Awarded Projects

Project Abstract:

The Molalla River is the first major tributary of the Willamette River entering from the east side upstream of Willamette Falls. Located in Clackamas , on the ancestral lands of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the Molalla River provides habitat for ESA-listed spring Chinook and winter steelhead, resident rainbow and cutthroat trout, as well as coho salmon.

The Molalla River watershed was burned in 2020 by both the Beachie Creek and Riverside fires. Increased instream summer temperatures, sedimentation, and winter high flow events are some of the main anticipated effects of the fires. High summer water temperatures and a lack of spawning habitat were already identified as limitations before the fires, particularly for ESA-listed spring Chinook and winter steelhead. The long-term effects of the fires are expected to exacerbate these pre-existing limiting conditions in the Molalla watershed.

We will add large wood in the upper Molalla River to slow water and capture sediment that is expected to enter the waterway from the surrounding burned and salvage-logged hillslopes. These wood additions will improve water quality for both downstream municipalities and fish and wildlife. Instream wood will also improve spawning and rearing habitat for resident cutthroat trout and ESA-listed winter steelhead. This project will complement a similar project that was completed last summer in a nearby major tributary of the Molalla.

Partners in this restoration plan include private landowners, and scientists from ODFW and BLM. The project team consists of experts in watershed restoration with experience designing site-specific large wood jams to create self-sustaining habitat function.

Project Abstract:

The North Fork Eagle Creek (NFEC) watershed is part of the Clackamas River basin, located three miles north of Estacada. This 28 square mile watershed supports threatened coho and spring chinook salmon, winter steelhead and Pacific lamprey, clinging to life in some of the coldest water within the Clackamas River & Tributaries Conservation Opportunity Area. Unfortunately, this important area is beset with a lack of high-quality physical habitat for aquatic life because of decades-long logging and the misguided removal of wood from streams, making it the second highest priority for fish habitat restoration within the Bureau of Land Management's Cascades Field Office of the Northwest Oregon District. Complex ownerships, cost, and access have prevented previous restoration efforts. Grant funds, coupled with in-kind contributions of materials, financing and labor, will address two landscape objectives: 1) Physical habitat improvements for salmonids along 5.8 miles of stream by building 45 large wood jams within the North Fork Eagle and Bear (a tributary) creeks on public (BLM & ) and private (PGE & Small Forestland Owner) forestlands; 2) Hazardous fuels management across 202 acres of overly stocked tree farm plantations will protect the in-stream habitat. Also, 3 acres of riparian corridor improvements by planting up to 3,600 native conifer and shrubs to control invasives.

Due to unprecedented cooperation between local, state, and federal public agencies, a local utility and committed small private woodland owners, this is an extraordinary, community-driven opportunity to address both goals simultaneously. Lack of physical aquatic habitat is the only limiting factor in NFEC.

The placement of the log jams is expected to resolve numerous problems caused by degraded channel structure, complexity, and flood plain connectivity and function by creating isolated side channels, beneficial off-channel habitats and retaining gravels.

The second goal (funded by others) reduces the risk of wildfires, creating a buffer that protects the area from fire spread. The objective is to treat with pre-commercial thinning, pruning, masticating and invasive weed species control 202 acres of non-industrial, private and SWCD forestlands (≈ 15% of project cost). This effort supports the Oregon Department of Forestry's “George Community Fuels Reduction” project, which together creates a broad, contiguous, five-mile long, community-wide swathe of treated forestland.

Project Abstract:

Clear Creek is a tributary of the Nehalem River, entering the mainstem at river mile 100 approximately 5 miles southwest of the city of Vernonia in the Headwaters Nehalem River HUC. The Clear Creek watershed supports ESA listed coho salmon, Chinook salmon, winter steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, and Pacific and western brook lamprey and includes important salmonid habitat in major tributaries including South and North Fork Green Timber, and South Prong, Lower North Fork, and South Fork Clear Creeks. Although the watershed includes important salmonid habitat, undersized culverts functioning as fish passage barriers exist throughout the watershed that impede migration of adult and juvenile salmonids under certain flow conditions. Additionally, many reaches do not meet Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's (ODFW) habitat benchmarks for large wood and lack sufficient instream habitat complexity and off-channel habitats.

This project proposes to replace three undersized culverts functioning as fish passage barriers located in SF Clear Creek, SF Clear Creek, unnamed tributary, and Lower North Fork with culverts that will exceed state fish passage criteria and decommission a road crossing and remove infrastructure remaining in the stream channel near the mouth of the Lower North Fork. After completion, this work will provide 2.65 miles of improved upstream access for coho and additional habitat access for coastal cutthroat trout and other species. Additionally, this project will install 25 large wood structures in Clear (0.75 miles, 15 LWD structures) and SF Clear Creeks (0.60 miles, 10 LWD structures) and add LWD into the Lower North Fork (0.50 miles, approximately 21 trees felled into the creek). Large wood placements will cover approximately 1 mile of anchor habitat identified and highly prioritized in the Strategic Action Plan for the Protection and Restoration of Nehalem River Coho Salmon Habitat (NSAP 2023). Project partners include Upper Nehalem Watershed Council, Weyerhaeuser Company, ODFW, and Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF).

