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AN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE TILLAMOOK BAY ESTUARY AND WATERSHED Prepared by Kevin G. Coulton, P.E., Associate and Philip B. Williams, Ph.D., P.E., President Philip Williams & Associates, Ltd. with Patricia A. Benner, Oregon State University and with assistance from The Tillamook Pioneer Museum Prepared for The Tillamook Bay National Estuary Project Garibaldi, Oregon 97118 June 1996 Tillamook Bay National Estuary Project Technical Report Prepared under Cooperative Agreement #CE990292-1 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................................... 1 I. Introduction................................................................................................................................................................... 3 II. Conclusions................................................................................................................................................................. 5 III. An Environmental History of the Tillamook Bay Estuary ............................................................................... 8 A. Geomorphic History ............................................................................................................................................... 8 B. The Native American Landscape (Before 1800) ............................................................................................... 9 C. The Era of Settlement (1800-1900).................................................................................................................... 12 D. The Managed Landscape (1900 to the Present)............................................................................................... 18 E. The Impacts of Settlement on The Landscape................................................................................................. 24 F. The Environmental Response............................................................................................................................. 34 IV. History of Coarse Woody Debris in the Tillamook Estuary Area1............................................................... 37 A. Background on Ecological Functions of Coarse Wood in Aquatic Ecosystems ....................................... 37 B. Historical Accounts of Estuary Large Woody Debris .................................................................................... 38 C. Sources of Large Woody Debris in the Basin .................................................................................................. 41 V. Tillamook Valley Historical Landscape Mapping ............................................................................................. 51 A. Introduction and Methods .................................................................................................................................. 51 B. Characterizing the 1850's Landscape................................................................................................................ 52 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................................................59 List of Figures Figure 1 Sea-Level Changes During Holocene Times Figure 2 Historic Rates of Relative Sea-Level Rise Along the Oregon Coast Figure 3 Population Trend of Tillamook County Figure 4 Kilchis River Valley Historic Landscape, 1856-57 Figure 5a Forest Stand Age Classes for the Oregon Coast Range in 1850 Figure 5b Forest Stand Age Classes for the Oregon Coast Range in 1890 Figure 5c Forest Stand Age Classes for the Oregon Coast Range in 1920 Figure 5d Forest Stand Age Classes for the Oregon Coast Range in 1940 Figure 6 Nineteenth And Early Twentieth Century Forest Fire Locations Figure 7 Historic Farm Statistics for Tillamook County Figure 8 Historic Chronology of Sawmills in Tillamook County Figure 9 Splash Dams and Log Drives in the Tillamook Bay Watershed Figure 10 Historic Photograph of a Log Drive on the Wilson River, circa 1900 Figure 11 Historic Photographs of Dredging in Tillamook Bay 1 Patricia Benner, Oregon State University, Principal Author of Report Sections IV. & V. #65/TableOfContents.doc ms wp6 2/7/01 ii Figure 12 Historic Rainfall and Air Temperature Trends for Tillamook, Oregon Figure 13 Levees & Dikes in the Southern Portion of Tillamook Bay Figure 14 Historic Mapping of the 1964 Flood Figure 15 Cows and Milk Production in Tillamook County Figure 16 Commercial Fertilizer Use Figure 17 Photo of Salmon Catch at Hall Slough Figure 18 Coho Salmon Hatchery Releases and Harvest in Tillamook Bay Figure 19 Fish Catching Cage and Racks at the Trask River Fish Hatchery Figure 20 Tillamook Bay Basin Fishery Catch