Bureau of Fisheries Stream Habitat Surveys
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Bureau of Fisheries Stream Habitat Surveys Clearwater, Salmon, Weiser, and Payette River Basins Summary Report 1934 - 1942 DOE/BP-02246-2 January 1990 Field37: This Document should be cited as follows: McIntosh, Bruce, Sharon Clarke, James Sedell, ''Bureau of Fisheries Stream Habitat Surveys'', Project No. 1989-10400, 423 electronic pages, (BPA Report DOE/BP-02246-2) Bonneville Power Administration P.O. Box 3621 Portland, Oregon 97208 This report was funded by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), U.S. Department of Energy, as part of BPA's program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the development and operation of hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River and its tributaries. The views in this report are the author's and do not necessarily represent the views of BPA. Summary Report for Bureau of Fisheries Stream Habitat Surveys: Clearwater, Salmon, Weiser, and Payette River Basins 1934-1942 Prepared by: Bruce A. McIntosh Sharon E. Clarke and James R. Sedell Pacific Northwest Research Station USDA-Forest Service Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331 Prepared for: U.S. Department of Energy Bonneville Power Administration Environment, Fish and Wildlife P. O. Box 3621 Portland, OR 97208-3621 Project No. 89-104 Contract No. DE-AI79-89BP02246 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction i Methods iii Literature Cited ix Summary Reports 1 A. Clearwater River Subbasin Clearwater River ......................... 1 Potlatch Creek ......................... 8 Orofino Creek .......................... 12 Middle Fork,Clearwater River .......... 15 Selway River ....................... 19 Lochsa River ....................... 23 B. Salmon River Subbasin Salmon River ............................. 27 Little Salmon River .................... 41 Middle Fork,Salmon River .......... 48 Big Creek ............ 1::: .......... 69 Camas Creek ........................ 74 West Fork ...................... 79 Loon Creek ......................... 84 Rock Creek ..................... 98 Warm Spring Creek .............. 99 Trapper Creek ............. 111 Mayfield Creek ................. 117 West Fork ................. 123 East Fork ................. 129 Trail Creek .................... 136 Pioneer Creek .................. 143 Little Loon Creek .................. 146 Marble Creek ....................... 152 Indian Creek ....................... 159 Pistol Creek ....................... 170 Big Pistol Creek ............... 175 Little Pistol Creek ............ 182 Rapid River ........................ 188 Soldier Creek ...................... 197 Elkhorn Creek ...................... 201 Sulphur Creek ...................... 205 Marsh Creek ........................ 213 Beaver Creek ................... 223 Cape Horn Creek ................ 231 Banner Creek .............. 238 Knapp Creek .................... 243 Bear Valley Creek .................. 247 Elk Creek ...................... 258 Paae Sack Creek ..................... 265 Cache Creek ........................ 267 Panther Creek ............................ 271 North Fork, Salmon River ................. 277 Lemhi River .............................. 278 Wimpey Creek ....................... 294 Pahsimeroi River ......................... 295 Redfish Lake Creek ....................... 300 C. Weiser River Subbasin Weiser River ............................. NP Mann Creek ............................. 304 Pine Creek ............................. 316 Middle Fork,Weiser River .............. 322 D. Payette River Subbasin Payette River'............................ 330 North Fork, Payette River .............. 338 Clear Creek ......................... 347 Big Creek ........................... 350 Gold Fork Creek ..................... 354 Lake Fork Creek ..................... 360 South Fork, Payette River .............. 365 Middle Fork, Payette River .......... 375 Silver Creek ...................... 381 Deadwood River ...................... 385 Clear Creek ......................... 390 Eightmile Creek ..................... 394 Tenmile Creek ....................... 397 Warm Springs Creek .................. 401 Canyon Creek ........................ 