One of the areas that has suffered the most from the wildfires in our region is the Entiat Valley. Year after year fires have devastated the forests here, and since there are no trees or foliage to keep soil from eroding, flash floods are more common. Recently this has resulted in the early closure of the Entiat River to fishing for summer run Chinook salmon. Beginning on August 31st salmon fishing is closed from the mouth, at the railroad bridge, to the Mad River Road Bridge crossing the Entiat near Ardenvoir. According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, angler success and participation has declined sharply, due to the lack of Chinook present in the river and poor conditions. Many adult Chinook salmon as well as numerous other fish species had died due to substantial sediment and debris flows caused by a recent rainfall event occurring over the Little Giant Fire. This closure is necessary to allow the department to allocate monitoring resources to other fisheries. Another impact is the destruction of projects that were intended to improve the habitat for salmon and steelhead in several areas of the Entiat River Watershed by local agencies and the Yakima Nation.