2003-2004 Wood River Wetland

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

2003-2004 Wood River Wetland WOOD RIVER WETLAND MONITORING REPORT 2003-2005 Restored Wood River Channel USDI BLM, Klamath Falls Resource Area Wood River Wetland Monitoring Report 2003-2005 Page ii Wood River Wetland Monitoring Report 2003-2005 Table of Contents Table of Contents...........................................................................................................................iii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. v List of Figures................................................................................................................................. v Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Resource Management Plan........................................................................................................ 1 Wood River Restoration Project ................................................................................................. 1 Restoration Plan Phase 1 components: 1996-1997............................................................. 1 Restoration Plan Phase 2 components: 1997-2001............................................................. 2 Restoration Plan Phase 3 components: 1997-2002............................................................. 2 Restoration Plan Phase 4 components: 2002 plus.............................................................. 2 Historic Management.............................................................................................................. 2 Recent Management................................................................................................................ 3 Partners ................................................................................................................................... 3 Monitoring Plan .......................................................................................................................... 3 Monitoring Report .................................................................................................................. 4 Monitoring Results.......................................................................................................................... 4 Waterfowl ................................................................................................................................... 4 Neotropical Migratory Birds....................................................................................................... 6 Constant-effort Monitoring..................................................................................................... 7 Censusing................................................................................................................................ 7 Area Search Censuses......................................................................................................... 7 Point Count Censuses ......................................................................................................... 8 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 8 Special Status Species Monitoring.............................................................................................. 8 Black Tern Nest Colony Survey Project................................................................................. 8 Wintering Raptor Survey ........................................................................................................ 8 Yellow Rails............................................................................................................................ 9 Bald Eagles ............................................................................................................................. 9 Vegetation................................................................................................................................... 9 Riparian Resources ................................................................................................................... 11 Photo Points .......................................................................................................................... 11 Water Quality............................................................................................................................ 11 Water Temperature ............................................................................................................... 11 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 11 Methods............................................................................................................................. 12 Results............................................................................................................................... 13 Analysis and Interpretation............................................................................................... 19 Fisheries Monitoring................................................................................................................. 26 Interior Wetland Fish Sampling............................................................................................ 26 Methods............................................................................................................................. 26 Results............................................................................................................................... 27 Endangered Sucker Investigations........................................................................................ 28 Surveys 1998..................................................................................................................... 28 Surveys 1999..................................................................................................................... 28 Page iii Wood River Wetland Monitoring Report 2003-2005 Surveys 2003..................................................................................................................... 29 Surveys 2004..................................................................................................................... 29 Snorkeling Surveys ........................................................................................................... 29 Habitat Observations......................................................................................................... 30 Boat Surveys ..................................................................................................................... 30 Recommendations for Future Monitoring ........................................................................ 30 ODFW Redband Trout Spawning Surveys........................................................................... 31 Spotted Frog Populations.......................................................................................................... 33 Oregon Spotted Frog Egg Mass Survey................................................................................ 33 Methods............................................................................................................................. 33 Results............................................................................................................................... 33 Bat Populations ......................................................................................................................... 34 Study Area ............................................................................................................................ 34 Methods................................................................................................................................. 34 Data Summary ...................................................................................................................... 34 Recreation and Outreach........................................................................................................... 35 Visitation Monitoring............................................................................................................ 