Statistics Figure 21 Commercial Clam Harvest Figure 22 Timber Harvest Data for Tillamook County Figure 23 Map of Estuary Pile Dikes and River Levees and Channel Modifications Figure 24 Tillamook Bay Dredged Material Volume Figure 25 Map of Wood Jams on the Tillamook Bay Rivers in the 1880's Figure 26 Wood Jams on Tidal Portions of the Trask River Near Proposed River Dikes in 1895 Figure 27 Historic Photograph of Logjams on the Trask River, 1964 Figure 28 Historic Photograph of the 1933 Tillamook Burn Figure 29 Historic Photograph of Destroyed Riparian Corridor Along the Wilson River Figure 30 Stream Crossing Locations in the Tillamook Bay Watershed Figure 31 Map of Precipitation and Repetitive Burns within the Tillamook Bay Watershed Figure 32 Conceptual Diagram of Historic Changes in Sediment Delivery to the Tillamook Bay Estuary Figure 33 Historic Photograph of Flooding on the Wilson River Figure 34 A Generalized Flood History of Tillamook Bay Rivers and Coastline Figure 35 Historic Flood Flow Return Periods Figure 36 Photo of Bayocean Spit Breach Figure 37 Conceptual Model of Ocean and Freshwater Habitat Effects on Coho Abundance Figure 38 Generalized Location of Hydric Soils Figure 39a Original Survey Mapping of the Tillamook Valley in 1857 (T1N R10W) Figure 39b Original Survey Mapping of the Tillamook Valley in 1857 (T1S R10W) Figure 39c Original Survey Mapping of the Tillamook Valley in 1857 (T1N R9W) Figure 39d Original Survey Mapping of the Tillamook Valley in 1857 (T2S R9W) LIST OF TABLES Table 1 State of Oregon Claims to Navigable Tillamook Bay Rivers Table 2 Time Periods for Drainage District Organization and Acres Drained Table 3 Summary of Man-Caused and Natural Landslide Findings from the 1978 Erosion and Sediment Study Table 4 Summary of Agricultural Lands Streambank Erosion Findings from the 1978 Erosion ands Sediment Study Table 5 Tillamook Estuary, Significant Shoreline Fills, 1867-1977 Table 6 Historic Summary of Tillamook Bay Waste Water Treatment Plant Development Table 7 Descriptions of Large Woody Debris in Tidal Sections of Tillamook Bay Rivers Table 8 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Removal of Snags in the Tillamook Bay System Table 9 Meander Post Trees from the 1856 Survey for Township 1 South Range 10 West Table 10 Holden Creek 1857 Description and Data #65/TableOfContents.doc ms wp6 2/7/01 iii LIST OF PLATES Plate 1 Tillamook Valley Historical Landscape Map 1856-57 Plate 2 Composite Map of 1908 Timber Cruise Sketch Maps Plate 3 1937 Logged Lands Map Plate 4 Historic River and Estuary Planform Changes Map #65/TableOfContents.doc ms wp6 2/7/01 iv Executive Summary Census of Agriculture in 1840 to the 24th Census in 1992. This study provides a history of environmental changes in Tillamook Bay and its watershed. Its The third section of this report is a narrative that purpose is to develop a better understanding of weaves an historic environmental story for the historic changes in the ecosystems and the reader. It begins with a discussion of the regional landscape since the time of the Euro- geomorphic history of the region by describing American settlement. These changes were the natural forces which have shaped the assessed by focusing on key indicators of landscape for millennia. The narrative continues environmental change — including with historic accounts of how both natural forces sedimentation, water quality and estuarine, and human interventions as well as the human wetland and riverine habitat. As part of the use of natural resources have changed the Comprehensive Conservation and Management regional landscape. This history is discusses Plan (CCMP), these historic findings and major time periods, including the period of the summaries of resource change can provide Native American landscape (before 1800), the era insight for future resource management in the of settlement (1800 to 1900), and the managed estuary). landscape (1900 to the present). The narrative concludes with discussion of the environmental There is a wealth of existing historic data on the impacts of and responses to human settlement of Tillamook area. PWA reviewed much of this the landscape. information and used it to develop a narrative historical account of the Bay and watershed The fourth and fifth sections of this report contain environment. Starting with diaries and ship logs the results of historical research critical to the of the early explorers to the Oregon coast at needs of the National Estuary Project and is Tillamook in the 1700's which were pieced therefore more detailed than the narrative. These together to form an understanding of the sections include a history of the ecological landscape and ecosystem conditions