RAINWATER WILDLIFE AREA Watershed Management Plan A Columbia Basin Wildlife Mitigation Project March 2002 Prepared By Allen B. Childs Confederated Tribes Umatilla Indian Reservation Department Natural Resources Wildlife Program For United States Department of Energy Bonneville Power Administration CONTRACT NUMBER 95BI49407 CONFEDERATED TRIBES BONNEVILLE POWER UMATILLA INDIAN RESERVATION ADMINISTRATION TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................... 1 Project Area Description and Location.......................................................................................................................... 1 Purpose and Need ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 Project Goals and Objectives ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Goals..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Biological Objectives.......................................................................................................................................... 5 Wildlife Mitigation Species Objectives ................................................................................................................. 5 Fisheries and Watershed Objectives ................................................................................................................... 6 Guiding Policies and Management Direction ................................................................................................................. 6 Northwest Power Planning Council & Bonneville Power Administration....................................................................... 6 Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation............................................................................................ 7 Common Elements and Assumptions ........................................................................................................................... 8 CTUIR Responsibilities and Obligations ........................................................................................................................ 8 Federal and State Laws and Regulations ...................................................................................................................... 8 Public Access.............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Right of Ways and Landowner Access .......................................................................................................................... 9 Relationship to Other Planning Efforts.......................................................................................................................... 9 Coordination and Public Involvement ......................................................................................................................... 10 Project Area Historical Overview ................................................................................................................................ 12 Rainwater Ranch Ownership History .......................................................................................................................... 12 Past Management Activities and Uses ........................................................................................................................ 12 Land Use and Zoning ................................................................................................................................................ 12 II. KEY ISSUES............................................................................................................................................. 13 1. Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat Mitigation .................................................................................................................. 13 2. Fish Habitat and Watershed Health....................................................................................................................... 13 3. Native Plant Communities, Noxious Weed Control, and Competing and Unwanted Vegetation .................................. 14 4. Recreation and Public Access................................................................................................................................ 14 III. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND EXISTING CONDITIONS ................................................................. 15 Physical Setting ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 Climate .................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Soils ........................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Vegetation ............................................................................................................................................................... 16 Plant Communities and Associations .......................................................................................................................... 16 Forestland Cover Type.......................................................................................................................................... 19 Grass and Shrubland Cover Type........................................................................................................................... 20 Riparian Cover Type ............................................................................................................................................. 22 Historic Range of Variability ...................................................................................................................................... 24 Noxious Weeds and Competing and Unwanted Vegetation .......................................................................................... 26 Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat ...................................................................................................................................... 27 General................................................................................................................................................................ 27 Target Wildlife Mitigation Species .......................................................................................................................... 27 State of Washington Priority Species and Habitat ................................................................................................... 28 Fisheries and Watershed Resources........................................................................................................................... 32 Drainage and Stream Classification (Typing ........................................................................................................... 32 Fish Populations ................................................................................................................................................... 34 Habitat Conditions................................................................................................................................................ 35 Fish Passage ........................................................................................................................................................ 36 Screens and Diversions......................................................................................................................................... 36 Riparian Condition ................................................................................................................................................ 36 Streambank Condition .......................................................................................................................................... 37 Floodplain Connectivity ......................................................................................................................................... 37 Width/Depth Ratio................................................................................................................................................ 37 Substrate Embeddedness...................................................................................................................................... 37 Large Woody Debris ............................................................................................................................................. 38 Pool Frequency .................................................................................................................................................... 38 Pool Quality ......................................................................................................................................................... 38 Off-Channel Habitat.............................................................................................................................................