Awarded Projects

Project Abstract:

WWBWC received the 2024 State Land Board Award for phase 3 of the North Fork Walla Walla River (NFWWR) restoration project. Phase 3 was completed in 2024 and was funded by inaugural PFA dollars and had the distinction of being the only project that performed construction during 2024. The completed product was toured by ODFW's Andy Spyrka and Kirsten Ressel with positive reviews. This application seeks funds for phase 4 of 6, RM 5.2-6.5. WWBWC is in the same position as last year, being at the 30% design level with high probability of 2025 construction. Historic floods in the NFWWR during 2020 were the largest on record, resulting in "take" and 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 is categorized as moderate, but trending to small with risk of extinction approaching high probability.

Project Abstract:

The Eagle Creek Restoration Plan, seeks to improve form and function, hydrology, floodplain reconnection ,riparian buffer, reduce temperatures, and improve fish habitat along Eagle Creek, an intermittent tributary starting at Warm Springs Reservation, crossing BLM lands, and flows into the Deschutes River at Dant, Wasco County, Oregon. The creek is Essential Salmonid Habitat (ESH), for steelhead and redband, and beneficial to bull trout. Our goal is to extend the creek's flow periods during spring and summer to benefit over summering juveniles, and to expand existing beaver population at the confluence of Eagle Creek and the Deschutes. The project will provide: 1) the selection of a conceptual level design, by alternatives analysis framework 2) professional engineered design plans, and 3) securing all necessary permits.

This planning work will yield a shovel-ready project design and help ensure the project’s success and lay the foundation for the project's long-term sustainability.

Project Abstract:

The Camp Creek Wet Meadow and Aquatic Resiliency Project is located on Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in Wallowa County and part of the Imnaha River Basin.

Due to historic activities, Camp Creek is disconnected from its floodplain and not functioning at its ecological potential. Phase 1 of this project will enhance 2.8 miles of Camp Creek and 30 wetland acres. This will establish a connected river-wetland corridor in a degraded meadow system, restore floodplain function, enhance climate resilience, and encourage natural processes for a biodiverse community of species.

Camp Creek is important spawning and rearing habitat for HCP and ESA-listed Snake River steelhead, Oregon Conservation Strategy Species including Columbia spotted frogs, willow flycatchers, Columbia clubtails, common nighthawks, Western toads, and numerous other flora and fauna species. The project will have downstream benefits for HCP and ESA-listed Chinook salmon and bull trout Critical Habitat, and HCP Mountain Whitefish.

Project Abstract:

The Upper Clackamas Basin is a high priority area for restoration. Cub and Berry Creeks, located upstream of the most productive reach within the upper basin, support ESA-listed salmonids as well as State Sensitive and reintroduced trout. Prior to restoration, large wood densities within Cub and Berry Creeks ranged from 1.6 to 19.7 pieces/mile, and both lacked gravels and had low pool frequencies. Phase III builds upon previous work aimed at addressing factors limiting salmonid production, specifically the lack of habitat complexity and low density of large wood. Proposed work includes the helicopter placement of up to 927 pieces of large wood (>50ft, >18” diameter) to 4.5 total miles of Cub and Berry Creeks. The primary project objective is to increase the density of large wood to meet USDA Forest Service standards of 106 pieces per mile, which will in result in increased habitat complexity, gravel retention, creation of pools, and increased cover for native and at-risk fishes.

Project Abstract:

An aquatic passage barrier was identified on Coffee Creek at its intersection with Agaard Road in 2014. The barrier is listed as a high priority for removal in the Tualatin River Watershed Council’s (TRWC) 2015 Gales Creek Action Plan (GCAP). The Project aims to replace a double-barrel culvert with a cast-in-place modular abutment bridge, opening 4.1 miles of habitat to anadromous and fluvial salmonids and giving access to spawning grounds, winter refugia, summer rearing areas, and thermal refuge from the temperature-limited mainstem of Gales Creek. The steep channel gradient at the culvert site will be reduced to 2% with a roughened rock channel. Erosion threatening the road prism of Agaard Road, and riparian vegetation will also be addressed. Project partners include private landowners, the Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District (TSWCD), Clean Water Services (CWS), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and TRWC.

