CREST proposes to continue to implement estuary habitat restoration projects during the contract period covered by this Contract Change Request.  Projects developed, designed, and permitted during previous contract periods will move to construction.  CREST will continue to develop and design new restoration projects working with landowners, stakeholders, and subcontracted design consultants.  The Otter Point project will be fully implemented with cross dike fully constructed and outer levee breached now that full Section 408 approval has been gained by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.  CREST will continue to invest staff time in community outreach and project development including participating in regional meetings with BPA, the Action Agencies, as well as partner coordination forums such as the LCREP Science Work Group.  CREST biologists will conduct pre and post project evaluation at our restoration sites ... along with fish presence surveys at project sites in development.  
The following projects are currently in full design, engineering, and permitting and will move to construction in 2012:
• Colewort Creek (previously described as Netul Landing).  This project, on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, aims to enhance 45 acres of tidal wetlands through the creation of new tidal marsh channels and enhancing estuarine emergent wetlands associated with the Lewis and Clark River.
• South Tongue Point.  This project in the City of Astoria will reconnect 12 acres of wetlands to full tidal influence by removing a tidegate and installing an 11 feet fully fish passable culvert through a city street and enhancing the internal wetlands with new tidal channels.
• Gnat Creek.  This project enhances tidal wetlands of Gnat Creek on Oregon Department of Forestry and private land through strategic dike breaching and removal of a tributary dam.  The project will fully restore tidal inundation and fish passage to 90+ acres of rearing habitat.
• Diblee Point.   This project enhances wetland associated with a dredged material management site in Columbia County near the Longview bridge.  The project is immediately adjacent to the mainstem Columbia and through channel excavation, installation of a fish passable culver, riparian enhancement, and invasive plant removal 45 acres of restored wetlands will fish accessible.
Additional construction effort will be put in to completing the Otter Point restoration.  The Otter Point project was originally to be fully completed in 2011 restoring 33.5 acres of estuarine wetlands on the Lewis and Clark River.  Due to permitting requirements associated with the   U.S. Army Corps Section 408 review and approval for a major modification to a federal levee system substantial engineering review and oversight is required.  CREST successfully completed the first Section 408 approval through the Portland District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and gained full approval in September of 2011.  Unfortunately the timing of the approval meant that the fall construction season was cut short.  Approximately 30% of the cross levee has been completed.  The remaining cross levee construction and levee breaching will be completed in the summer of 2012.
CREST staff will also be assisting two private landowners and Clatsop Diking District # 9 in completing the cross levee construction portion of the Sharnelle Fee restoration project.  Restoration includes dike breaching  to allow tidal inundation to 50 acres of high quality wetlands along the Klaskanine River.  This is a project that is only partially completed by a previous project sponsor.  Now the remaining cross levee work is subject to Army Corps Setion 408 levee safety permitting.  CREST is moving forward with survey, geotechnical investigation, and design on the cross levee portion of the project in 2012.  Construction in 2012 will be dependent on budget and Section 408 permitting timelines.  The final stage of the project, breaching the outer levee in at least three locations, will take place in collaboration with NRCS after the cross levee construction is completed and accepted by the Army Corps.
Several other projects developed by CREST have had preliminary survival benefit units assigned and CREST proposes to move these projects forward for full design, engineering, and permitting during the contract period.  Engineering will be subcontracted to prepare construction plan sets for permitting and project implementation.   These projects include:  
• Karlson Island channel enhancement and dike breaching, invasive plant removal (320 acres),
• Buckmire Slough barrier removal, channel enhancement, tidal reconnection (130 acres), and
• North Unit Sauvie Island barrier removal, wetland and tidal channel enhancement (200+ acres).
The modeling, feasibility, alternatives analysis, and design for the North Unit project is being undertaken in close partnership and collaboration with PC Trask and Associates as a result of their knowledge of the project site conditions and working relationships with the land managers at Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Karlson Island is being developed and designed in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge staff.  Karlson Island, North Unit, and Buckmire Slough restoration  projects will be implemented with subsequent CREST contracts.
Each of the projects described here provides immediate access to estuarine habitats for juvenile salmonids.  CREST will also invest project manager staff time working with specific landowners, project partners, and in data gathering and investigations at other sites including Bear, Mary’s, and Ferris Creeks, and upper Lewis and Clark River, restoration sites.  Two other sites involving CREST member local governments are also being pursued involving levee setbacks on Port of Astoria and Clatsop County properties.  CREST will pursue cost share for project engineering and construction during this contract period from the National Park Service, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service.  
Within this contract, major work elements are directly related to implementation of previously designed projects and on engineering and permitting for out year projects.  Additional actions focus on community outreach and project development.  Projects in development will be subject to review and assignment of survival benefits by an Action Agency subcommittee, Estuary Partnership Science Work Group, and the Expert Regional Technical Group.  Project evaluation will be conducted by CREST biologists at Ft. Columbia, Otter Point, and other restoration sites to better quantify use and habitat lift for individual project sites and inform potential benefits of restoration actions at projects in development.   Show More