Sandy River Basin Partners Short Term Restoration Plan Long Term Restoration Strategy Clackamas County Northwest Steelheaders Columbia Land Trust Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Metro Portland Water Bureau East Multnomah SWCD Sandy River Basin Mt. Hood National Forest Watershed Council Multnomah County The Freshwater Trust National Marine Fisheries U.S. Bureau of Land Service Management The Nature Conservancy Western Rivers Conservancy Strategic vs. Opportunistic 80 : 20 split example: Henry and Conway Creek Culverts Partnership + Strategy = Over $10 million in restoration investment since 2007 We know where we need to go and how to get there in both the short and long term Money is the limiting factor: an additional $51.5 million is needed Assessment and Strategy Restoration Plan & Implementation Salmon River side channels Salmon River side channel 1 MQ Island Log Jam Salmon River –Side Channel 1a Salmon River – Side Channel 5a HV log jams at high flow 1. Reconnecting Habitats: 10,000 juvenile coho and 3,500 juvenile steelhead rearing annually in restored side channels Adult Coho are also spawning in side channels 2.Restore River Processes August 2013 April 2014 23 log jams:10 to 70 trees each Substantial large wood recruitment: reduced transport out of the reach Log jams have increased availability of spawning gravel 2012 = Steelhead Nirvana! 2009 – Pre-project Spawning gravel is most available near log jams 4. In-stream actions to improve fish habitat: Juvenile densities at log jams are 5X greater than that of main channel pools without large wood • From snorkel surveys of log jams in summer 2014 Still Creek Restoration Location Still Creek is located on the Zigzag Ranger District of the Mt. Hood National Forest in Northwest Oregon near the town of Rhododendron. The watershed area is over 21 square miles and extends about 14 miles from its headwaters on the flank of Mt. Hood to its confluence with the Zigzag River which is a tributary to the Sandy River. Still Creek is designated as critical habitat for threatened lower Columbia River coho, spring Chinook, and winter steelhead and 1 of 2 Watershed Restoration Action Plans (WRAP) identified on the Mt. Hood National Forest. Description Though still relatively productive, the aquatic and floodplain habitat of Still Creek has been impaired by the legacy effects of land use. Large floods in the 1960’s caused flood damage to nearby summer cabins and other infrastructure, which resulted in the US Army Corp of Engineers, US Forest Service and others removing large wood and boulders from the river channel. That work simplified the river corridor and led to increased hydraulic efficiency resulting in high velocities and shear stress within the channel. Still Creek pre-1964 cleanout Bulldozer removing wood and boulders from Still Creek main channel. 1964 Overall habitat diversity and complexity was reduced by removing roughness, overhanging cover, and lateral floodplain connectivity. Side channels, meanders, wood jams with scour pools, and pool tail-outs crucial to providing habitat for salmon and steelhead were lost. Past timber harvest along with recreation and road building activities converted the project area floodplain from conifers to deciduous species reducing natural inputs of large wood. The long term goal of the Still Creek restoration is to accelerate the recovery of naturally functioning conditions within stream channels and riparian areas and restore production of juvenile and adult coho salmon, spring Chinook Still Creek post- 1964 cleanout salmon, winter steelhead and cutthroat trout. Still Creek Reach Delineation Nine reaches (RM 1.78 to 8.05) based on physical surveys, contour map analysis, LiDAR data, and aerial photography. Restoration goalsRhododendron and objectives were developed for each reach based on current physical conditions, hydraulic equation predictions, and reference reaches. 