Greenbelt Land Trust is collaborating with ODFW, BPA and OWEB to purchase conservation easements on nearly 600 acres of floodplain habitat in the Harkens and Horseshoe Lake reaches of the mainstem of the Willamette River.  With the acquisition of the conservation easements, there is a need to develop management plans with restoration and enhancement objectives to increase the ecosystem benefits for these areas. This contract proposes to assist the management planning efforts with the following:

1) Acquire geo-referenced aerial imagery of seasonal inundation events in selected reaches of the Willamette River.  Aerial images will be taken as Willamette River flows reach the action stage at designated points along the Willamette River (areas 1, 2, and 3-Figure 4).  The product will include geo-referenced aerial photos in electronic format with a ground sample distance of 1 foot.  The cost to including a broa... der reach of the Willamette for the aerial imagery is minimal so we propose to include key reaches between the Santiam/Willamette Confluence to Green Island.  The images will provide invaluable data to validate and calibrate inundation models.  
2) Install 7-9 staff gauges on the Horseshoe Lake and Little Willamette properties and collect hydrologic information from those gauges assist in the development and calibration of inundation models (similar to the Harkens Lake RDG effort).
3) Obtain base line data for aquatic habitats including fish, turtle and amphibian community information.
4) Develop restoration alternatives for the properties.
5) Establish two collaborative working groups (one for Harkens Lake and one for the Little Willamette/Horseshoe Lake area) that examine and select restoration actions and trajectories for the areas.
6) Produce management plans that include restoration priorities and timelines.  

Objectives and Deliverables:
The objectives of this proposal are to develop hydrologic designs for the Horseshoe lake and Little Willamette properties. Refine and calibrate these models and ones produced for Harkens Lake with analysis of aerial imagery. Use the data and models from the hydrologic information to propose a suite of restoration alternatives and priorities for both reaches. Assemble a management and restoration technical team to review and propose restoration actions and complete draft management scenarios.  

Deliverables will include:
1) Detailed geo-referenced aerial imagery of 7 key areas of the Willamette River
2) Hydrologic models and designs that inform restoration decisions
3) Database of aquatic species information from sites.
4) Collaborative Technical Working Groups for Harkens Lake and Horseshoe Lake areas
5) Management plans for restoration priorities and timelines

Conservation trajectories for this area will include restoration of floodplain forests and connections.  Significant portions of the area are annually inundated during high flow events and  restoring the bottomland hardwood forest and reconnecting the floodplain will create additional water storage capacity and increase the potential for refugia for juvenile spring Chinook (rearing habitat), steelhead, and other native fish species.   Show More