A. Background:

The Upper Grande Ronde River is spawning and rearing habitat for Snake River Basin summer steelhead, Snake River Basin spring chinook salmon, bull trout and redband trout.  East Fork Grande Ronde River provides habitat for rearing spring/summer chinook, spawning and rearing steelhead, and redband trout.  The summer steelhead, spring/summer chinook and bull trout are federally listed under ESA as threatened species.  Redband trout are on the Regional Forester's Sensitive Species List.
  
The valley bottom of the Upper Grande Ronde River is forested, and riparian vegetation consists of shrub species, primarily alder, with grasses and scattered sedges.  Conifers consist of lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, western larch, and some ponderosa pine.  Historic timber harvest and dredge mining has removed larger conifers from the valley bottom, reducing the future recruitment of large wood debris to the stream. Gold mining, utilizing a dredge, was conducted in 1940 and 1941.  The dredge turned the riparian area and floodplain over and created tailing piles that in many cases cross the valley floor and extend toe slope to toe slope. Some riparian vegetation, primarily lodgepole pine, has reestablished, but the tailing piles have constricted the river channel, pushed it to one side of the valley floor and simplified the channel disconnecting the river from its floodplain.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the Wallowa Whitman cooperated with Bonneville Power Administration to add structural complexity to the Upper Grande Ronde from the Woodley Campground area to the E.F. Grande Ronde River.  Large wood structural elements were added to the river channel creating large, deep pools.  Very little alteration of the tailing piles was conducted leaving the river and floodplain connection in its altered condition.


B.  Purpose and Need

Mine Tailings

As mentioned above, the Upper Grande Ronde River was mined with a dredge in 1940 and 1941.  This caused damage to floodplain function, habitat complexity, pool quality and quantity, riparian vegetation, stream shading, and instream channel function.  Since the 1940s, there has been some natural recovery to the stream channel and floodplain.  In addition, restoration activities occurred in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s to add large wood structural elements to the channel and close Woodley Campground.  However, the restoration activities completed did not address floodplain function, riparian vegetation, and stream shading.  Many of the structures placed in the channel have caused juvenile passage problems and in some cases, changes to the stream channel dimension, pattern and profiles.  A majority of the large woody material is rotting away with little recruitment available in the near future.   Dispersed campgrounds are causing some effects to the riparian vegetation and channel function.  The roads within the floodplain are potential erosion concerns and cause effects to floodplain function and riparian vegetation.  As a result of the existing condition, the purpose of this project is to address ecological needs to:  

• Improve floodplain connectivity.
• Improve water capture, storage and safe release within the floodplain.
• Increase quality and quantity of pools within Upper Grande Ronde River.
• Increase fish cover.
• Increase habitat complexity.
• Increase forage availability.
• Increase residual pool depth.
• Lower or partially remove log weirs that prevent juvenile fish passage at low flows.
• Restore stream channel dimension, pattern and profile.
• Increase number of large and medium pieces of large woody material (LWM) in the stream.
• Increase spawning gravel recruitment.
• Increase stream shading.
• Improve riparian/wetland communities.
• Decrease potential recreation impacts.


C.  Proposed Action  

The Upper Grande Ronde Mine Tailings Restoration Project would remove and/or redistribute mine tailings as far away from the wetted edge of the upper Grande Ronde River (within the project area boundaries) (2.75 stream miles).    Seeding and mulching would occur through out the entire project area.    

Phase II of the project is proposed for funding in 2010.  Phase II of the project would include the following.   Wood would be placed within the entire 4.7 miles of the upper Grande Ronde River.  Two roads and two dispersed sites would be obliterated and restored.  Six other dispersed sites would continue to provide recreation, but would have defined access points through strategic boulder placement.  Seeding and planting would occur through out the entire project area.    


D.  Desired Condition


Floodplain Connectivity:  The desired future condition is a floodplain that is functional and connected with the main channel of the Upper Grande Ronde River.  A functional floodplain should improve the capture, storage and safe release of water, which could increase flows during the low flow period and decrease stream temperatures.  In addition, a restored floodplain should contribute to increased fish habitat complexity; riparian vegetation recruitment, growth and vigor; increased forage availability; improved channel dimension, pattern and profile; and future recruitment of LWM and spawning gravel.

Habitat Complexity:  The desired future condition is a stream channel with an array of complex habitat features, resulting in fish habitat that is optimum for threatened, sensitive and native aquatic species.

Riparian Vegetation:  The desired future condition is a diverse riparian plant community that would provide optimum floodplain function, stream shade and LWM recruitment.

Threatened, sensitive and native aquatic species populations:  The desired future condition is to have optimum habitat with limited anthropogenic effects to contribute to healthy populations of threatened, sensitive and native aquatic species populations.