Literature Cited:
Nehalem Basin Partnership. 2023. Strategic Action Plan for the Protection and Restoration of Nehalem River Coho Salmon Habitat (NSAP). https://coastcoho.org/strategic-action-plan-for-coho-salmon-recovery-on-the-nehalem-river/

Project Abstract:

Cunningham Creek is a tributary of the Coquille River in Coos , OR (Figures 1-4). Despite poor water quality, Cunningham is a critical habitat for Oregon Coast coho Salmon, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Threats to coho salmon in Cunningham Creek include low habitat complexity, inadequate fish passage, and degraded water quality. Fish passage to the upper reaches of the Cunningham subbasin is partially impeded by four culverts which do not meet fish passage guidelines and are complete barriers to juvenile salmonids, partial barriers to adult salmonids, and complete barriers to Pacific lamprey. The highest quality spawning habitat on Cunningham Creek is upstream of these culverts.

The Cunningham Creek Fish Passage and Riparian Improvement Project (Planning Phase) will produce engineered designs, construction cost estimates, and permits for the replacement of all four passage barriers to restore access to 2.2 miles of coho salmon habitat and 2.7 miles of winter steelhead habitat.

• The first barrier which the project proposed to address is a 7x7ft concrete box culvert, located beneath the road (Figures 5-7). The downstream lip of the culvert is perched 2ft above a concrete pad. No plunge pool is present. The culvert is not sized to handle peak flow events but is structurally intact. Coos 's Public Works Department has offered to design the new crossing replacement.
• The second fish passage barrier is a steam donkey boiler that was historically repurposed as a culvert on a farm access road located on privately owned lands. The culvert is undersized for the active channel and has an 18in perch at the outflow during low summer flows. The stream has been eroding underneath and around the culvert (Figures 8-10).
• ~3/4th of a mile upstream from the repurposed boiler (on the same property) are two more stream crossings located on a forestry road. Both were composed of undersized steel culverts, and have washed out within the last five years (Figures 11-14).The project also proposes to enhance riparian habitat along 1 mile of Cunningham Creek. Currently, riparian conditions on the lower reaches of Cunningham Creek are poor, with significant shade only found in the uplands. Coos SWCD will design a restoration plan to remove invasive vegetation and plant native trees along 1 mile of Cunningham Creek. Partners include the Leatherman Land and Timber Company (LLTC), Coos , and the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.

Project Abstract:

The Millicoma Confluence Wetland lies at the junction of the Millicoma and South Fork Coos Rivers near Coos Bay, Oregon. Positioned at the confluence of the two salmon-producing streams, this site has a high potential to provide off-channel refugia for juvenile salmonids, including the federally threatened Oregon Coast coho salmon. However, in its current state, the site is entirely cut off from tidal influence by a levee and failing tide gate. Further, the existing drainage pathways have been ditched and straightened. With the advent of restoration work, however, the ecological value of the property would be greatly augmented.

The Coos Watershed Association proposes to set back the levee in such a way that it allows full tidal influence across the site's 10.83 acres, while still protecting neighboring properties. A new tide gate, which complies with state and federal fish passage requirements, would be installed as well. We also propose that a network of channels and hummocks be created to support complex, heterogeneous habitat that will shelter juvenile slamonids. A lack of off-channel refugia is recognized as one of the most significant impediments to salmon recovery in this basin.

This channel-and-hummock structure will also provide the necessary conditions to recreate critically imperiled "Sitka Spruce Swamp" habitat - the first restoration of its kind in the Coos River watershed. Though once common,these tideland forests have all but disappeared from the region. Their revival would provide a tremendous benefit tothe plethora of species that historically thrived there.

To implement this project, CoosWA has partnered with Weyerhaeuser Company and Wild Salmon Center. These organizations have provided match funding which has moved the project close to completion; approximately 80% of the construction has been completed. However, engineering and archaeological setbacks have necessitated the acquisition of additional funding. The funds requested from ODFW will be used to finish construction and carry out plant establishment.

Project Abstract:

Palouse Slough drains into Haynes Inlet in the Coos basin and is one of the highest producing coho anchor habitat streams on the Oregon Coast. Its primary tide gate consists of a collapsing, undersized tide box with two top-hinged wooden doors located under a bridge. Upgrading this primary tide gate will improve hydrological function, restore fish passage and improve estuarine water and habitat quality for coho. The upgrade of the primary tide gate is the first step toward a comprehensive basin scale restoration to expand this critical area of Oregon Coast coho anchor habitat as it controls the hydraulics and fish access for the entire Palouse basin. This project builds upon previous technical assistance projects that selected and designed the best long-term solution for the Palouse primary tide gate. After a robust review including local and regional ecological experts, Haynes Drainage District (HDD) selected the preferred design alternative which consists of a sheet pile structure with a 4-bay modular gate just upstream of the existing infrastructure. The main objectives for the Palouse Slough Primary Tide Gate Upgrade project are to 1) improve fish passage to 13 miles of high quality spawning and rearing habitat, 2) improve water quality by promoting regular tidal exchange, and 3/ decouple private-owned infrastructure from public road infrastructure. To achieve these objectives, a modular 4-bay tide gate will be installed on a sheet pile structure 50 ft upstream of the existing North Bay Rd infrastructure. PFA funds will be mostly used for contracted services. The HDD, Coos , ODFW, and OWEB will provide match to cover project management, contracted services, supplies and indirect costs. The HDD and Coos are committed to this project and will renew their MOUs with CoosWA for this phase.

