Applegate River Watershed Assessment (1994)
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L -7 - - - . - " DOCUMENI OR Y/W29/4 .2Ap6x APPLEGATE WATERSHED ASSESSMENT Prepared for State of Oregon Watershed Health Program and Strategic Water Management Group Prepared by Applegate River Watershed Council November 1994 APPLEGATE WATERSHED ASSESSMENT NOVEMBER 1994 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTERS I INTRODUCTION II. WORKING ASSESSMENT III. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT STRATEGY IV. WATERSHED HEALTH STRATEGY V MONITORING PLAN VI. MECHANISM FOR UPDATING THE WATERSHED ASSESSMENT APPENDICES APPENDIX A LINKAGES TO EXISTING PROGRAMS APPENDIX B REVIEW OF PERTINENT REGULATIONS APPENDIX C COOPERATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING APPENDIX D BUILDING LOCAL CAPABILITIES: LONG TERM STRATEGY 35138 00ll4ll7ll0ll 3 5138 00497059 3 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Applegate Watershed Assessment is the initial step in providing a framework for the community to address many of the difficult natural resource issues we must face in the coming years. It is hoped that this initial step will lead to a process where by the community can come together to analyze issues and problems and develop and implement solutions. The objectives of this process are to: * enhance and restore the watershed for all species, including humans. * promote the recovery of anadromous fish stocks in the Rogue Basin by improving habitat conditions in the Applegate watershed. * involve the community in caring for their watershed. * provide educational opportunities. * prioritize our efforts. * provide avenues to accomplish our objectives. The watershed assessment was prepared by the Applegate River Watershed Council coordinating staff for the State of Oregon Watershed Health Program and the Strategic Water Management Group. Assistance was provided by the Watershed Health Field Team and Central Staff and many local experts. The imposed time constraints did not allow the involvement of community residents that we feel is essential. Public involvement in the refinement of the assessment and the development of a strategy for improving and maintaining health in the watershed will be initiated immediately and the findings generated by this outreach will be incorporated in the next, updated version of assessment. A preliminary draft of the assessment was reviewed by the watershed council and many other interested parties. The Applegate River Watershed Council consists of the Board of the Applegate Partnership and other interested community members. The Applegate Partnership is comprised of industry, conservation groups, research scientists and residents cooperating to protect and restore the health of the Applegate River watershed, and to provide economic and community health. All meetings are open to the public. The Partnership has focused predominantly on forest health issues since its inception in 1992. In its new role as the Applegate River Watershed Council, the focus is directed predominantly on the aquatic ecosystem; streams and the plants and animals they support. The consideration of all components in the watershed is necessary to ensure the health of the whole. The cooperative relationships developed by the Partnership over the last two years will make it much easier to implement solutions across ownership boundaries. Since a large portion of the watershed is managed by federal agencies, cooperation between private landowners and the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service is essential. This assessment is based on information which is available from the literature at this time. References are indicated by "(#, e.g. 1,2, etc.)" as they appear and are listed at the end of Introduction I 11194 each chapter. As new information or ideas are developed, they will be integrated. Information gleaned from accounts of residents regarding current and historic conditions will be integrated with this information. Results derived from current studies and monitoring will also be used to update the assessment. The long term goal of the assessment is to evaluate all components of the watershed from ridgetop to ridgetop. It is important to note that the integrity of streams depends on the integrity of riparian and upland areas, and that individual species influence processes in many ways that feed back to help maintain ecological health. Species, stands, streams, landscapes, and regions compose an inter-linked system in which the health of the parts cannot be considered separately from the health of the whole. Additionally, we must recognize that the ever-growing human needs have increased the pressure on the ecosystem to provide clean water, increased water supply, forest products, game and other wildlife, and adequate habitat for the total diversity of life; including humans (1). At this time, the