35 Outreach/Environmental Education Activity........................................................................ 36 Volunteer Work .................................................................................................................... 37 Recreation Projects ............................................................................................................... 37 Visual Resources....................................................................................................................... 37 Lands......................................................................................................................................... 37 Land Sales............................................................................................................................. 37 Lands Actions in Support of Restoration.............................................................................. 37 Grazing...................................................................................................................................... 37 Cultural Resource Management...............................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Water-Quality Data from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2009–10
    Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation Water-Quality Data from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2009–10 Open-File Report 2012–1142 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover: Meteorological and water quality monitoring site MDN on Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon, with Mt. McLoughlin in the background. (Photograph by D. Blake Eldridge, U.S. Geological Survey, July 12, 2011.) Water-Quality Data from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2009–10 By D. Blake Eldridge, Sara L. Caldwell Eldridge, Liam N. Schenk, Dwight Q. Tanner, and Tamara M. Wood Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation Open-File Report 2012–1142 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2012 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Suggested citation: Eldridge. D.B., Caldwell Eldridge, S.L., Schenk, L.N., Tanner, D.Q., and Wood, T.M., 2012, Water-quality data from Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes, Oregon, 2009–10: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1142, 32 p. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Tenth Western Black Bear Workshop
    PROCEEDINGS of the TENTH WESTERN BLACK BEAR WORKSHOP The Changing Climate for Bear Conservation and Management in Western North America Lake Tahoe, Nevada Image courtesy of Reno Convention and Visitors Authority 18-22 May 2009 Peppermill Resort, Reno, Nevada Hosted by The Nevada Department of Wildlife A WAFWA Sanctioned Event Carl W. Lackey and Richard A. Beausoleil, Editors PROCEEDINGS OF THE TENTH WESTERN BLACK BEAR WORKSHOP 18-22 May 2009 Peppermill Resort, Reno, Nevada Hosted by Nevada Department of Wildlife A WAFWA Sanctioned Event Carl W. Lackey & Richard A. Beausoleil Editors International Association for Bear Research and Management SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR WORKSHOP SPONSORS International Association for Bear Research & Management Wildlife Conservation Society Nevada Wildlife Record Book Nevada Bighorns Unlimited - Reno Nevada Department of Wildlife Carson Valley Chukar Club U.S. Forest Service – Carson Ranger District Safari Club International University of Nevada, Reno - Cast & Blast Outdoors Club Berryman Institute Suggested Citation: Author’s name(s). 2010. Title of article or abstract. Pages 00-00 in C. Lackey and R. A. Beausoleil, editors, Western Black Bear Workshop 10:__-__. Nevada Department of Wildlife 1100 Valley Road Reno, NV 89512 Information on how to order additional copies of this volume or other volumes in this series, as well as volumes of Ursus, the official publication of the International Association for Bear Research and Management, may be obtained from the IBA web site: www.bearbiology.com, from the IBA newsletter International Bear News, or from Terry D. White, University of Tennessee, Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, P.O. Box 1071, Knoxville, TN 37901-1071, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • BLM Wood River Wetland Water Quality and Subsidence Reversal Monitoring Summary 2012, January 14, 2013
    BLM Wood River Wetland Water Quality and Subsidence Reversal Monitoring Summary 2012, January 14, 2013 Background: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) completed a Resource Management Plan for the Wood River Wetland in 1996. The primary goals and objectives for the 3,000 acre parcel were to improve water quality and quantity entering Agency Lake and provide habitat for endangered species, other wildlife species, and to provide for recreational opportunities. Recent management history can be summarized as follows: 1996 - Grazing cessation and implementation of seasonal flooding and water management infrastructure. 1996-2005 - Water management aimed at minimizing nutrient export (minimal pumping) and reduced irrigation. This management led to high wetland water nutrient loads and lack of perennial emergent vegetation cover over much of the property (see Carpenter et al 2009). o Typically, approximately 1,000 acre-feet of irrigation was applied in September. 2006-present – Implementation of a carefully managed water regime aimed at optimizing vegetation establishment, water storage and discharge, water quality treatment, and the accumulation of new organic soil (subsidence reversal). Pumping and irrigation were substantially increased. o Increased level of water quality, soils, and vegetatative cover monitoring to better understand and adapt to changing vegetation and water quality outcomes. 2008 – Five Artesian wells with high nutrient concentrations were fully decommissioned and/or capped with ball valves/pressure-gauges. This report summarizes recent water quality and subsidence reversal monitoring reuslts and water management data. Current Water Management: Typically, a water management level target is set for the beginning and end of the growing season (the 2012 target is the red line in Figure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • The Klamath Bird Observatory 2004 Bird Monitoring Effort Report
    Summary Report on Long-term Bird Monitoring Efforts by the Klamath Bird Observatory in 2005 Robert I. Frey and John D. Alexander 16 December 2005 Background The Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) continued its comprehensive, long-term bird monitoring program in the Klamath Bioregion of northern California and southern Oregon during 2005. The objectives of this program are to collect data that provide an index to species diversity and abundance in riparian and upland habitats, to evaluate the reproductive success and population health of Neotropical migratory and resident birds, to maintain a long-term monitoring effort for tracking landbird population trends, and to test methods for effectively monitoring special species. The Klamath Bioregion lies within the Partners in Flight (PIF) Pacific and Intermountain West Avifaunal Biomes, which includes 35 bird species identified as focal species for conservation and monitoring efforts (Altman 1999, 2000, Rich et al. 2004; Tables 1a and 1b). KBO’s monitoring efforts are part of a regional program that started in the early 90s (Klamath Demographic Monitoring Network; Alexander et al. 2004). As a part of this program, during 2005 KBO maintained a long-term effort to track population trends and demographics at constant effort mist-netting stations, breeding bird census routes and extensive point count census routes throughout the Bioregion. The census efforts are documented in a separate report (Stephens and Alexander 2005). This report is focused on the summary of 2005 Constant-Effort Stations (CES), Rapid Ornithological Inventories (ROI), Special Species Monitoring, Technical Training, and Outreach efforts. These efforts were designed and completed in close collaboration with the US Forest Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory (RSL).