Project Abstract:

The Beaver Slough Subbasin (HUC 10-1710030505) is a 9,800-acre drainage along the main-stem Coquille River in Coos , Oregon. The Coaledo Drainage District (CDD) manages 457.54 acres within the subbasin, which contains 11.4 miles of coho salmon habitat and 490 acres of tidal wetland habitat, of which 289 acres are restored wetlands protected in perpetuity by ODFW. Since the 1880’s these lands have been converted from their historic state by clearing, leveeing, tidegating, and draining for agricultural purposes. These actions have led to the degradation of tidal wetland habitats and/or restricted access to remaining wetland and tidal channel habitats for juvenile coho and Chinook salmon, Pacific lamprey, coastal cutthroat trout, and winter steelhead. Finite slow-water refugia and lack of access to off-channel habitats are critical limiting factors affecting Oregon Coast coho populations with the access and restoration of tidal wetlands being a top priority actions for recovery. CoqWA has partnered with CDD, The Bridges Foundation, private landowners, ODFW, Coquille Indian Tribe (CIT), and the Coos Soil and Water Conservation District (CoosSWCD), with the engineering assistance of River Design Group (RDG) and tide gate fabrication/technology of Nehalem Marine to implement a working lands restoration project that promotes ecological, economic, and social resiliency in the Coquille watershed.

This project seeks to reestablish fully functional fish passage and restore hydrologic connectivity by replacing current degrading Corrugated Metal Pipe infrastructure with three new 8’x10’ poured in place box culverts, each fitted with ODFW and NMFS approved aluminum side-hinged tide gate and Muted Tidal Regulators to control upstream inundation and duration of gate door openness. Specifically, PFA funds with match funds from OWEB and leverage from other sources will pay for CoqWA staff time & mileage, the tide gate replacement actions, replacement of a farm access bridge downstream of the tide gate, removal of noxious weeds within the slough and riparian areas, installation of wildlife-friendly fencing to exclude livestock access to the river and slough, off-channel watering, planting of native riparian vegetation, and 5 years of plant establishment activities.

Project Abstract:

The South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership (501(c)3) is partnering with 13 stakeholder water users of the Highland Ditch Irrigation District to improve irrigation efficiency, water quality, dam removal and fish passage safety. This implementation project is located on the main stem of Cow Creek below Galesville reservoir near Azalea in Douglas . As a result of an OWEB Outreach Grant stakeholders formed a Douglas , Oregon irrigation district. The district members have resolved to correct an egregious and chronic condition of water mismanagement and remove a barrier in essential salmonid habitat that delays and harms HCP species Oregon Coast Coho ESU, Oregon Coast Chinook Salmon ESU, Cutthroat Trout, Coastal Giant Salamander and other non-HCP native species. The senior 1911 water right is distributed via a 3.2 mile open ditch subject to evaporation, transpiration, inefficient water distribution, pollution from livestock, temperature increases and frequent ditch containment failures. The Cow Creek stream above and below the ditch's diversion dam are prime spawning habitat for Coho salmon. The Galesville reservoir is a critical source of Umpqua basin urban and agricultural water supplies. On behalf of the irrigation district, surcp.org has provided, via an OWEB TA Grant, engineered designs to modernize the irrigation system and remove the diversion dam. This project will eliminate the adverse impacts of the antiquated irrigation ditch on water quantity, quality and potential threats to HCP Species - Oregon Coast Coho. Other species that will receive positive impacts from this project are Pacific lamprey, Oregon Coast Steelhead and Umpqua Chub. Of particular interest is the removal of the ditch's primitive diversion dam that will benefit multi-season multi-species fish migrations. Project partners include the South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership, Oregon Water Resources Department, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, The US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Bureau of Land Management, the South Umpqua Coho Recovery Collaborative and the Highland Ditch Irrigation District members. PFA grant funding will be utilized as the match for a $1,000,000 Bureau of Reclamation Grant SURCP recently received.

Project Abstract:

Healthy estuarine habitats provide juvenile salmonids critical feeding opportunities, winter refuge habitat, and a transition zone for anadromous fish to make the physiological changes necessary for life in saltwater. However, many estuaries along the Oregon Coast have been filled, cleared, diked, or drained to meet the needs of agricultural and urban development. Located in the Lower Umpqua River and Lower Smith River fifth-field watersheds, the Umpqua River Estuary encompasses over 6,000 acres. Before Euro-American settlement, the Umpqua River Estuary included 4,600 acres of tidal wetland habitat utilized by migratory salmonids. Now, 62% of these historical wetlands have been completely filled or had major alterations, 19% have had minor alterations, and 19% are relatively undisturbed. The proposed Lower Smith River Estuary Enhancement Project seeks to increase fish passage, habitat connectivity, and floodplain inundation on two adjacent locations in the Lower Smith River Estuary; the Glover Ranch and Kennedy Slough. These projects will enhance the estuarine ecosystem and address limiting factors for salmonid recovery by 1) completing the permitting phase for a tide gate replacement at Kennedy Slough, 2) installing a fish-friendly 8ft x 8ft tide gate and muted tide gate regulator (MTR)at the Kennedy Slough 3) installing four concrete farm bridges at the Glover Ranch, and 4) restoring 1.8 miles of tidal stream channel at the Glover Ranch. The project will result in 1.80 miles of tidal channels restored, the installation of four 24ft x 15ft concrete farm bridges to reduce livestock impacts to estuarine wetlands, the replacement of one failing tide gate currently blocking fish passage with a fish-friendly 8ft x 8ft tide gate and MTR system, an additional 40 acres of flooded winter-rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids and improved access to 6.88 miles of upstream tributaries. Project partners include the Glover, Pike, and Vitek Families, with additional support from the Umpqua Soil and Water Conservation District, Business Oregon, and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.

