Coquille Watershed Association – Biennial Report 2013
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Coquille Watershed Association 223 N Alder, Suite D Coquille Oregon, 97423 541-396-2541 www.coquillewatershed.org Coquille Watershed Association 2011-2013 Biennium Report North Fork Coquille River Salmon Habitat Restoration, 2012 1 2011-2013 Biennium Report, Coquille Watershed Association TABLE OF CONTENTS: Organizational Background of Coquille Watershed Association Current Board of Operating Officers, Executive Council Members and Key Staff Completed & In-Progress Projects Summary In Memoriam – Kristle Volin, Rick Rowe 2 2011-2013 Biennium Report, Coquille Watershed Association Organizational Background of Coquille Watershed Association: Founded in 1994, the Coquille Watershed Association (CWA) was formed by a small group of local citizens who were concerned about the health of their watershed and its fish and wildlife resources. Since that humble beginning, the CWA has established a well-organized restoration program that is valued and supported throughout the watershed. The CWA operates on a budget of approximately $500,000 a year, and 95% of the funding remains in the watershed in the form of jobs through on-the- ground restoration projects, private contracting opportunities and locally-purchased supplies & materials. Our mission at the CWA is to provide the structured framework to coordinate the assessment of the watershed’s conditions, and to implement and monitor proven management practices that are designed to support environmental integrity and economic stability for the communities of the Coquille watershed. Our work includes facilitating communication between landowners, citizens, civic organizations, private foundations and governmental agencies to enhance and restore aquatic and wildlife resources in the Coquille watershed. We seek to sustain comprehensive programs for the collaborative and strategic management of local resources by securing funding for ecological activities that represent long-term resource conservation in the Coquille watershed. The CWA works in every facet of watershed health; fish and wildlife habitats, water quality, forest health, invasive species, riparian restoration and wetland enhancement, in addition to many other diverse areas. The CWA’s current Action Plan v.2 was written in 1997, and remained the leading guidance document for restoration in the Coquille watershed up to 2007, when the Coquille Indian Tribe published the “Coquille River Sub- basin Plan” for NOAA. The Sub-basin Plan was written as a planning tool for those involved in the conservation of native fish within the Coquille Sub-basin and it is used by agencies and natural resource groups in conjunction with the CWA Action Plan to determine priority areas for restoration. Our partners and biological advisors are our most valuable resource, and all of the project development and technical writing we perform must go through a rigorous collaborative process which includes obtaining consensus and approval from our Technical Advisory Team, Board and Executive Council, state and federal agency personnel, local government officials and natural resource groups. The CWA’S core priorities and restoration program are able to balance biological integrity with market- based approaches to conservation by utilizing local labor and resources to implement our “Headlands to Ocean” restoration program. This whole-watershed methodology allows us to work across a broad spectrum and forge solid alliances while providing family wage jobs, contracting opportunities and locally-sourced materials and supplies to support economic growth. We work to create and sustain vibrant fishing communities through implementation of projects that enhance aquatic habitats and improve water quality, and we support family farms by assisting with irrigation, erosion and management practices that will improve their lands and the health of the watershed. A 2011 report from the University of Oregon’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment titled “The Economic Impacts of Oregon’s South Coast Restoration Industry”, stated that investments in restoration have benefited the South Coast economy by providing an average of 73 direct & indirect jobs per year over the last decade, and we have also seen increased productivity of forest and agricultural lands and healthier sport and sustenance fisheries. The report also states that fostering a resilient restoration industry will be a key economic driver for future growth, noting that ODFW estimates the total economic impact of the recent wild coho salmon sport fishing season on the Coquille River in 2011 brought in more than $2.1 million. 