    [Show full text]
  • View the Klamath Summary Report
    SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT — KLAMATH BASIN GENERAL STREAM ADJUDICATION From the top of a fault formed ridge overlooking the expansive Upper Klamath Lake, the rest of the world seems to fall away. Unbroken blue skies and dry, thin air stretches the horizon impossibly far. To the east, parched buttes roll through deep, green farm-filled valleys. To the west, only the rugged, snow- capped Cascades can rein in the view. The feeling of freedom that defines the American West is alive in this place. Prepared by the Oregon Water Resources Department — October 1999 he Klamath Basin defies the soggy Northwest stereotype. The Cascade TMountains steal the moisture from eastward winds, transforming the damp, green Oregon known to most of the country. Away from the mountainsides, Lodge Pole and Ponderosa Pines supplant the water-dependent firs. The moss-covered logs and thick tangles of plants of the western forests are gone. In their place, reddish- black volcanic rocks speckle hillsides adorned with dusty sage. Sandy pumice soils are exposed to the wind and sun by the sparse ground cover. Everything seems to crack and crumble underfoot. Despite these desert-like conditions, an oasis of lakes, rivers, and marshes teams with wildlife. The remnants of a huge prehistoric lake once provided a cache of resources that allowed the Basin’s earliest human inhabitants to thrive in an otherwise formi- dable environment. Much time has passed and cultures have changed, but the reliance on these same resources has not. For more than 100 years, settlers, homesteaders, and their descendants have defied the desert by transforming vast lakes and marshes into farms and pasture–creating a heritage in the process.
    [Show full text]
  • RECORD of PLAN CONFORMANCE and CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION (CX) DETERMINATION Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
    RECORD OF PLAN CONFORMANCE AND CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION (CX) DETERMINATION Bureau of Land Management (BLM) CX Log #: OR-014-CX-05-24 Lease or Serial #: N/A Project Name: _Wood River Channel Maintenance___________________________________________ Location: ___Wood River Wetland_________________________________ County: Klamath County BLM Office: Lakeview District, Klamath Falls Resource Area Phone #: 541-883-6916 Applicant: ____________________________ Address: _______________________________ Description of the Proposed Action: The BLM plans to fill two short canals that were formed in the 1960’s and 1970’s when material was excavated from the wetland to construct a levee (see Attachment 1, Wood River channel maintenance location map). These canals created open water connections between the Wood River and Agency Lake. In 2000 BLM placed rock weirs across these channels as a component of the river restoration project below Dike Bridge (see Attachment 2, Existing Topography Over 2002 Aerial Photo and Attachment 3, Grading Plans). The mouth of the Wood River was relocated to a historic channel, lengthening the river by about ¾ mile. The purpose of the river restoration project is to improve habitat and water quality for fish and wildlife by restoring hydrologic function in the Wood River Delta. The placement of rock weirs in the east and west canals has limited boat access except when the lake is very full. This proposed project is designed to fill the canals, located approximately 150 feet downstream (south) of the Wood River bridge on the entrance road to Wood River Wetland. The purpose is to maintain the channel plugs and stop the flow of the Wood River from entering these channels.