Project Abstract:

This project is seeking funding to address fish passage issues at five undersized and restrictive culverts. These underperforming structures impede salmonid and native aquatic organism passage at all life stages. Additionally, undersized stream crossing infrastructure threatens important junctions of Bureau of Land Management road network used for commercial and recreational purposes. Expected increases in the intensity of storms from regional climactic change will lead to additional pressure on road infrastructure, resulting in elevated potential for flooding and roadway failures. Designs for passage improvement projects will occur on three streams within the Smith Basin: Gold Creek, Vincent Creek, and Blackwell Creek. The Smith River Watershed Council intends to procure professionally produced designs for five passage structures with appropriately sized (meeting all state and federal passage criteria) culverts or modular bridges. ODFW, BLM, and SRWC biologists will be part of the design review team, analyzing drafts at each significant project milestone. In addition to culvert replacement, designs will include the removal of three associated legacy structures (two instream concrete weirs, and a 22% gradient denil-style fish ladder). The completed designs will allow SRWC to seek funding to replace the culverts which will result in improved infrastructure resilience, as well as expanded access to over 8 miles of spawning and rearing habitat for target aquatic species. This project would improve habitat connectivity and access to spawning and rearing habitat for ESA-listed Coho Salmon, Pacific Lamprey and Oregon Coast Steelhead, both listed on the OR/WA BLM Director’s Special Status Species list, Oregon Coast Chinook Salmon, and Coastal Cutthroat Trout. Project partners include the Coos Bay District Bureau of Land Management, Roseburg Resources Co., and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Project Abstract:

The Yellow Creek Instream Restoration Phase 2 project seeks to continue the basin-wide instream restoration plan for the Yellow Creek watershed by building large wood structures across 5.7 miles of Yellow Creek and its tributaries. Yellow Creek is a 13,549-acre sub-watershed that enters the Upper Umpqua River at River Mile 76.5. Land ownership in the Yellow Creek watershed is a patchwork of public and private land. The public portions are O&C land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The private land is a combination of private timber companies, including Roseburg Resources Co., Lone Rock Timber, and Juniper Properties (a subsidiary of Lone Rock Timber).

Designated as both Essential Salmonid Habitat (ODFW) and Critical Habitat for the Oregon Coast Coho ESU (NOAA), Yellow Creek historically provided high-quality, low gradient spawning and rearing habitat for populations of Oregon Coast Coho ESU, Coastal Cutthroat trout, and other anadromous fish species. Past stream cleaning practices and limited large wood inputs over the last century have resulted in the loss of large wood structures that drive instream complexity and natural habitat-forming processes. The reintroduction of large wood structures into Yellow Creek and its tributaries will provide an ecological uplift that will benefit multiple HCP-covered species. The project will directly benefit Oregon Coast Coho salmon, Coastal cutthroat trout, and winter steelhead with 5.7 miles of restored spawning and rearing habitat and indirectly benefit riparian-dependent species such as the Coastal Tailed Frog, Southern Torrent Salamander, and Coastal Giant Salamander.

Partnering with the Roseburg BLM, Roseburg Resources Co., Lone Rock Timber, and Juniper Properties LLC, the project would build large wood structures at 91 sites covering 5.7 miles of Yellow Creek and its tributaries, Bear, Doe, and Panther Creeks. The proposed Phase 2 restoration would utilize a combination of line-puller and excavator (31 sites) and helicopter (60 sites) placement to complete the 91 sites. In 2023, the Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers (PUR) and its partners successfully completed Yellow Creek Phase 1 with 70 large wood structures built in 2.1 miles of Yellow Creek using a combination of line-pulling and excavator placement. IF funded, Yellow Creek Instream Restoration Phase 2 would complete the Yellow Creek basin-wide instream restoration effort.

Project Abstract:

This project will take place on Baldwin Creek, a valuable clearwater tributary to the Lower East Fork Hood River located within the Hood River Watershed. The Hood River Watershed Group (HRWG), in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (CTWS) and private landowners, is developing a fish passage and instream habitat restoration project along Baldwin Creek, as an extension of restoration projects currently being developed along the Lower East Fork.

The purpose of the project is to restore aquatic habitat as an aid to the recovery of ESA-listed winter steelhead and coho salmon, as well as resident cutthroat and rainbow trout. Like much of the watershed, Baldwin Creek has been significantly impacted by past land uses including agriculture, timber harvest, water withdrawal, livestock grazing in the riparian areas/floodplain, and residential development. This has resulted in loss of riparian vegetation, reduced shade, poor habitat complexity, channel modifications, blocked fish passage, wetland loss, elevated stream temperatures, and a largely disconnected floodplain. A failing diversion dam and a perched culvert are limiting or blocking passage upstream for all life stages of native fish in the creek. Artificially impeded fish passage is a key factor in limiting fish production in the Hood River Basin, and limits access to areas that are important for over-wintering and flood refuge. LiDAR analysis identified the Baldwin Creek project area as having high to moderate Intrinsic Potential (IP) for winter steelhead spawning and rearing. The average slope of the project reach is 2% or less, which would support a significantly higher amount of complex habitat if barriers were removed, and more large wood and floodplain connectivity were present.

