CTUIR Grande Ronde Subbasin Restoration Project Summary FY2006
The CTUIR Grande Ronde Subbasin Restoration Project (199608300), initiated by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in 1996, is an ongoing effort to protect, enhance, and restore riparian and instream habitat for the  natural production of anadromous salmonids in the Grande Ronde River Subbasin.  Project activities are focused on enhancing and restoring critical juvenile rearing habitat with emphasis on promoting natural channel morphology and floodplain function, cold water refuge, and high quality aquatic habitat.

Primary techniques include a combination of passive and active strategies. Natural channel design (Rosgen 1996), large woody debris additions, road/railroad drainage improvement and obliteration/decommissioning, riparian exclosure fencing, off-channel water developments, and revegetation/bioengineering (tree, shrub, and grass planting) are habitat enhancement and restoration methods employed under this project to improve watershed conditions.

Individual projects contribute to and compliment basin-wide watershed restoration efforts currently underway by federal, tribal, and state agencies, and the Grande Ronde Model Watershed Program (GRMWP).  The focus of the project is to restore habitat for endangered Snake River spring/summer chinook and threatened summer steelhead, however other resident and migratory fish and wildlife benefit as well.  Maintenance and monitoring and evaluation are integral components of the project and are necessary to maintain habitat improvements and evaluate the progress of habitat development.  Monitoring efforts include conducting water quality monitoring, instream habitat and channel morphology surveys, vegetation plots, biological surveys, and photopoints.

In FY 2006, the CTUIR Grande Ronde Habitat Project will focus on implementing the End Creek Restoration Project and Meadow Creek Restoration Project.  These two projects are carryforward efforts initiated in 2005.  Planning, design, and environmental compliance efforts are near completion and ready for implementation during the contract period.  Planning and design will be initiated in 2006 for the Ladd Marsh Restoration project with survey and design getting underway.  Project construction is planned for 2007.

Maintenance and monitoring/evaluation will also be ongoing during FY 2006.

A total of $190,000 is being sought to perform watershed restoration-related tasks associated with several project areas.  Funds provided under this contract are utilized to conduct pre-project planning, project maintenance and monitoring and evaluation, and solicit/leverage cost share funding from other sources and ensure that beneficial projects are put on the ground in a timely manner.