Contract History:

Beginning in 2000, this project evolved from the 1996 Newsome Creek Haysfork Gloryhole Project (one of the original Clearwater Early Action projects).  This comprehensive restoration effort focuses on mitigating and restoring limiting factors to fisheries production.  The primary limiting factors are excessive sedimentation into the spawning and rearing areas of streams, and the lack of available habitat and habitat connectivity.  These limiting factors result from forest management activities, specifically road building (watershed has very high road densities), and mining.  

Completed contract work includes the completion of the Newsome Creek Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed Scale (EAWS), road condition surveys completed for entire watershed (approximately 220 miles), 6 miles of road decommissioning, culvert/stream crossing inventories completed for all high priority sites, Newsome Creek Channel Restoration Feasibility Study, and the nearly completed NEPA process for Newsome Creek Watershed Restoration Project.  

This project has been, and is still currently a part of the Nez Perce National Forest - Nez Perce Tribe Watershed Restoration Partnership.  Since the project’s inception, we have shared project planning, costs, and implementation responsibilities.  

Summary of FY 06 Contract Implementation:

FY 06 contract implementation will include the technical oversight and associated project implementation/effectiveness monitoring and evaluation of approximately 2.5 miles of road improvement, and the replacement of the Mare Creek Culvert (located on FS Road #1826) which will be implemented by the Forest Service (Nez Perce National Forest) under a separate contract of this project.  In addition, the Newsome Stream Restoration final design will be completed during the CY 2007 field season (although funds for this are from the previous, FY 05 contract).  

The previously decommissioned and newly improved roads, culvert replacements, and the overall stream habitat will be monitored and evaluated in order to determine the success of the watershed restoration efforts.