This project will enhance 1.25 miles of instream habitat, improve passage to approximately two miles of stream, and reconnect up to 11 acres of floodplain on Baldwin Creek. This will be accomplished by replacing the undersized, perched culvert with an appropriately-sized stream simulation culvert, creating a roughened channel to eliminate the passage barrier at the diversion dam, reconnecting the floodplain through minor excavation and large wood placement in the main channel, and improving instream habitat with large wood structures.

Project Abstract:

Blue Heron Creek is a tributary to Bear Creek located in Phoenix Oregon (Figure 1). It is fed from 3 nearby springs and one storm drain (Figure 2). It flows northward approximately 0.2 miles creating a wetland complex near the community, Blue Heron Park and the Greenway Path adjacent to Bear Creek. However, Blue Heron Creek is currently blocked from entering Bear Creek by an old 600-foot long rock berm that was constructed in the 1950’s to provide temporary protection for the diversion of Bear Creek into its current location that was made as part of the construction process by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to facilitate improvements to Hwy 99 by adding a one-way portion within the city of Phoenix (Figure 3). Prior to that, the creek flowed directly into Bear Creek.Initial studies and reports (available if needed) have shown that the spring-fed creek provides a constant source of cool, unpolluted water into the wetland/riparian complex throughout the year, including the hot summer months when baseflow is limited (Figure 4). The cool water provides critical cold water refuge, which is an important habitat element for coho salmon (ESA listed), fall Chinook, steelhead, and resident rainbow trout, all of which are present In the project area of Bear Creek.We will remove the rock berm and reconnect Blue Heron Creek to Bear Creek. The footprint of the removed berm will be restored with native vegetation, as will the newly formed channel (Figure 5). This will provide floodplain connectivity and direct hydrologic connection to Bear Creek. The spring water will provide cold water refuge and side channel habitat for salmonids and other fish. The restored area will be maintained and monitored for two to three years. The land involved in this project is owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), who supports this project. In addition, the project is supported by a broad variety of stakeholders including tribes, government entities, and various environmental stewards. Several letters of support are included. Many of these entities have pulled together as the Bear Creek Restoration Initiative (BCRI) to restore and enhance the Bear Creek riparian corridor.The project will be managed and administered by the Rogue Basin Partnership (RBP). Technical aspects and construction implementation will be overseen by a restoration biologist and a hydrologist who are part of the Save The Phoenix Wetlands (STPW) group.

Project Abstract:

Since the construction of Copco 1 Dam on the Klamath River in 1912 and three other subsequent hydropower dams, salmon and steelhead trout have been extirpated from hundreds of miles of habitat in the Upper Klamath Basin in Oregon. These four dams are scheduled to be completely removed by the end of 2024, opening hundreds of miles of historic habitat for Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead Trout, and Pacific Lamprey in what has been called the largest fish and river restoration project to ever occur. Due to its location immediately above the dams to be removed, the Klamath River and its tributaries are likely to be naturally repopulated by salmon and steelhead immediately following dam removal (ODFW and TKT 2021). One Klamath River tributary in Oregon, Spencer Creek, will provide up to 17 miles of habitat for spawning and rearing for salmon and steelhead trout and currently supports a population of Redband Trout and most upstream extent of Coastal Giant Salamanders in the Klamath River Basin. The majority of Spencer Creek flows through private land and contains two unscreened irrigation diversions. These diversions have been identified as a top priority for screening and passage restoration in the Klamath Reservoir Reach Restoration Plan (O’Keefe et al. 2022), and this project will address the larger of the two. Spencer Creek has been identified as having the most potential spawning and rearing habitat for repopulation of ESA threatened Southern Oregon Northern California Coast (SONCC) Coho Salmon of any other tributary that will become available after dam removal. Thus, Trout Unlimited, ODFW, Tribal Nations, private landowners, and other partners are committed to restore these diversions to lessen the negative impacts to native species. Along with funding for designing and implementing the passage and screening project, Trout Unlimited is also requesting funds for staff to assist ODFW in monitoring current resident salmonids and repopulation of salmon and steelhead in Spencer Creek and surrounding habitat. Fish monitoring in Spencer Creek will help determine fish passage at restored diversions, identify other future restoration needs on Spencer Creek, and assist ODFW monitor natural repopulation of salmon, steelhead, and Pacific Lamprey in this stream following removal of Klamath river dams. Monitoring will consist of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) detection systems, spawning surveys, and operation of a video weir near the mouth of Spencer Creek.

Project Abstract:

Bull Trout in the Upper Klamath Basin are characterized by small, isolated populations that are at risk from habitat and demographic threats. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service outlined multiple management actions needed to conserve and recover Bull Trout in the Klamath Recovery Unit Implementation Plan (RUIP) (USFWS 2015b). In 2021, the Bootleg Fire (Fire) burned over 400,000 acres within and around Fremont-Winema National Forest and Green Diamond Resource Company ownership, including 170 miles of Bull Trout critical habitat. Based on post-fire fish and stream surveys, it appears three Bull Trout populations have been extirpated due to ash flow and destabilized riparian vegetation, leaving only four extant populations in the entire Klamath Recovery Unit.

