chehalis Basin Fisheries Task Force projects:

A grant of $36,000 will help correct a barrier to migrating fish under Newskah Road. A culvert where Newskah Road meets Newskah Creek near Aberdeen will be replaced with a structure that supports access for migrating fish. The creek is used by chum salmon.

Almost $295,000 will go toward removing a barrier on Wildcat Creek near McCleary under Wildcat Road. A bridge will be put in its place. The creek is used by coho. The task force will contribute $52,041.

A project to remove a culvert under Kirkpatrick Road for Damon Creek near Aberdeen will receive $79,000. The creek is used by chinook, coho and chum.

The Chehalis River Basin Land Trust will get $210,000 to buy 157 acres of land with about 1.3 miles of shoreline on the East Hoquiam River. “The land, currently on the market for housing development, is next to 670 acres of protected habitat,” the release states. The land trust will contribute $39,000 in donations of cash and labor. This project will benefit chum, coho, chinook and steelhead trout.

The Quinault Indian Nation will receive $150,000 to assess and treat invasive knotweed along the Quinault River. The Nation will survey 1,796 acres and expects to treat an estimated 875 acres infested with knotweed. The Nation will contribute $26,473 in staff labor and a federal grant. The river is used by chinook, coho and chum.

Pacific County projects will receive more than a half million dollars. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe will receive $160,924 to design a habitat restoration project on the West Fork Grays River. The Pacific Conservation District will get money for three projects: $188,839 to restore Forks Creek downstream of the Forks Creek Hatchery Diversion Dam, which is slated to be removed; $120,000 to design restoration projects for Redfield, Raimie and Howard Creeks; and $51,000 to replace fish screens on the Willapa River.

The SRFB awarded grants to organizations for 96 projects in 28 of the state’s 39 counties on Monday. Since its founding in 1999, the SRFB, which is part of the state Recreation and Conservation Office, has approved a total of 3,093 grants and surpassed the $1 billion investment mark, including matching funds from grant recipients, a release states.

Projects are selected by lead entities, which are watershed-based groups that include tribes, local governments, nonprofit organizations and citizens. This ensures that the projects selected are community priorities. Lead entities vet projects based on federally approved, regional salmon recovery plans and prioritize projects to submit to the Salmon Recovery Funding Board for funding. Regional salmon recovery organizations and the board review each project for cost-effectiveness and to ensure they will benefit salmon.