Editor’s note: who received the money in Whatcom County has been amended.

WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Funds are coming to Whatcom and surrounding counties in order to improve estuaries and restore salmon habitat.

The Washington State Recreation Conservation Office (RCO) partnered with Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to award the funds to several counties in or near the Puget Sound.

In all, $14.6 million will go to these projects that look to protect and improve a variety of habitat for salmon and other species in the coastal regions of the Sound.

Whatcom County organization Whatcom Land Trust will receive nearly $370,000 to buy over three acres of mudflat wetlands at the confluence of California Creek and Drayton Harbor.

“These shorelines provide important habitat for many species including juvenile salmon, which use them for feeding and growing before traveling to the ocean. Having bigger healthier salmon heading to the ocean increases their chances of returning successfully to spawn the next generation of salmon,” said Dr. Tish Conway-Cranos, WDFW senior near-shore scientist and manager of the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program’s Learning Program. That program funds projects to improve the science of habitat restoration so future restoration is more efficient and effective. “This program increases our scientific knowledge about what really works on the ground and shapes the outcomes of restoration projects across Puget Sound.”

According to the RCO, purchasing this land will conserve shoreline along the creek, improve water quality for oyster habitat and enhance the California Creek Estuary Park.

Another nearly $1.8 million will be divvied up among seven counties including Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit to offer assistance in helping landowners to reduce shoreline armoring.

The funds are distributed through the Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program and come from the Climate Commitment Act.

Since 2006, The Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program has invested nearly $152 million in over 200 projects. The projects are estimated to open more than seven miles of streams, restore over 2,000 acres along waterways and conserve through purchases more than 3,000 acres and more than 25 miles of shoreline.