Impacts from the Fire demonstrate the urgency of implementing recommended recovery actions to reduce the risk of catastrophic events to the remaining isolated populations. The Klamath Bull Trout Working Group (Working Group) proposes to address multiple recovery measures outlined in the RUIP beginning in 2024, including testing the feasibility of artificial propagation and translocation alternatives (action 2.3.1), establishing additional local populations (action 2.3.2), and eradication of nonnative invasive fish (action 3.1). The Working Group consists of the U.S Fish and Wildlife (Service), Crater Lake National Park (Park), the Fremont-Winema National Forest (Forest), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (State), The Klamath Tribes (Tribes), Trout Unlimited (TU), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and Green Diamond Resource Company (GDRC) professionals who work to restore Bull Trout populations in the Upper Klamath Basin.

The Service requests $772,158 over five years to implement this collaborative, multi-component program of Bull Trout recovery in the Upper Klamath Basin. The requested funding will support 1) creation of a Bull Trout Reintroduction Coordinator role through restructuring of the Park’s aquatic ecology staff; 2) nonnative trout eradication implemented by Tribal technicians; 3) evaluation of alternative methods of Bull Trout reintroduction, including artificial propagation, captive rearing, and translocation of multiple life stages; 4) Bull Trout reintroduction or translocation into one stream in the Upper Klamath Basin; and 5) monitoring and management of existing and reintroduced Bull Trout populations in the recovery unit.

Project Abstract:

Nonnative Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis have been shown to displace a number of native fishes where they have been introduced. For example, Brook Trout may displace Bull Trout S. confluentus through both hybridization and behavioral dominance. Brook Trout may also displace Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii ssp and other salmonids. Traditional methods used to suppress or eradicate fishes (e.g., mechanical removal, chemical removal) are labor intensive or may result in significant incidental mortality of non-target species; therefore, development of novel methods for invasive species management is warranted. Recent efforts have resulted in the development of hatchery-reared MYY Brook Trout. MYY Brook Trout have two Y chromosomes; consequently, their offspring are all males. Analytical models have shown that continual stocking of MYY Brook Trout into a wild population of Brook Trout may result in an increasingly male-skewed sex ratio and eventual eradication (i.e., extirpation) of wild Brook Trout. Field-based studies have been initiated to evaluate the efficacy of using MYY Brook Trout as a method for managing Brook Trout in small streams (e.g., 10 km). The information gained from this study is not restricted to any one study area or species, but is intended to be a case study that can be combined with inference from regional MYY research efforts. Nevertheless, Bull Trout historically occupied the Upper South Fork Sprague River; therefore, successful management of Brook Trout would provide a direct benefit to Bull Trout in the Klamath River basin and range-wide. Redband Trout currently occupy the study area, but may be restricted to habitat in lower portions of the Upper South Fork Sprague River (M.H. Meeuwig, unpublished data). Consequently, Brook Trout management may directly benefit Redband Trout in this study area.

Project Abstract:

The Pataha Creek Coho Salmon Habitat Restoration project (Project) plans to utilize ground based equipment (excavator) to add large wood to 5,439 feet (1.03 miles) of privately owned stream reaches in the Lower Wildcat Creek sixth-field HUC on Map Lot/s #1808130000200, #1807180000500. Land use practices over the last 150 years have disrupted natural habitat-forming processes that support healthy populations of salmonids, including the delivery and retention of large wood in streams. Sufficient large wood in streams has been identified as a key component of high quality spawning and rearing habitat for Oregon Coast coho. The lower Wildcat Creek sixth field HUC has been identified by Oregon Department of Wildlife as Essential Salmonid Habitat based on high intrinsic potential and existing anchor habitat characteristics. The stream reaches proposed in this project have been assessed by ODFW fish biologists and SWC Project Management and have been identified to lack sufficient large wood to create and maintain pools, retain and sort sediments, and generate connectivity with the floodplain; all of which are key components of high quality spawning and winter rearing habitat. Project partners include the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Siuslaw Watershed Council.

Project Abstract:

The Beaver Creek Valley-Scale Floodplain Restoration Project is located in the Yaquina River Basin, approximately 2.5 miles west of its confluence with Depot Slough in Toledo, Oregon. This stream has been designated as Essential Salmonid Habitat and is important spawning and rearing habitat for ESA listed Oregon Coast Coho Salmon (coho), Chinook salmon, winter steelhead, Pacific lamprey, and coastal cutthroat trout. This planning project will complete an alternatives analysis and a shovel ready restoration project design that will address factors limiting the recovery of coho as identified in state and federal conservation and recovery plans. The project will result in a preferred alternative designed to restore floodplain connectivity, instream complexity, and healthy riparian habitat on 37 valley-bottom acres and 1.1 miles of stream. This will increase winter and summer rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids and build resiliency against the impacts of climate change. Project partners include the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and three private landowners.

Project Abstract:

Johnson Creek is home to populations of salmon, steelhead, lamprey and a host of other fish and wildlife, as confirmed by environmental DNA monitoring, electrofishing, and redd/carcass documentation by community science volunteers. Floodplain connectivity and instream habitat have been limited, and significantly simplified over the past century. Floodplain reconnection and instream large wood projects by the Council and our agency partners have proven that Johnson Creek is resilient and responds very well to habitat restoration and enhancement. Through this project, the Council will add large wood structures to approximately 900 ft of Johnson Creek 1 mile downstream from its largest tributary, Kelley Creek, which is also a cold water tributary providing refuge for juvenile salmon, steelhead and lamprey. The reach of Johnson Creek where this project is proposed has a full riparian canopy. Instream habitat diversity is lacking though, and we propose installation of large woody debris structures to create pools and capture spawning gravel during high flow events.