focus of this assessment is on fisheries. Assessments of other resources will be developed as time permits. This document will focus entirely on inland watershed conditions and restoration potential, however it is important to note that ocean conditions play a strong role in fishery management and that these are outside the scope of this assessment and our area of potential influence. This preliminary assessment provides the basis for developing a strategy for maintaining and improving healthy conditions in the watershed. The evolution of this document and process could take many different paths. The involvement of residents from many different backgrounds will provide a wide range of insights and recommendations which will enhance the development of possible solutions in the watershed. REFERENCES (1) USDA Forest Service, Rogue River and Siskiyou National Forests and PNW Research Station/USDI Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, 1994, Applegate Adaptive Management Area Ecosystem Health Assessment. Introduction 2 11194 F_- - CHAPTER II WORKING ASSESSMENT WATERSHED CHARACTERIZATION GEOGRAPHIC SETTING The Applegate watershed is an important part of the diverse 3,300,000 acre (5,156 square mile) Rogue River Basin. Map I shows the location of the Applegate watershed within the Rogue Basin. The 493,000 acre (770 square mile) Applegate watershed includes lands in Jackson County (approximately 410 square miles) and Josephine County (approx- imately 270 square miles) of Oregon and in Siskiyou County (approximately 90 square miles) of California. The watershed is located on the northeastern flank of the Siskiyou Mountains in southwestern Oregon. This is one of the most biologically, botanically and geologically diverse areas in the country. The watershed is steep and rugged, ranging in elevation from 850 feet to 7,418 feet (1). Numerous small watersheds flow into the Applegate River which flows into the Rogue River near Grants Pass. Map 2 shows the rural communities, primary tributaries and peaks in the Applegate watershed.(2) There are no incorporated towns within the watershed. Major communities include Wilderville, Wonder, Murphy, Provolt, Williams, Applegate, Ruch and McKee Bridge. The watershed contains about 700 miles of streams.( l) Issues: The watershed is large, spans several political jurisdictions, and has no central meeting place, means of distributing information, or governing entity. GEOLOGY The Applegate River drainage basin contains some of the oldest (150-250 million years) and most complex geologic assemblages along the U.S. West Coast. Plate I is a generalized geologic map of the Applegate watershed. Bedrock is composed of intrusive and metamorphic rock types which have been faulted, folded and broadly uplifted. Major rock types in the headwaters include granite, graphite/mica schist, serpentine, and medium-grade metamorphosed sedimentary formations. The vast majority of bedrock found in middle and lowland portions of the basin is composed of weakly metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Notable exceptions are the large granitic intrusion located near the confluence with the Rogue River and the large granitic pluton underlying the Williams Valley (3). The sediment produced from granitic terrain contains mostly coarse sandy material with little gravel, cobbles and boulders. Deposited granitic sands are usually tightly packed and Assessment I 11 1.94 Rogue Basin Watershed Boundaries MA P 1 r'd -2 Watershed meters APPLEGATE 0 30000 60000 ILLINOIS LOWER ROGUE MIDDLE ROGUE W1 UPPER ROGUE Bureau of Land Mlanagemenl- 311, I.S. Foreg Semilee- 3PMI MAP2 lack void space needed by many aquatic forms (4). Granitic soils are very susceptible to surface erosion and debris slides (4) (5). Narrow bands of serpentine bedrock have very cobbly, clayey soils with a distinct plant community. When vegetation is removed it is often difficult to reestablish because of a nutrient imbalance (5). The low shear strength of fresh serpentine and the clayey nature of weathered serpentine makes these areas very susceptible to landsliding. The more widespread metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks are generally more stable, however some soil types developed on these rock types are susceptible to high erosion rates (6). Most of the Applegate watershed today is characterized by highly dissected mountain slopes with long, steep, narrow canyons that have been carved into the rugged terrain by high gradient drainage. Steeper slopes in the middle and upper elevations are noted for their relatively high rates of mass wasting and erosion. In general, high erosion rates on the steep slopes cause soil profiles to be relatively thin and rocky. Major valleys have broad gently sloping landscapes with river valley bottoms characterized by extensive accumulations of river deposits. Issues: Steep slopes and rock types which are