3 2011-2013 Biennium Report, Coquille Watershed Association Current Board of Operating Officers & Executive Council Members: Ernie Newton President - City of Myrtle Point Julie Huff Vice President - Education Cassie Bouska Treasurer - Business John Jones Secretary - Middle Fork Landowner Bruce Follansbee Technical Resource Advisor, Past-President - North Fork Landowner Paul Heikkila Technical Resource Advisor, At-Large Advisor - Commercial Fisheries Ron Steiner Plum Creek Timber, Technical Advisory Team Nathan James Coquille Indian Tribe, Technical Advisory Team Tom Hoesly The Campbell Group, Technical Advisory Team Jamie Doyle OSU Extension, Resource Advisor Bob Main Coos County Commissioner Jim Nielson Small Woodland Owners/Forestry Rick Rowe North Fork Landowner/Conservation Chip Boggs Coquille/Mainstem Landowner/Forestry Pat Quinn Camas Valley/Middle Fork Landowner Jim Lawson Bandon/Bridge Landowner Jim Cottom Powers/South Fork Landowner Caley Sowers Coos Soil & Water Conservation District Reg Pullen Port of Bandon Fran Capehart/Ben Marchant City of Coquille Tom Jefferson Industry/Bandon Dunes Golf Resort Roger Doll Remote/Middle Fork Landowner/Conservation Open Port of Coquille Open STEP Open East Fork Landowner Open ODA/Cattlemen's/Organic Farmers Amy Wilson NRCS* Jeff Jackson ODFW, Technical Advisory Team* Christopher Claire ODFW, Technical Advisor* Madeleine VanderHeyden USFWS, Technical Advisory Team* Karla Cottom US Forest Service, Technical Advisory Team* Jen Feola BLM, Technical Advisory Team* Dan Van Slyke (retiring) BLM, Technical Advisory Team* Stephanie Messerle BLM, Technical Advisory Team* *Unable to hold voting position - USFS/BLM/ODFW/NRCS federal restrictions 4 2011-2013 Biennium Report, Coquille Watershed Association Key Staff and Contact Information: Kelly Miles Director Kurt Evanow Restoration Crew Leader Dawn Weekly Program Manager Liz Allen Office Manager Anthony Evanow Restoration Crew Member Jake Cochran Restoration Crew Member Coquille Watershed Association 223 N. Alder, Suite D Coquille, OR 97423 Office: (541) 396-2541 Fax: (541) 396-2545 [email protected] www.coquillewatershed.org 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization EIN: 93-1171301 Completed Projects: 1. North Fork Coquille River Restoration Phase II Partners: OWEB, NFWF, BLM-Coos Bay, USFWS, ODFW, The Campbell Group, Plum Creek Timber Total Costs: Cash $298,881 – Matching Funds $79,067 The CWA and partners restored and improved 13.72 miles of instream habitat in the North Fork Coquille River watershed (Middle Creek, Cherry Creek, Little Cherry Creek and Alder Creek) through the placement of large wood to replicate natural structures found in properly functioning streams. Completed in 2012, this successful project placed 734 logs in 91 sites by Vertol helicopter and excavator, building natural structures that will provide secondary channels and off-channel habitat, create pools, and recruit gravel and woody debris necessary for spawning and rearing salmonids and other native species in the Coquille River watershed. Pictures: North Fork Restoration Phase II 5 2011-2013 Biennium Report, Coquille Watershed Association 2. Elk Creek Instream Restoration Phase II Partners: OWEB, Coquille Indian Tribe, BLM-Coos Bay, ODFW, Plum Creek Timber Total Costs: Cash $198,123 – Matching Funds $287,924 (Phase I & II) Phase I of the project was implemented in 2010, when the CWA, along with local partners, placed 481 logs by Vertol helicopter and excavator within 5.08 miles of Elk Creek, South Fork Elk Creek and an unnamed tributary. Phase II took place in 2011 with additional large wood and log structures placed by helicopter on sites within the summer 2010 placements. Placement sites were selected when winter visual surveys showed that additional logs could also be placed on existing structures to ensure longevity, and we were able to place 186 logs over 1.5 miles on Plum Creek and BLM lands for a total of 667 logs in 71 structures in over 5 miles of stream. The LWD restoration activities in Elk Creek addressed past practices that have removed or degraded the key natural components necessary for the survival of coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout, and other species present in the East Fork Coquille River. The benefits to the watershed from this project are numerous and vital, and include restored large structure components in the stream system, increased pool & habitat complexity, enhanced off-channel and over-wintering habitat, supplemented and increased retention of spawning substrate, improved pool/riffle ratios and refuge for juveniles. Pictures: Elk Creek Instream 3. BLM RAC Projects – Big Creek LWD, Honcho & Alder Creeks LWD, North Fork Boulder Weirs Partners: OWEB, BLM-Coos Bay, USFWS, ODFW, Plum Creek Timber, Lone Rock Timber, The Campbell Group Big Creek Total Costs: Cash $208,260 – Matching Funds $18,465 Honcho/Alder Creeks Total Costs: Cash $46,051 – Matching Funds $15,450 North Fork Boulder Weirs