Imnaha Subbasin Assessment May 2004
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Imnaha Subbasin Assessment May 2004 Written by Ecovista Subbasin Lead Entity: Nez Perce Tribe Planning Team: Wallowa County Natural Resources Advisory Committee Table of Contents 1 SUBBASIN ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Subbasin Overview............................................................................................................ 1 1.1.1 General Description .............................................................................................. 1 1.1.2 Subbasin Water Resources .................................................................................. 63 1.1.3 Trends in Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology ......................................................... 79 1.1.4 Regional Context ............................................................................................... 100 1.2 Species Characterization and Status .............................................................................. 114 1.2.1 Species of Ecological Importance ..................................................................... 114 1.2.2 Focal Species Selection ..................................................................................... 128 1.2.3 Spring/Summer Chinook Population Delineation and Characterization.......... 131 1.2.4 Fall Chinook Population Delineation and Characterization ............................ 163 1.2.5 Summer Steelhead Population Delineation and Characterization.................... 170 1.2.6 Bull Trout Population Delineation and Characterization................................. 189 1.2.7 Lamprey Population Delineation and Characterization ................................... 198 1.2.8 Aquatic Environmental Conditions.................................................................... 202 1.2.9 Terrestrial Focal Species Habitat Use and Population Characterization ........ 226 1.2.10 Environmental Conditions for Focal Species .................................................... 247 1.3 Out-of-Subbasin factors................................................................................................. 259 1.3.1 Aquatic............................................................................................................... 259 1.3.2 Terrestrial.......................................................................................................... 268 1.4 Environment–Population Relationships........................................................................ 269 1.4.1 Aquatic............................................................................................................... 269 1.4.2 Terrestrial.......................................................................................................... 270 1.4.3 Key Relationships between fish and wildlife ..................................................... 271 1.5 Identification and Analysis of Limiting Factors and Conditions................................... 272 1.5.1 Local Factors Limiting Aquatic Focal Species ................................................. 273 1.5.2 Local Factors Limiting Terrestrial Species...................................................... 303 1.6 References...................................................................................................................... 317 2 APPENDICES..................................................................................................................... 339 Imnaha Subbasin Assessment ii May 2004 List of Tables Table 1. Subecoregion area and percentage of total area in the Imnaha subbasin. ............. 4 Table 2. Climate station metadata. Stations shown do not occur in the Imnaha River drainage but are considered relevant for use due to their proximity and relative position and/or elevation...................................................................................... 11 Table 3. Monthly climate summary for stations representing conditions in the Imnaha subbasin during the period of record. .................................................................. 13 Table 4. General soil characteristics of subecoregions in the Imnaha subbasin (Watershed Professionals Network 1999)............................................................................... 17 Table 5. Soil properties of the STATSGO Map Units (MUIDs) in the Imnaha subbasin. 20 Table 6. Assumptions made about relationship between vegetative series and wildlife habitat types (WHTs)........................................................................................... 32 Table 7. Summary of rights to divert McCully Creek waters into the Wallowa subbasin (Bliss 2001).......................................................................................................... 55 Table 8. Land management entities in the Imnaha subbasin. ............................................ 61 Table 9. USGS gaging summary, Imnaha River basin, Oregon. ....................................... 63 Table 10. Annual flood flow frequency summary for the Imnaha gage at Imnaha............. 65 Table 11. Imnaha River watershed §303(d) listings (downloaded May 22, 2003, from ODEQ website, http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/WQLData/SubBasinList02.asp). 65 Table 12. ODEQ criterion used to define where and when the water quality standard for temperature in the Imnaha subbasin is in exceedance. ODEQ uses the 50º F(10º C) for year round bull trout spawning, rearing, and adult presence (http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/standards/WQStdsImnahaSpawn.pdf). ............. 66 Table 13. USFWS criterion to rate habitat function for bull trout subpopulations at the watershed scale .................................................................................................... 68 Table 14. Potential streamside vegetation associated with the Canyons and Dissected Uplands subecoregion 11g (reproduced from Watershed Professionals Network 1999).................................................................................................................... 71 Table 15. Potential streamside vegetation associated with the Canyon and Dissected Highlands subecoregion 11f (reproduced from Watershed Professionals Network 1999).................................................................................................................... 72 Table 16. Potential streamside vegetation associated with the Blue Mountain Basins subecoregion 11k (reproduced from Watershed Professionals Network 1999). 73 Table 17. Potential streamside vegetation associated with the Mesic Forest Zone subecoregion 11l (reproduced from Watershed Professionals Network 1999). .. 74 Table 18. Potential streamside vegetation associated with the Subalpine Zone subecoregion 11m (reproduced from Watershed Professionals Network 1999). ...................... 75 Table 19. Characterization of hydrologic processes in the Imnaha subbasin at the subecoregion level (Watershed Professionals Network 1999). ........................... 81 Table 20. Area in square miles for hydrologic soil groups of rangeland and/or agricultural ground at the subecoregion-scale in the Imnaha subbasin................................... 91 Table 21. Minimum instream water rights (cfs) at the confluence of Big Sheep Creek and the Imnaha River (reproduced from Wallowa County and NPT 1993)............... 93 Imnaha Subbasin Assessment iii May 2004 Table 22. Wildfires over 100 acres with high- or moderate-intensity burns (USFS 2003d). 96 Table 23. Areas infested with noxious weeds documented in recent surveys of portions of the Imnaha subbasin. ......................................................................................... 100 Table 24. Comparison of reaches used by fish species of concern in the Imnaha subbasin (IS) vs. the Blue Mountain Province (BMP) and the U.S. portion of the Columbia Basin (CB) (based on StreamNet 20031)........................................................... 101 Table 25. Comparison of the historical and current distribution of wildlife habitat types (WHTs) in the Imnaha subbasin (IS), the Blue Mountain Province (BMP), and the Columbia Basin (CB) (based on data from NHI 2003). .............................. 103 Table 26. Changes in percentage of wildlife habitat types (WHTs) distribution in the Columbia Basin (CB) and Blue Mountain Province (BMP) contributed by the Imnaha subbasin (IS) (bold figures indicate an increase in contribution from historical to current) (based on data from NHI 2003). ...................................... 104 Table 27. Areas selected as centers of biodiversity or centers of endemism and rarity in the Imnaha subbasin. ............................................................................................... 105 Table 28. Type, distribution sources, and representation goals for the 978 coarse and fine scale conservation targets selected for the Middle Rockies-Blue Mountain Ecoregion SITES run......................................................................................... 109 Table 29. Proposed bull trout Critical Habitat Subunits (CHSUs) in the Imnaha subbasin (USFWS 2002b) ................................................................................................ 113 Table 30. ESA-listed or candidate species known to or that potentially occur in the Imnaha subbasin. ............................................................................................................ 114 Table 31. Species that occur or potentially occur in the Imnaha subbasin that are listed as threatened or endangered by the State of Oregon.............................................