Project Abstract:

Sutton Creek originates on the north slope of Cascade Head in southern Tillamook and joins Neskowin Creek opposite the main part of the Village of Neskowin. It contains 0.8 miles of habitat for the ESA listed Oregon coastal coho salmon ESU* (Onchorhynchus kisutch, including 0.5 miles of spawning habitat and 0.3 miles of rearing habitat) and 1.6 miles of total fish use for other species that include the coastal steelhead ESU* (Oncorhynchus mykiss, winter), coastal cutthroat trout* (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii), coastal chum salmon ESU* (Onchorhynchus keta, historically present), and lamprey (* denotes HCP species). It is listed in the coho salmon distribution zone by ODFW and is considered Essential Salmonid Habitat by the Department of State Lands. The stream is well shaded, and substrates are predominately gravels and cobbles appropriately sized for spawning. In its lower reach, the creek is crossed by South Beach Road and Proposal Rock Loop at four stream crossings with undersized culverts. The culverts are both significantly undersized for the passage of fish and higher flows, are prone to clogging with sediment and debris, and are partial fish passage barriers during the best of conditions. The project goal is to replace the two (culverts #2085 and #2086) on South Beach Road (the other two are included in a separate project). The restoration project for which PFA funds are requested will replace these two culverts with concrete bridges that will meet aquatic organism passage guidelines for fish passage to improve: upstream and downstream access to spawning and rearing habitats, flow passage, and passage of sediment and organic material to maintain downstream ecological function in the creek. This restoration project is already supported by Siuslaw Collaborative Watershed Restoration Program (SCWRP) grant funds, US Fish & Wildlife Service grant funds, PGE Habitat Support Funds, South Beach Road Association funds, and in-kind matches from the US Forest Service (Section 106 Cultural Resources Survey and permitting), Benton and a local contractor (bridge beams). Partners include Nestucca, Neskowin and Sand Lake Watersheds Council (NNSLWC), South Beach Road Association (SBRA), US Forest Service (USFS - design review, Section 106 survey, permitting), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS - design review, funding), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW - Fish Passage Review and salvage), Salmon SuperHwy (Technical support).

Project Abstract:

The project will help improve aquatic and floodplain habitat connectivity and quality on Wilson Creek, a tributary to the Long Tom River just west of Veneta. A culvert underneath a private haul road blocks fish passage to 3.8 miles of headwater spawning and cold water rearing habitat for coastal cutthroat trout, coastal giant salamander, and southern torrent salamander. The culvert is undersized and frequently plugged by beavers, making it a velocity or physical barrier under most flows for native aquatic organism passage. There are 4.5 acres of floodplain habitat on the property that is heavily used by beavers but threatened by invasive reed canarygrass that is taking over areas where beavers have browsed down willows. There are small patches of Japanese knotweed and English ivy on the property in the riparian area of Tyler Creek, a tributary to Wilson Creek. 2,000' of Wilson Creek runs through the property and lacks sufficient large woody debris and associated habitat complexity. We will remove the culvert and replace it with a precast concrete bridge with a 20' span. We will install log jams, beaver dam analogues, and other large wood onto the floodplain to improve habitat complexity for native fish and amphibians. Trees will be provided by the landowner and ODFW will also provide additional conifer logs for this part of the project. We will work to eradicate reed canarygrass and replace it with fast-growing native shrubs like willow and Douglas spiraea, and we will plant additional trees and shrubs to expand the riparian area of Wilson Creek. We will treat the knotweed and ivy in the project area to limit its spread and the threat it poses to mature riparian trees on the property. The project will benefit three targeted HCP covered species as well as northwestern pond turtles, freshwater mussels, western brook lamprey, and other native aquatic species by improving access to headwater spawning and cold water refuge habitat, improving habitat complexity, and restoring ecosystem processes like large wood recruitment, sediment and large wood transport, floodplain groundwater recharge, and stream shading. Partners include the private landowner and the neighboring landowner who also uses the haul road, the Upper Willamette Soil and Water Conservation District, and ODFW.

Project Abstract:

The North Fork Pedee Creek Enhancement Project will support efforts to improve water quality and spawning and rearing habitat for Upper Willamette River (UWR) winter steelhead. Species of note that will also benefit: Coho salmon, native cutthroat trout, Pacific lamprey, and beaver with parallel benefits for other fish and wildlife species. These streams were radically impacted by human intervention in the form of historical logging practices that destabilized ecological processes. Assessments have already been conducted to identify this stream as a high priority for restoration: a basin-wide Rapid Bioassessment (RBA) 2008-2011, a Geospatial assessment (NetMap) 2016, and water temperature monitoring by the Luckiamute Watershed Council (LWC) from 2016-2023. Initial surveys have been performed to identify what restoration action is best suited and most efficient to restore ecological processes. Funding is already being sought to implement placement of log structures, the chosen action, as well as other supplemental actions such as planting disturbed areas. The LWC and its partners have submitted a grant application to the NOAA Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grant program (NOAA Hab) for implementation funding at North Fork Pedee Creek and other locations. If not successful, the LWC will seek alternative funding. Private Forest Accord (PFA) grant funds will support planning and permitting to prepare for the award of the NOAA funding and implementation in summer 2025. Outcomes of the resulting project at North Fork Pedee Creel will include placement of approximately 430 logs along 1.7 miles of spawning and rearing habitat, expanding critical habitat and complementing recently implemented projects along 2.8 miles of the South Fork Pedee Creek. Award of PFA funding will support the LWC to initiate planning of log sourcing and staging, begin permitting in advance of award of implementation dollars, and start staging donated logs – helping to keep project preparation on track and streamlined.