Project Abstract:

The Tuffy Dam fish passage project is located on the SF Wilson River in the Tillamook State Forest. Habitat Conservation Plan species will be enhanced and more resilient by completion of this project through multi-benefit management of the State’s public resources subject to the Western Oregon State Forest Management Plan. The proposed project requests funding for engineering design assistance and implementation costs for construction of a fish passage ladder, water intake screening, and infrastructure. The current diversion dam is a barrier to juvenile Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout, partial barrier to adult salmonid migration, and complete barrier to adult lamprey migration. In addition, the water intake is unscreened, allowing juvenile fish to be diverted from the river. The project would enhance the ability of wild fish to use 12 miles of the South Fork Wilson River watershed for spawning and rearing habitat and increase survival of downstream migrants.

Project Abstract:

This project is located near Trail, Oregon, in Jackson County. Two road/stream crossings on a single gravel road (one on West Fork Trail Creek and one on Chicago Creek) are restricting movement and access to 5 miles of suitable habitat, delaying Coho Salmon, steelhead/Rainbow Trout, and Cutthroat Trout adults on their way to spawning habitat and blocking juvenile salmonids moving upstream to seek cool water refuge during summer. Currently, the crossings are undersized culverts with pronounced scour at the downstream “lip.” Passage conditions for fish will continue to degrade over the coming years as rushing water during freshets continues to scour the stream bottom downstream of each culvert. Because Trail Creek is one of five priority watersheds in the Upper Rogue Coho Strategic Action Plan, we expect to develop and implement additional process-based restoration projects over the next 25 years to further improve fish passage, rearing, and spawning conditions within this watershed.

Project Abstract:

The Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers (PUR), in conjunction with the Roseburg District Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is planning an 8-acre floodplain restoration project in Honey Creek (a tributary to the North Umpqua River). This project involves relocating Honey Creek Road out of the active floodplain to a location that is no longer at risk of severe flooding and erosion damage. Following the road relocation, floodplain restoration will occur to restore Honey Creek back to a multi-channel, low-gradient stream that is connected to its floodplain, no longer confined by the road system. This work will be accomplished by using heavy equipment to bring Honey Creek back up to an elevation that will form various channels with suitable spawning and rearing habitats for native salmonids and countless wildlife species. Riparian planting will also occur to reestablish shade and native vegetation that is important to fish and wildlife in this burn area.

Project Abstract:

The Honeygrove Oxbow Reconnection Design project aims to develop designs to restore full hydrologic connection and fish passage to one mile of relict oxbow channel habitat along the NF Alsea River, to provide winter rearing habitat, the limiting factor for salmonids in this basin. This second phase of design would advance understanding of physical and biological processes at the site and build on the previous phase of design. This phase will carry those designs through 75%, 90% and Final Designs for habitat improvements at the site and for a proposed flood relief channel and structure under Alsea Deadwood Highway.

Project Abstract:

Re-route and restore Hill Creek into a 0.3 mile historic stream channel to bypass remnant log ponds, millrace, and dam that is currently on the ODFW priority fish barrier list. The project will restore connectivity of 8.5 miles of upstream habitat in Hill Creek to the Coast Fork Willamette River for native migratory fish, create additional wetland habitat and rearing habitat for native aquatic species, provide a cleaner, unpolluted aquatic ecosystem downstream that will benefit beaver, northwestern pond turtle, Pacific lamprey, coastal cutthroat trout, Pacific giant salamander, and the local Creswell community.

Project Abstract:

This project seeks to develop three fish passage projects on Little Butte Creek in the Rogue River Basin–a state focal watershed. These projects are: 1) Butte Creek Mill Dam; 2) MID North Fork Little Butte Creek Dam; and 3) MID South Fork Little Butte Creek Dam. These dams are listed in Groups 5, 5, and 7 respectively on ODFW’s draft 2024 Statewide Fish Passage Priority List. Little Butte Creek provides habitat for fall chinook, ESA-listed coho salmon, summer and winter steelhead trout, cutthroat trout, Klamath smallscale suckers, and Pacific lamprey. This project will develop fish passage design alternatives for the three diversions and will select a preferred alternative for each structure to advance to preliminary design. Engineering services will be completed by a river restoration engineering firm. Trout Unlimited (TU) will also seek to develop opportunities for instream flow restoration that can be implemented in conjunction with these three passage projects.

Project Abstract:

The "Basin Assessments for Advancing the Coquille Coho Strategic Action Plan" project will evaluate habitat conditions and design localized restoration projects in high-priority sub-basins within the Coquille basin. The Coquille Watershed Association and partners will gather updated data on stream habitat complexity, road conditions, riparian health, and floodplain connectivity using established Aquatic Habitat Inventory (AQI) and Geomorphic Road Analysis and Inventory Package (GRAIP) protocols. This data will be used to develop feasible restoration projects that will enhance ecosystem functions essential for the recovery of HCP-covered species such as the Oregon Coast Coho salmon. Proposed restoration projects from this planning effort will prioritize sediment reduction, fish passage improvements, and riparian enhancements to support watershed resilience and maintain progress on the Coquille Coho Strategic Action Plan timeline to improve Coho salmon recovery.

