Contract History:
The Restore McComas Meadows/Meadow Creek Watershed (1996-077-05) has been an ongoing project of the Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Watershed Program since 1996.  This project is being completed in cooperation with the Nez Perce National Forest (NPNF).  The ultimate goal of the project is to restore the physical and biological characteristics of the watershed to provide quality habitat for anadromous and resident fish species that support the historical, cultural and economic practices of the Nez Perce Tribe.  The Meadow Creek watershed contains proposed critical habitat for listed species steelhead trout, potential critical habitat for bull trout, and has moderate habitat potential for spring Chinook salmon.  Restoration in this watershed focuses on restoring riparian processes by addressing increased water temperatures, increased sedimentation, cattle grazing affects, fish passage issues, and noxious weed infestations.  Previously completed contract work includes 4 culvert replacements, 37 miles of road decommissioning, installation of riparian vegetation cages, over 33,500 riparian trees planted, installation and maintenance of 5 miles of fence, re-contouring of the McComas Meadow ditch, and continued monitoring and evaluation and revegetation surveys.
  
Summary of FY 2008 and 2009 Contract Work:
This project is part of the Nez Perce National Forest-Nez Perce Tribe Watershed Restoration Partnership with in kind contributions from the Nez Perce National Forest.  This year's contract work will include:

A) Technical review for road decommissioning-
Road densities in the Meadow Creek watershed are 4.6 miles per square mile, the highest road density in the South Fork Clearwater subbasin (USDA Forest Service 1998).  In FY 08 up to 20 miles of roads within Meadow Creek will be decommissioned, and in FY 09 up to 22 miles of roads within Whitman Creek and 16 miles in False Creek will be decommissioned.  Road decommissioning includes pre-treatment of existing noxious weeds, re-contouring roads back to natural topography, removing all culverts, re-sloping water crossings to natural gradient, the installation of water bars, and de-compacting landing areas and skid trails which will reduce surface erosion and sediment delivery to streams.  The Forest Service (Nez Perce National Forest) will decommission these roads under a separate BPA-NPNF contract of this project, and the Nez Perce Tribe will assist in bid package preparation, contractor selection, technical oversight, final inspection, and the associated project implementation/effectiveness monitoring and evaluation.  
                                                                                                                                                                                    
B) Riparian planting-
Re-vegetation efforts have been ongoing in McComas Meadows since 2000 and have been successful.  However, Meadow Creek and its tributaries within McComas Meadows consist of over four miles of stream length, which was practically devoid of vegetation in the 1990s.  Additional plantings are warranted to provide a healthy, functioning riparian zone that provides shade to the stream, which will reduce lethal stream temperatures.  In FY 08 we will plant an estimated 2,500 native riparian trees within the McComas Meadow area.  In FY 09 we will also plant an estimated 2,500 native riparian trees within the McComas Meadow area.  Species of trees to be planted include Drummond willow, Thinleaf alder, and Red osier dogwood.
  
C) Fence maintenance-
Five miles of fence were constructed in 1997 of wooden posts and a combination of rails and four-strand barbed wire to isolate and protect McComas Meadows.  Due to heavy snow loads, annual maintenance is required to maintain a properly functioning fence that protects riparian and stream habitat.

D) Completion of design for future road decommissioning and riparian restoration-
Designs are a cooperative effort between the NPT and the NPNF.  The Forest Service and the Tribe gather the necessary field data and establish project staking and identification in the field.  Generally the NPNF takes the lead, and the Nez Perce Tribe reviews and approves all designs before being solicited for bids on construction and restoration projects.  Road decommissioning and the associated habitat restoration will reduce surface erosion and sediment delivery to streams and increase bank stability while shading the water and reducing stream temperatures.  The Whitman Creek road decommissioning project has been previously proposed and identified for treatment.  Designs will be completed under this contract, and implementation will follow in FY 09.  The False Creek road decommissioning project has also been previously proposed and identified for treatment.  Plant surveys, cultural surveys, and designs will be completed under this contract, and implementation will follow in FY 2010.

E) Management plan for controlling McComas meadows noxious weeds and restoring native vegetation-
McComas Meadows is a 600 acre grassland meadow centrally located in the Meadow Creek drainage.  Exotic, invasive weed populations within the meadow are extensive because the critical habitat and conditions of the meadow have been altered due to past management activities including excessive grazing, haying, timber harvest, and road building.  In FY 08/09 a management plan will be developed by the NPT and NPNF to begin controlling noxious weed infestations, and to restore native vegetation within McComas Meadows.  

F) Continued monitoring and evaluation-
Project effectiveness monitoring:  A monitoring protocol for culvert replacements will track the status of habitat within and around the culvert, as well as the stream channel's reaction to the newly installed culvert.  Monitoring for culvert replacements includes ocular fish surveys above and below culverts, channel grade, in-culvert substrate, and profile measurements. A report on the success of previously and newly installed culverts will be completed.  Culvert replacement monitoring has been ongoing since 2005.  Per the protocol, culvert replacement monitoring in Meadow Creek is scheduled for the Covert Creek culvert for FY 08.

Project effectiveness monitoring:  The Nez Perce National Forest and the Nez Perce Tribe have developed a monitoring plan for decommissioned roads.  Data is used to monitor success and for suggesting improvements that could be made.  The annual monitoring plan has established numerous monitoring sites for all roads that have been obliterated and establishes a timetable for subsequent monitoring.  Specifically in Meadow Creek evaluation of approximately 37 miles of obliterated roads will be accomplished by collecting monitoring data at five different sample sites as shown in the WE location.  Data collected for Road Obliteration Monitoring and Evaluation includes the following: locate and evaluate new mass failures, record and evaluate points of surface erosion, evaluate re-vegetation coverage and succession to native plants, measure stream channel restoration and adjustment, and evaluate whether the treatment applied was appropriate for the land type.  Periodic monitoring has been done at these sites since FY 2004 per the protocol.

Status and Trend Monitoring: A monitoring protocol for selected stream habitat reaches will track the status and trend of Meadow Creek. Information will be collected on fish abundance and distribution, macro-invertebrates, flow, temperature, sediment composition, and habitat parameters to include channel morphology, valley width index, Wolman Pebble counts, cobble embeddedness, large woody debris, bank stability, and riparian condition and density.  This data will be summarized into a monitoring report, showing trends of conditions as a result of watershed restoration activities.  Five reaches on Meadow Creek are scheduled for monitoring in FY 08.  Monitoring for some of the parameters at these reaches began in FY 1997 and periodic monitoring has occurred annually since 1997.