Project Abstract:

The proposed fish passage project is located at the road/stream crossing of Kilchis River Road and Myrtle Creek in Tillamook , Oregon. The crossing is located approximately 600 feet upstream of Myrtle Creek’s confluence with the Kilchis River. An existing 41-foot-long, 5.5-foot diameter culvert is undersized, and its outlet is perched approximately four feet above the downstream water surface elevation. As a result, it adversely affects aquatic organism passage, impeding adult and juvenile salmonid access to approximately 1.6 miles of upstream habitat as well as hampering both the natural stream processes and the stream’s ability to transport organic matter. The Kilchis River basin historically supports Oregon Coast Coho (OCC) Salmon (ESA listed as threatened), Pacific Coast Chum Salmon, Oregon Coast Winter Steelhead, Pacific and/or Brook Lamprey, Oregon Coast Chinook Salmon, and Sea-run Cutthroat Trout. This project has the potential to increase habitat connectivity for these anadromous fish and restore access to historical spawning and rearing habitat. In addition, the culvert contributes to downstream fine sediment loading and requires an inordinate level of inspection and maintenance to avoid plugging and breaching. The proposed project will finalize project permitting, remove the existing culvert, and construct a 42-foot-long concrete bridge. To ensure project stability and long-term fish passage, the project also will construct approximately 280 feet of roughened stream channel (with boulders, large wood, and resting pools). The project will employ a staged construction method to provide continuous ingress and egress for residences and businesses beyond the crossing. Project partners include Tillamook Public Works, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Tillamook Estuaries Partnership.

Project Abstract:

Historic floods in the year 2020 were the largest on record and resulted in significant impacts to the North Fork Walla Walla River (NFWWR), resulting in both "take" and significantly reduced habitat suitability of ESA Threatened wild steelhead and bull trout populations, native red band rainbow trout, chinook salmon and mountain whitefish. Status of ESA-Listed salmonids in the Walla Walla Basin in regard to population size and risk of extinction are considered moderate, but trending towards high risk of extinction as evidenced by historically low counts of adults passing McNary Dam. Assessment of watershed conditions combined with analysis of pre/post flood Aquatic Habitat Inventory survey data using ODFW methodology developed by Moore & Jones 2017 indicated significant underperformance in regard to salmonid habitat suitability. A 5.2-mile reach (RM 3.6-8.8) of the NFWWR was identified for holistic floodplain restoration by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council (WWBWC). Landowner agreements were secured for a 10-year period. The majority of the valley width was made available for floodplain restoration. There are no dwellings within the project area. The reach is identified in the Walla Walla Sub Basin Plan (WWSP) as a priority restoration and protection location. WWSP projections estimate that a potential 52% increase in steelhead populations can be achieved with improvements to passage and habitat in tributaries. The reach is categorized as Department of Agriculture Strategic Implementation Area and is on the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) 303d list for high water temperature. The unique attributes of the NFWWR project area exhibit award winning potential.

In 2021, 15 springs were reconnected to the river. During 2022, During 2022, riverine deficiencies were addressed in the RM 3.6-4.3 reach as the flumed channel was converted to a complex network of braided channels. 0.6-miles of side channels were created and hundreds of whole trees and boulders were added to improve salmonid suitability.

This application seeks funding to support 2 miles of upcoming floodplain restoration work; one-mile of design for RM 5.3-6.3, and one-mile of construction for RM 4.3-5.3. BPA and OWEB are ongoing financial contributors to the design, construction and monitoring processes. The WWBWC monitors and maintains the project to track project progression and steer adaptive management actions for optimal project performance and self-sustainability over time.

Project Abstract:

The Cool Springs & Dawson Restoration Design Project is part of a multi-phased, multi-property, and multi-agency effort spanning approximately 14 miles of Chesnimnus Creek on both private and federal lands. This application proposes to complete designs, permitting, and all necessary documents to implement a thoroughly vetted instream and floodplain restoration project benefitting limiting life stages of ESA listed steelhead on two parcels of private land between RM 0.6 and 4.5 in Chesnimnus Creek. Chesnimnus Creek is a tributary of Joseph Creek, located in the northern end of Wallowa . Although the Joseph Creek steelhead population is among the most viable in the region, its headwaters do not originate in high elevation snowpack dominated mountains, which makes this watershed extremely vulnerable to changes in temperature and hydrologic regimes. With legacy logging effects, roads, agricultural practices, removal of beaver and large wood from stream channels, and other anthropogenic influences within the Joseph Creek watershed, current habitat conditions in Chesnimnus Creek are significantly deviated from its historic ecosystem function. This process and function departure has negatively impacted many physical and biological aspects of the watershed, resulting in various life stage impairments to ESA listed Snake River summer steelhead and native rainbow/redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and Pacific lamprey, of which this project aims to improve through a suite of priority restoration actions. The Chesnimnus watershed also hosts many species of concern as per the Oregon HCP including multiple species of woodpecker, owl, bats, amphibians, and plants. In addition to the Nez Perce Tribe, the Grande Ronde Model Watershed (GRMW), the landowners, project funders, the United States Forest Service (USFS), Trout Unlimited (TU), the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW), and other Atlas Implementation Team partners will be instrumental in the successful completion of this extensive landscape scale restoration effort.