Project Abstract:

The Norton Ranch is located near Unity, Oregon. We have invested heavily in conservation actions, such as encroaching juniper into sagebrush steppe, invasive weeds, and overgrazed aspen stands with our own time and resources and with numerous partners, including NRCS, ODFW, USFWS, and the Powder Basin Watershed Council. We’ve been motivated to undertake this conservation work because restoring the land back to a pre-settlement condition is a passion, in addition to tangible benefits to the ranch. However, an acute conservation problem persists on the stretch of Bull Run Creek which runs through our property. In the 1930’s one mile of Bull Run Creek was mined for gold using a large floating dredge. This caused a nearly complete loss of riparian vegetation and converted the stream to subsurface flow. We are applying for PFA funding for the first stage of restoring this stream to a healthy, functioning system with numerous benefits to priority fish and wildlife species.

Project Abstract:

Conyers Creek is a tributary of the Clatskanie River and habitat for several ESA-listed salmonid species, as well as other species of concern. Recovery plans identify lack of overwintering habitat as the primary tributary limiting factor for salmon in the Lower Columbia River watershed. This project will create and restore quality spawning and rearing habitat in Conyers Creek by undertaking the following activities: 1) Side channel re-engagement of Roaring Creek; 2) Off-channel habitat creation; 3) Installation of large wood structures to increase in-stream complexity and reduce erosion; 4) BDA installation in side-channel and off-channel areas; 5) Planting of riparian and floodplain areas with native plants and beaver forage species; and 6) Drain tile removal and upland wetland enhancement for water quality and amphibian habitat enhancement. Project partners include the Natural Resource Conservation Service, OR Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, and private landowners.

Project Abstract:

This application request supports native fish habitat conservation efforts on a 1.5-mile reach of Cottonwood Creek located in Lake County, south-central Oregon. Habitat restoration is proposed at 8 treatment sites along Cottonwood Creek. Project objectives aim to reduce sediment pollution, create and improve pool habitat, and provide streambank stability. The overarching goal is to create quality habitat to support native fish populations, abundance, and resiliency in this closed basin environment. Project partners include the Lake County Umbrella Watershed Council, Private Landowners, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, SWCA (Engineering Consultant), Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Desert Fish Habitat Partnership, and Wallow Resources - NRCS. The project will complement two decades of Watershed Council work in the basin that also focus on improved fish habitat and distribution. It is important to note the project will be shovel ready by July of 2025.

Project Abstract:

This project seeks to improve native anadromous fish passage to over 40 miles of spawning and rearing habitat upstream of the project location. This will be accomplished by the removal of two concrete channel-spanning weirs that currently function as a partial barrier at a variety of flows to multiple life-cycle stages of native salmonid. The legacy structure will be replaced with an engineered riffle/nature-like fishway that is designed specifically to allow upstream passage of native salmonids at all life-cycle stages, and during the greatest range of flows. Crane Creek is located 36 miles east of the city of Reedsport, in the lower Smith River Basin. SRWC and our multiagency working group have received and approved final design from River Design Group for the implementation of this project. Project partners include: The Smith River Watershed Council, Coos Bay District Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Roseburg Resource Co., and River Design Group.

Project Abstract:

The Hood River Watershed Group (HRWG), with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (CTWS) and East Fork Irrigation District (EFID), is developing a screening upgrade and habitat enhancement project at the EFID diversion and bypass reach on the Lower East Fork Hood River. The Lower East Fork is a high priority subbasin for watershed partners, with high intrinsic potential for salmon and steelhead in most of the subbasin, and likely the best potential for winter steelhead recovery in the Hood River Watershed. The fish screen at the EFID diversion does not meet NOAA criteria for the protection of fish species and is currently located approximately .43 miles from the diversion headworks. This project design will result in the installation of a fish screen that meets criteria at the head gate of the diversion, shortening the current bypass reach by one half of a mile and allowing for greatly increased salmonid accessibility and habitat resilience below the diversion during low flows.

