NSEA is one of 14 groups in Washington State each with the common goal of restoring salmonid populations and habitat within their region.

[1] Whatcom County is home to the five species of Pacific salmon[2] (chinook, chum, coho, pink, sockeye and kokanee, a lake resident sockeye), along with several other salmonids (bull trout, Dolly Varden, both sea-run and resident coastal cutthroat, and steelhead and rainbow trout) which rely heavily on the return of salmon each year.

These areas are commonly impacted by human activities such as urban development, agriculture, and timber harvest.

The NSEA deals with the issue of riparian destruction by leading many volunteer projects each year.

The aim of these projects are to replant native trees and shrubs along stream banks, construct fences to keep livestock out, do an array of in-stream habitat improvement projects including adding large woody debris or gravel to streams, and stabilize eroding or undercut banks.