This project is part of a region-wide effort to protect and restore anadromous fish habitat in the Grande Ronde Subbasin.  Funds secured under this contract will be administered by the CTUIR under contract #26835 (CTUIR Grande Ronde Subbasin Restoration Project).  Contract funds will be utilized for project construction and cost-shared approximately 50/50 with NRCS wetland reserve program funds.  Environmental compliance requirements are nearly completed for this project.  Consultation on ESA species and the DSL permit is completed.  Project sponsors and BPA are awaiting SHPO clearance for cultural resources and USCOE is awaiting SHPO clearance prior to issuing their permit.  

Basin managers have identified instream and riparian habitat protection and enhancement as a critical element in restoring fish populations.  Reduced quantity and quality of pool habitat, poor riparian conditions, high summer stream temperatures, and streambank erosion are some of the primary limiting factors identified in the planning documents and references listed below:

--Grande Ronde River Subbasin- Salmon and Steelhead Production Plan, Columbia Basin System Planning, ODFW, CTUIR, NPT, WDF, WDW. 1990.
--Grande Ronde River Basin: Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Improvement Initiatives, CTUIR, 1983.  
--Grande Ronde River Basin Fish Habitat Improvement Implementation Plan, ODFW, 1988.
--UGR River Anadromous Fish Habitat Protection, Restoration, and Monitoring Plan, USFS, PNFRES, ODFW, CRITFC, CTUIR, NPT, OSU, 1992.
--CTUIR - Columbia Basin Salmon Policy, 1995.  
--NMFS-Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan (8/97 draft), Chap.4, pg. 61, 1997.  
--Stream and Riparian Conditions in the Grande Ronde Basin: A Report to the G.R. Model Watershed Board, Huntington, 1993.  
--Grande Ronde Subbasin Plan, NPPC2004.

Project Goals and Objectives:

The goal of the project is to restore the natural floodplain processes and functions of a wetland complex along Meadow Creek.  Important conditions considered in this project include a stable channel morphology, beaver colonization, habitat complexity and diversity, and water quality.  The following objectives will be achieved.

1. Increase base flow depth in the reach, increase flooding frequency and connection between the channel and the meadow, and restore the historic wetland - channel complex.
2. Increase stream channel sinuosity, diversity, length, and geomorphic stability while decreasing channel gradient.
3. Restore hydrophytic plant communities to provide shade and channel/floodplain stability and function.
4. Increase surface water and shallow ground water interaction by enhancing floodplain connection to improve water quality (cold water refuge and increased winter stream temperature).
5. Enhance summer and winter utilization of restored wetland-channel segments by anadromous fish.

Project Description:

The Meadow Creek project is part of the McCoy Meadows Restoration Project complex initiated in 1997 and is a continuation of a multi-agency effort to address habitat limiting factors for anadromous fish in the lower reaches of McCoy and Meadow Creek.  The primary strategy of the project involves construction of a restoration channel network to re-activate the abandoned floodplain downstream of the McIntyre Road bridge on Meadow Creek, enhance and expand an existing wetland beaver complex, and enhance instream habitat complexity along the existing Meadow Creek reach to achieve the objectives identified above. The entire 450 acre project area is enrolled under a perpetual conservation easement in the Wetlands Reserve Program.  Project planning has been ongoing since late 2004 and permitting and construction preparation is near completion.  Project construction is scheduled to begin in June with completion in August 2006.

Existing Conditions:

The Meadow Creek reach in the project area supports summer steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), resident rainbow/redband trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss gibbsi), Mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni), and non-game fish (sculpin, dace, shiner, chislemouth sunfish, and bullhead catfish).   Suitable spawning habitat exists for steelhead in the existing condition and the project reach is utilized for winter and limited summer rearing habitat.  Adult spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) are not known to be present in the project reach, although a few juvenile Chinook have been observed in McCoy Creek.  Historic evidence suggests that Meadow Creek once supported adult Chinook salmon.  There are no records of adult bull trout in Meadow Creek, and juvenile use is extremely rare.  Historic land uses include timber harvest, road and railroad construction, agriculture, and livestock grazing.  Railroad lines and associated bridges were constructed in the floodplain in the 1920's and although the railroad has been abandoned, floodplain connectivity remains constrained and altered within the project area.  Roads, railroads, bridges, grazing, and other cultural practices have altered channel morphology, decreased channel stability, altered and/or removed wetlands, and reduced complex instream habitat.  Groundwater elevations range from 3-8 feet below the meadow surface based on monitoring well data.  Channel width to depth ratio on Meadow Creek is high (40-53), there is a lack of hydrophytic vegetation, and water temperatures exceed suitable conditions for cold water fish.  Winter icing and lack of large, complex pool habitat limits salmonid winter habitat.

Primary habitat limiting factors include:

·High summer water temperatures
·Limited large pool habitat and pool to pool spacing
·High width:depth ratio
·Limited floodplain access for overbank flow
·Limited hydrophytic (riparian and wetland) vegetation

Project area is located between road at lower left of photo downstream to upper right corner of photo.  McCoy Creek is the upper tributary shown on the photo.  Note meandering channels and presence of roads, railroads, and agricultural fields.  

Project Benefits:

Fish Habitat - Increased availability of complex and diverse habitat for anadromous and resident salmonids.  Approximately 0.5 miles of meandering channel, reactivation of floodplain, and structural additions to Meadow Creek will increase habitat suitability by increasing habitat complexity (pools, woody debris, structure), off-channel rearing habitat, and availability of cold water refuge.  

Water Quality - Increased floodplain connectivity, hyporheic exchange, stable channel morphology, and decreased width:depth ratio/increased riparian/wetland plant communities will moderate diurnal water temperature fluctuations and increase availability of cold water refuge.  Sediment management and routing will also be improved as the channel and floodplain are converted to a more stable form.  The area for sediment deposition and bank building processes will be enhanced as connectivity between the active channel and floodplain/meadow is improved.

Wetland Habitat - increased habitat suitability for wetland and riparian dependent wildlife, including habitat for yellow warbler and spotted frog.  Approximately 80 acres of wetland will be restored or enhanced.  

Landowner/Federal WRP/Grande Ronde Subbasin Plan - Project meets landowner land management objectives.  Project promotes objectives of WRP and perpetual conservation easement.  Project is located in a priority geographic area as identified in the Subbasin Plan for Upper Grande Ronde River/Meadow Creek.  

Project Maintenance/Enhancement:

Fence maintenance, weed monitoring and control, and project effectiveness monitoring will be the cooperative responsibility of the landowner, NRCS (WRP), CTUIR and ODFW.  These are cost-share activities and will not require additional funds.  Funds for extraordinary work such as structure repair or planting will be pursued at the time additional work is identified and a plan is developed.