    [Show full text]
  • Wood River Channel Restoration and Recreation Improvements Final EA
    Wood River Channel Restoration and Recreation Improvements EA #OR-014-08-10 PROJECT TITLE/TYPE: Wood River Wetland Restoration and Recreation Improvements PROJECT LOCATION: BLM Wood River Wetland and delta (See Project Location Map 1 in Appendix C.) The restoration and recreation improvements would be along the lower Wood River located approximately 10 miles west of Chiloquin, Oregon. The legal locations of the proposed actions are T34S, R 7.5 E Sections 25 (channel narrowing and deepening and floodplain restoration) and 36 (secondary channel outlet). BLM OFFICE: Klamath Falls Resource Area, Lakeview District CONFORMANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAND USE PLANS This Environmental Assessment (EA) is tiered to the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Revision of the Resource Management Plans of the Western Oregon Bureau of Land Management (2008), including the Klamath Falls Resource Area. The analysis in the FEIS incorporated the Upper Klamath Basin and Wood River RMP/EIS (1995). Since no changes in management direction were made for the Wood River wetland, this project is in conformance with management direction under the 2008 Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan (2008 ROD) • Vegetation Treatment on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands in Thirteen Western States FEIS and ROD (1991) • Integrated Noxious Weed Control Program EA #OR-013-93-03 (1994) • Upper Klamath Basin and Wood River Wetland Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan, 1996 INTRODUCTION Major restoration of the floodplain, delta and river channel of the lower Wood River began in 1996. These efforts were guided by the goals and objectives outlined in the Upper Klamath Basin and Wood River Wetland Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan, 1996 (RMP).
    [Show full text]
  • Life History and Monitoring of Upper Klamath- Agency Lakes Adfluvial Redband Trout
    Life History and Monitoring of Upper Klamath- Agency Lakes Adfluvial Redband Trout William R. Tinniswood (Author) Michael Harrington (Editor) Klamath Watershed District Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 2015 Introduction Spawning surveys are the primary monitoring tool for monitoring bull trout and anadromous fish species in Oregon (Jacobs et al. 2009, Gallagher et al. 2007, Jacobsen et al. 2014,). Randomized redd counts are utilized to monitor steelhead escapement on coastal Oregon tributaries (Jacobsen et al. 2014). Numerous studies of disparate salmonid species have shown positive significant relationships between redd counts and estimates of escapement (Gallagher et al. 2007), redd counts are strongly correlated with adult escapements (Dunham et al. 2001) and bull trout redd counts can detect a 50% decline in the population over 10 years (Howell and Sankovich 2012). However, redd counts can have significant sources of bias and error (Dunham et al. 2001), 5 year trends in redd counts can be misleading (Howell and Sankovich 2012) and redd counts should be conducted by experienced surveyors (Howell and Sankovich 2012, Muhlfield et al. 2006). The primary sources of spawning survey error include (Dunham et al. 2001, Holocek and Walters 2007). 1) Inexperienced and/or surveyor variability 2) Index surveys 3) Species overlap (ie. brown trout, brook trout, and hatchery rainbow trout) 4) Redd identification a. Test redds, b. Double counting , c. Omitting redds, d. Counting redds caused by hydraulic scour e. sample size otherwise known as number of spawning surveys conducted or redd age f. Superimposition g, substrate type, coloration, and productivity h. flow i. visibility j. habitat complexity k.