404 NP =not present INTRODUCTION This document contains summary reports of stream habitat surveys, conducted in Idaho,by the Bureau of Fisheries (BOF, now National Marine Fisheries Service) from 1938-1942.. These surveys were part of a larger project to survey streams in the Columbia River basin that provided, or had provided, spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and steelhead (Rich, 1948). The purpose of the survey was, as described by Rich, "to determine the present condition of the various tributaries with respect to their availability and usefulness for the migration, breeding, and rearing of migratory fishes". The Idaho portion of the survey consisted of extensive surveys of the Clearwater, Salmon, Weiser, and Payette River Subbasins. Current estimates of the loss of anadromous fish habitat in the Columbia River Basin are based on a series of reports published from 1949-1952 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The reports were brief, qualitative accounts of over 5000 miles of stream surveys conducted by the BOF from 1934-1946 (Bryant, 1949; Bryant and Parkhurst, 1950; Parkhurst, 1950a-c; Parkhurst et al., 1950). Despite their brevity,these BOF reports have formed the basis for estimating fish habitat losses and conditions in the Columbia River Basin (Fulton, 1968, 1970; Thompson, 1976; NPPC, 1986). Recently, the field notebooks from the BOF surveys were discovered. The data is now archived and stored in the Forest Science DataBank at Oregon State University (Stafford et al., 1984; 1988). These records are the earliest and most comprehensive documentation available of the condition and extent of anadromous fish habitat before hydropower development in the Columbia River Basin. They provide the baseline data for quantifying changes and setting a benchmark for future restoration of anadromous fish habitat throughout the Basin. The summaries contained in this book are exact replicates of the originals. Due to discrepancies between the field data and the summaries, the database should be used to assess pooland substrate conditions. This data is available from the Bonneville Power Administration. The Bureau of Fisheries survey is unique because it is the only long-term data set that quantifies fish habitat in a manner that is replicable over time;no other similar work is known to exist. Other surveys, such as Thompson and Haas (1960), inventoried extensive areas in a manner that was mostly qualitative,subjectively estimating physical characteristics like bank cover and stream shading. Spawning, rearing, and resting habitat were not systematically quantified to allow comparisons over time. Knowledge of the pastand present quantity and quality of anadromous fish habitat in the Columbia River Basin is essential to any effort to enhance fish populations. Habitat condition is a key element in monitoring and evaluating progress towards the doubling goal.Integration of this information into the Columbia River Fish and Wildlife Plan can provide the baseline information to greatly enhance understanding of past, present, and future habitat conditions in the basin to provide for improved management decisions. ii METHODS This description of the survey is taken from Rich (1948). In cases where his meaning was unclear, we have clarified his descriptions where possible. Most of the field work for the survey was accomplished by teams of two men. Each stream was examined on foot if warranted by its existing or potential value in a program of fishery maintenance. At times, horses and boats were used to conduct the surveys. It was customary to start at the mouth and work up to a point at which the stream ceased to be important. The survey was commonly terminated if the stream became to small to be of value, at total barriers,such as waterfalls, or wherever other conditions were such that the stream was of no present value and there was no reasonable hope of improvement. Beyond such points a more cursory inspection was frequently made although not always. As the stream was traversed on foot, field observations were recorded on forms provided for the purpose--the "Observation Blank". Records were made at approximately 100-yard intervals. Distances were estimated by counting steps when conditions were favorable for pacing and, otherwise,by estimating short distances by eye. When possible,the sums of such estimated distances have been checked against maps,particularly when surveys were made by boat, and any substantial discrepancy has been noted on the survey record. At the upper end of each 100-yard section a record was made on the Observation Blank of such things as stream size, pools, character of the bottom, fish observed, etc. The location of barriers to upstream migration of fish, such as log jams, falls or dams was also recorded and an estimate made of' the degree of obstruction. Stations were designated, usually at intervals of several miles,at important landmarks or where stream conditions exhibited a marked change. At these stations special data were obtained and recorded on a "station Blank" that included measurements of width, depth, flow and temperature. Record was also made of 'general conditions observed between stations that were not recorded on the observation blank. These included such items as the nature of the marginal vegetation (riparian), evidences of erosion and of fluctuations in water level, gradient, character of the valley, type and