20 Road Bridge Zigzag River Cabins Reach Mars Attacks Reach Cool Creek Straights Pumpkin Patch ReachCompression Reach Reach Elder Growth Reach Headwaters Canyon Reach Nirvana Reach From 2012 to 2014, the Forest Service and Sandy River Basin Partners have concentrated in reaches with the most potential to increase salmon and steelhead production. To address the main limiting factor for salmonid production in Still Creek, we substantially increased floodplain connectivity for juvenile rearing and refugia. Straights Reach Compression Reach Cabins Reach Elder Growth Reach Cool Creek Reach Mars Attacks Reach Canyon Reach Pumpkin Patch Reach Headwaters Restoration by Nirvana Reach year 2012 Compression Reach Mainstem channel Side channel created Berm removed Large wood jam RM 3.4 • 250 pieces large wood • 12 large wood jams • 1.54 miles new side channels • 50 feet berms removed RM 3.95 • 0.4 miles main channel enhanced • 20 acres floodplain reconnection • 200 native trees planted 2013 Straight and Accomplishments Compression reaches • 120 pieces of large wood • 4 large wood jams • 1,005 feet new side channels in Straights • 631 feet new side channels in Compression • 200 feet of berms removed RM 3.14 RM 3.4 Mainstem channel Side channel created Berm removed Large wood jam 2013 Pumpkin • 230 pieces large wood Patch Reach • 16 large wood jams RM 4.6 • 5,067 ft of new side channels • 1,807 ft old skid roads decommissioned • 180 feet of berms removed Mainstem channel New side channel Berm removed Road removed Large wood jam RM 5.0 Bridge Mainstem 2014 Upper Cabins Reach New side channel Berm removed Large wood jam • 130 pieces of large wood installed 10 whole trees cabled over • Cool Creek • 9 large wood jams • 700 ft of new side channel • 1,200 ft of main channel enhancement • 2,220 ft of side channel enhancement • 4 acres of floodplain reconnection • 1 acre of dispersed campsite area restored 2014 Pumpkin Patch Reach Mainstem channel Side channel created Berm removed Large wood jam RM 4.4 Bridge • 80 pieces of large wood installed • 8 whole trees cabled over • 7 wood jams • 1,230 feet of new side channel RM 4.6 • 900 feet of main channel enhancement • 450 feet of side channel enhancement • 200 feet of berms removed • 4 acres of floodplain reconnection • 2 acres of dispersed campsite area restored Mainstem 2014 Headwaters Nirvana Reach channel Large wood jam RM 6.5 Bridge Trib A RM 7.3 Bridge Accomplishments: • 76 whole trees cabled over • 17 wood jams Trib B • 6,010 ft of main channel enhancement Trib C • 5 acres of floodplain reconnection 2013 Straights photo point Partners 1 August 2013; 8:00 a.m. 1 August 2013; 1:00 p.m. 1 August 2013; 5:00 p.m. 2 August 2013; 9:00 a.m. Monitoring: Pre- and post- •Cross sections •Longitudinal profiles •Pebble counts •Photo points •Level II surveys Continuous •Spawning surveys •Smolt out-migration Mainstem Sandy Restoration Priorities Sandy Mainstem Actions Upper/Middle Sandy Lower Sandy (Oxbow- Dabney) Sandy Delta Middle/Upper Sandy EDT Targets – Sandy 7 Sandy-Salmon Confluence Columbia Land Trust Floodplain Lower Sandy Lower Sandy (Sandy 1-2) Projects Five five priority projects Side channel, floodplain reconnections Two completed ‘Don’t fink the mink’ Completed: Happy Creek, Camp Collins Sandy Delta Sandy Delta Floodplain reforestation Slough reconnection (LCEP) East Channel Reconnection Public involvement Sandy Delta Reconnected Channel Salmon River Done Left Needed Raised Passage barriers 100% 0% 0 0 Side channel and 91% 9% $1.4 M $1.0 M off-channel Road 100% 0% 0 0 decommissioning Riparian 21% 79% $1.6 M $325,000 restoration Large wood 35% 65% $8.6 M $1.6 M placement, pool & pool tail out habitat Still Creek Done Left Needed Raised Passage barriers 10% 90% $200,000 $0 Side channel and 32% 68% $1.5 M $200,000 off-channel Road 100% 0% 0 0 decommissioning Riparian 15% 85% $160,000 $110,000 restoration Large wood 19% 81% $1.3 M $200,000 placement, pool & pool tail out habitat Mainstem Sandy Done Left Needed Raised Passage barriers 100% 0% $0 $0 Side channel and 10% 90% $7.5 M $2.8 M off-channel Road 100% 0% $0 $0 decommissioning Riparian 40% 60% $8.5 M $600,000 restoration Large wood 0% 100% $3.8 M $0 placement, pool & pool tail out habitat Partnership + Strategy = Over $10 million in restoration investment since 2007 We know where we need to go and how to get there in both the short and long term Money is the limiting factor: an additional $51.5 million is needed .