Natural Systems Design, Inc. 3/24/2025

CITY OF EVERETT PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT  SMITH ISLAND ESTUARY RESTORATION ADVANCE MITIGATION SITE: YEAR 7 MONITORING Page 5 | February 18, 2025 particularly to identify areas of reed canarygrass and areas of cattail. Extent of narrow-leaf cattail versus common cattail will be noted during the transect and plot surveys. Invasive or noxious weed populations (e.g., reed canarygrass, purple loosestrife, yellow iris) will be noted and their main location(s) documented with GPS and/or mapped on the aerial photo so any infestation can be addressed. Subtask 2.2 Aerial Photo Documentation and Vegetation Community Mapping NSD will employ a drone to capture a high-quality aerial photo of the project site at low tide conditions at the height of seasonal vegetation development (~August/early September 2025) to document vegetation colonization and to create a Year 7 map of marsh, mudflat, and tidal channel development. NSD biologists will map vegetation communities based on the visual signatures on the aerial image, our site observations, and the vegetation transect and plot data. We will compare vegetation community development to that reported in the Year 1, 3, and 5 Monitoring Reports and to that anticipated in the Advance Mitigation Plan and the Year 10 performance standards. The aerial photo will also serve as the basemap for figures in the annual report illustrating the location of other sampling efforts (i.e., water surface elevation gages, wildlife point counts and transects, wetland determination plots, and extent of estuarine habitat). Subtask 2.3 Data Analysis NSD will analyze the vegetation plot and transect data, as well as the vegetation community development and invasive/noxious species data to characterize the extent and nature of continued development of native tidal marsh and mudflat communities per the Year 7 and Year 10 vegetation performance standards specified in Table 6-3 of the Advance Mitigation Plan. The vegetation performance standards focus on increases over time in average percent cover of native marsh species in the marsh sample plots, reduction in percent cover of reed canarygrass and invasive species, and interspersion of mudflat, marsh, and tidal channel habitats across the site. NSD will prepare summary tables and figures for inclusion in the Monitoring Report (Task 5). ASSUMPTIONS:  Site conditions are such that the drone image can be captured within one, 8-hour site visit including preparation and travel.  Site conditions are such that the vegetation data collection can be accomplished by a team of two NSD staff in 3, 10-hour days including travel. DELIVERABLES:  Year 7 aerial photo, vegetation maps, and summary tables for inclusion in Task 5, Monitoring Report Task 3. Fish Use Monitoring Support The Project site is intended to provide off-channel rearing, foraging, and refuge habitat for juvenile salmonids. Per Tables 6-1 and 6-2 of the Advance Mitigation Plan, fish use monitoring is required in Year 7 and 10 to document the fish species that are using the project site; catch per unit effort; salmonid