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Oct. 2, 2014
SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public comment on a request to waive fish passage requirement for an existing culvert on an unnamed tributary to Cedar Creek. The culvert is located at SW Wildlife Haven Court in Sherwood and also travels under the adjacent Southern Pacific Railroad Line.
The City of Sherwood has requested the waiver and has proposed to mitigate for the loss of fish passage at Wildlife Haven Court by replacing a nearby culvert that is a barrier to native migratory fish, with a new culvert that once completed will meet all ODFW fish passage criteria. The Fish Passage Task Force will be asked to consider the waiver and provide a recommendation to the Department at its Oct. 17, 2014 meeting.
In the meantime, members of the public will have until Oct. 23, 2014 to submit written comments on the proposed fish passage waiver.
The applicant’s plan to extend the existing culvert at Wildlife Haven Court has triggered State fish passage requirements. Currently, the existing culvert at Wildlife Haven Court on the unnamed tributary to Cedar Creek is a complete barrier to native migratory fish.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife can waive the passage requirements at an artificial obstruction, if the proposed mitigation provides a net benefit to native migratory fish. In this case, the applicant has proposed restoring fish passage at a culvert on another unnamed tributary to Cedar Creek in lieu of providing fish passage at Wildlife Haven Court. ODFW has made an initial determination that the proposed mitigation would provide a net benefit to native migratory fish by allowing fish passage into good quality beaver-wetland complex habitat suitable for various life stages of cutthroat, coho salmon and steelhead. Habitat upstream of the Willdife Haven Court culvert is limited and of poor quality.
Copies of the fish passage waiver application and ODFW net benefit analysis and can be found on the ODFW Web site .
Members of the public can send written comments to or request additional information from Ken Loffink, ODFW Assistant Fish Passage Program Coordinator, 4034 Fairview Industrial Dr., Salem, Ore. 97302, e-mail, Ken.J.Loffink@state.or.us, or by calling (503) 947-6256.
There also will be an opportunity for public comment at the Fish Passage Task Force meeting on Oct. 17, 2014 at ODFW headquarters in Salem.
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Contact:
Ken Loffink (503) 947-6256
Jessica Sall (503) 947-6023
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