    [Show full text]
  • Wood River Osprey Platform Relocation___ CX Log #: CX-09-01 Project Location: Wood River Wetland T34S, R71/2E, Sect
    RECORD OF PLAN CONFORMANCE AND CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION (CX) DETERMINATION Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Project Name: _Wood River Osprey Platform Relocation___ CX Log #: CX-09-01 Project Location: Wood River Wetland_T34S, R71/2E, sect. 13 and 21 Lease or Serial #: _N/A____ BLM Office: Lakeview District, Klamath Falls Resource Area County: Klamath County, Oregon A. Backgound Description of Proposed Action: Use a chainsaw to fall the existing pole with an osprey platform on it just north of the Wood River Wetland pumping station. Transport the pole and platform with a tracked excavator to the other side of the wetland to a location along the 7-mile canal levy road, dig a hole, and re-plant the pole in the new location on the wetland (East) side of the 7- mile levy road. All digging would occur with an archaeologist or archaeology technician on site to monitor the excavation for cultural resources. Purpose and Need for the Project: The current platform is used annually by osprey, however, the nest is rarely successful. It is suspected that administrative visits to the wetland pump station and points north during the breeding season result in the female leaving the nest for periods of time long enough to fatally chill the eggs. Moving the pole/platform to a more remote area of the wetland will reduce breeding season disturbance and is expected to increase reproductive success of the osprey on the Wetland. Proposed Implementation: This project is expected to be implemented in the fall or early winter of 2008, and is expected to last 1 day.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation Strategy for Big Wood River Basin Wetlands
    CONSERVATION STRATEGY FOR BIG WOOD RIVER BASIN WETLANDS by Mabel Jankovsky-Jones Conservation Data Center June 1997 Idaho Department of Fish and Game Natural Resource Policy Bureau 600 South Walnut, P.O. Box 25 Boise, ID 83707 Stephen P. Mealey, Director Report prepared with funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency through Section 104(b) (3) of the Clean Water Act Grant No. CD990484-01-0 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................i LIST OF FIGURES........................................................ii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................ii LIST OF APPENDICES....................................................iii SUMMARY.............................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................iv INTRODUCTION ........................................................1 SURVEY AREA .........................................................2 STATUS OF WETLANDS..................................................3 National Wetlands Inventory...............................................3 Wetland Acreage ......................................................4 Wetland Types........................................................5 Wetland Ownership and Protected Status....................................7 Wetland Condition.......................................................10 Wetland Losses .......................................................10 Functional Shifts......................................................10
    [Show full text]
  • Klamath Falls Resource Area Plan Conformance/National Environmental Policy Act Compliance Record for Wood River Wetland Plan
    Klamath Falls Resource Area Plan Conformance/National Environmental Policy Act Compliance Record for Wood River Wetland Plan BLM Office: Klamath Falls Resource Area, Lakeview District (OR-014) Subject Planning Documents: Upper Klamath Basin and Wood River Wetland Record of Decision and Resource Management Plan (BLM/OR/WA/PL-96/010+1792); and Upper Klamath Basin and Wood River Wetland Final Environmental Impact Statement (BLM/OR/WA/PL- 95/030+1792); Klamath Falls Resource Area Plan Conformance Compliance Record 7/09/1997. Proposed Action Title/Type: Wood River Channel Restoration Project Location of Proposed Action: Lower .6 miles of Wood River. The project area includes portions of Township 34 South, Range 7 ½ East, Sections 36, approximately 25 miles north of Klamath Falls, Oregon, in Klamath County. Description of Proposed Action: The proposed action is to conduct an extension of the restoration work in the Wood River Channel involving instream work per Oregon Trout proposal dated May 5, 1997 (available for review in Klamath Falls BLM office). In the Upper Klamath Basin and Wood River Wetland Final Environmental Impact Statement, this work was identified as part of Alternatives B and C, for that portion of the river between the confluence of Crooked Creek and the bridge near Agency Lake. Engineering feasibility studies completed since the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) indicate that the proposal for stream channel restoration in Alternative D would be very costly without any guarantee of producing the desired results or meeting the stated plan objectives. Studies completed by a contractor for Oregon Trout, Inc. (available for inspection in the Klamath Falls Resource Area Office during normal working hours) now indicate that the stream channel restoration approach to re-establishing the historic meanders of the Wood River channel through its historic delta form is possible.
    [Show full text]
  • Wood River CEAP Final Report
    Wood River, Upper Klamath Basin, Oregon Conservation Effects Assessment Project Special Emphasis Watershed Final Report April 2010 Overview of the Wood River Valley in Oregon Prepared by the Oregon Natural Resources Conservation Service The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and, where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call Wood River CEAP 5/4/2010 i (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Foreword The Wood River CEAP study was initiated as a special emphasis watershed project in 2005 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). CEAP began in 2003 as a multi-agency effort to quantify the environmental benefits of conservation practices used by private landowners participating in selected United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs. Funding from CEAP has provided a unique opportunity to address current issues in the Wood River Watershed while also providing insights into the methodologies that can be used to measure the effectiveness of conservation in similar watersheds throughout the western United States.
    [Show full text]