Implement habitat protection, enhancement, and recovery strategies to support Subbasin Plan identified ESA focal, cultural significant and species of interest recovery in the Tucannon Subbasin.  Tucannon Stream and Riparian Protection, Enhancement, and Restoration Project, implemented by the Columbia Conservation District, will address riparian recovery/maintenance and instream habitat quantity and diversity, the primary aquatic habitat limiting attributes identified thru EDT analysis in the Tucannon Subbasin.

Riparian recovery/maintenance, a critical management objective, addressing the broadest diversity of limiting attributes in identified priority restoration and protection geographic areas will be addressed through CREP contract time extensions. Biological objective diversity, reduced embeddedness, LWD recruitment, primary pools, riparian recovery, and temperature addressed with this strategy, benefit ESA and cultural significant focal species, spring and fall Chinook, steelhead and bull trout, during their respective key life stages throughout the watershed.  Accumulated restoration/protection geographic areas, Pataha/Marengo thru Mountain Tucannon matches NOAA’s Major Spawning Aggregation designation, (MSA), Pataha/Marengo to Tucannon Mouth and Lower Pataha match NOAA’s Minor Spawning Aggregation designations (mSA).

Instream habitat quantity and diversity project focus is within identified priority restoration geographic areas, Pataha/Marengo thru Mountain Tucannon (NOAA MSA).  Projects, implementing identified strategies, address various biological objectives; sediment reduction, primary pools and LWD recruitment/placement.  Project implementation will provide habitat benefits to spring Chinook, steelhead and bull trout during their respective varied life stage needs within the MSA.

Program administration functions include contract reporting requirements, participation and coordination with regional recovery and resource management planning efforts, Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan, Washington Department of Ecology 2514 Watershed and TMDL planning, regional M&E planning and Subbasin Plan evaluation and adaptive management planning, project scoping, planning and implementation management.

Monitoring and evaluation efforts for projects and watershed conditions will be a cooperative approach with contract service with USFS, Pomeroy Ranger District and local WDFW staff.  A coordinated M&E effort is being developed between co-managers to reduce duplication in effort and cost and develop consistency in the methodology and protocols on a regional scale.