Project Abstract:

This project is part of TU's focused flow restoration program in the Rogue Basin (State focal watershed) with multiple partners. Funding supports design and implementation of 2 streamflow restoration projects in SW Oregon in Illinois Valley watershed. Dewatering has led to a reduction in habitat quantity and quality for native fishes including ESA-listed coho salmon, fall chinook, summer and winter steelhead, and Pacific lamprey. This is a primary limiting factor to fish production, growth, and survival. The Illinois River watershed has been identified as having a high ecological need and high opportunity for flow restoration by multiple planning activities. The SONCC Coho Recovery Plan cites improved instream flows as a high priority recovery action and this is supported by ODFW’s Rogue South Coast Multi-species Conservation and Management and Rogue Fall Chinook Conservation plans. The goal is to create protectable instream water rights from 2 irrigation efficiency projects.

Project Abstract:

The Robinson Creek Watershed Restoration Project will restore 4 miles of degraded tributary habitat for Mid-Columbia steelhead on Robinson Creek, a tributary of the Lower John Day River. Located within the Pine Creek Conservation Area (PCCA), a 34,000-acre property in Wheeler County owned by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWS), Robinson Creek contains designated Critical Habitat for Mid-Columbia steelhead, and serves as a connective corridor for fish and wildlife moving to higher elevation habitat. In partnership with CTWS, Oregon Natural Desert Association will install instream structures such as Beaver Dam Analogues on four miles of high priority stream reaches on Robinson Creek to restore channel morphology and hydrological function, and improve water retention to support the creation of a robust and diverse riparian plant community. Anticipated benefits of the project for steelhead include restored contiguous perennial flows and improved instream habitat conditions.

Project Abstract:

The proposed implementation work occurs in the Rogue River estuary, and consists of constructing new tidal and intertidal slough channel salmonid habitat on Elephant Bar located within the Rogue River Estuary. The project site is located between the Rogue River and God Wants You (GWY) Slough along the south bank of the river near River Mile 2.6. The portion of Elephant Bar occupied by the gravel mining pit currently experiences flow only during winter runoff events and is almost completely lacking in vegetation cover or large wood.

The principal goal of this project is to extend the high-value habitat of GWY Slough by creating instream structure, complexity, and shelter through development of diverse geomorphic features and incorporation of large wood structures, and a diverse assemblage of riparian vegetation. Additional project goals are to ensure continued connectivity and fish passage between created slough channels and GWY Slough.

Project Abstract:

This project is a priority of the Nehalem Basin Partnership and is listed in the Nehalem Strategic Action Plan for Coho. The project is located at the confluence of the Salmonberry River with the Nehalem. The project proposes to complete designs for and install engineered large wood structures to restore salmonid habitat complexity at a priority thermal refugia. These structures will provide critical shelter from predation for juvenile salmonids that concentrate in the thermal refugia during the summer. The complexity provided by these structures will also provide improved foraging opportunities and increased habitat complexity benefiting both summer and winter salmonid habitat. The project is currently at 60% designs phase and the NBWC is proceeding with permitting and to final designs for implementation in the Summer of 2026. Project partners include the National Fish and Wildlife Fund, ODFW, ODF, NOAA Fisheries, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, Wild Salmon Center, and more.

Project Abstract:

This project seeks to continue a holistic, two-phase whole watershed restoration effort for Sandy Creek by constructing large woody debris (LWD) structures in reaches that were not treated in Phase I. Sandy Creek, a 12,600-acre drainage to the Middle Fork Coquille River, contains 8 miles of designated Critical Habitat for the Oregon Coast Coho ESU population. Over the past century, practices such riparian timber harvesting and stream cleaning resulted in the loss of woody debris that functioned in cultivating instream complexity and natural habitat-forming processes. The installation of 28 LWD structures into upper and lower reaches of Sandy Creek will restore 1.3 miles of spawning and rearing habitat that will benefit multiple HCP-covered species, including Oregon Coast coho, coastal cutthroat trout, Chinook, and winter steelhead, as well as Pacific lamprey. Partners include the Coos Bay BLM, ODFW, and private landowners.

Project Abstract:

The Elk Rock Island Back Channel Restoration Project has three goals:

1. Add instream habitat complexity to the back channel adjacent to Elk Rock Island and Spring Park
This back channel is the only side channel in the Oswego reach of the lower Willamette River. This has been identified by ESA-recovery plans as a limited habitat. We propose to add large wood complexes in the channel to create instream rearing and feeding habitat for juvenile salmonids that spend up a year in this stretch of river.

2. Restoration riparian vegetation adjacent to back channel
The plants adjacent to the back channel is currently dominated with non-native species including Himalayan blackberry. Non-native species will be removed and replaced with site appropriate native species.

3. Public education and stewardship
Because the site is well-loved by the public,we will develop interpretive signage, and host education and outreach, and public stewardship events to educate the many site users about the project.