Background: The Snake River Salmon Recovery Board is conducting a series of large scale restoration projects in the Tucannon River in southeast Washington as part of the Biological Opinion requirements to recover threatened spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The primary restoration action goals are to restore physical and biological processes to address the primary habitat limiting factors for spring Chinook salmon and other salmonids in the Tucannon River.

Project summary:
The purpose of the projects supported by and coordinated through this contract is to restore habitat function and channel processes in the priority reaches of the Tucannon River to improve spring Chinook productivity.  With long-term and sufficient funding levels, restoring channel processes and habitat function across large reaches will improve spring Chinook productivity in the Tucannon River. Habitat work under this project has been or will go through a proposal process similar to the SRSRB process for Salmon Recovery Funding Board funding, with selection criteria that prioritize projects that will address the limiting factors outlined for the Tucannon River in the 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion.

Work to be funded under this project will be identified by the SRSRB RTT in advance of the solicitation process to ensure that proposals are aligned with the priority projects. The RTT will select projects based on their ability to achieve measurable progress towards one or more of the objectives listed below in as short a time as possible. Solicitation of proposals will include publication through newsletters, web site, and newspapers on an annual basis, two months before the pre-application is due. Project proposals to be evaluated by the RTT and the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board will be required to be in standard form with a signed landowner acknowledgment and agreement. The form will include sponsor name and related information, project name, project type, applicant information, vicinity and site maps, description of project, scope of work, project history/context, funding request/budget spreadsheet, and supporting technical documentation including limiting factors and species to be addressed, available maps, site photos, design documentation, as well as permits required and their status.

Objectives:
1. Increase riparian function to 75% of maximum
2. Increase large woody debris to 2 or more pieces per channel width
3. Increase pool frequency to 15% of stream area
4. Reduce channel confinement/increase floodplain connectivity to at least 25% of river length
5. Reduce maximum daily water temperature so that it does not exceed 72F at confluence of Pataha Creek (RM 11.8 of the Tucannon)
6. Decrease substrate embeddedness to 20% in all reaches above confluence of Pataha Creek (RM 11.8).

Contract purpose(s):

(1)  It is expected that this contract with the SRSRB will provide administrative oversight and support for contractors that will have separate project implementation contracts with BPA.  WDFW will partner with SRSRB to implement this project, and will be a subcontractor under this contract to help perform project selection, monitoring planning, data collection, outreach, and other tasks where they can provide expertise.  Financial and accounting services for managing SRSRB's finances are provided by the Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), and SRSRB's staff are employees of WWCC.  Although the contract is technically with WWCC, the staff of the SRSRB will do all of the work other than invoicing and other minor administrative items.  

(2)  Implementation of on-the-ground habitat actions will be conducted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Columbia Conservation District, Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group (legislative program that supports non-profit groups of volunteers who cooperate with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to improve salmon resources throughout the state), the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pomeroy Conservation District, and/or other qualified groups, tribes, or agencies that submit proposals that are approved by the SRSRB.  

(3)  [CCR-28668]  The Columbia Basin Habitat Monitoring Protocol (CHaMP) was implemented in the Tucannon River in 2011; in addition, LiDaR datasets were collected and developed to characterize existing habitat conditions across the subbasin.  The SRSRB is to develop and implement a methodology to use LiDaR and CHaMP monitoring data to determine the effectiveness of the restoration actions at achieving BiOp mandated stream restoration targets. The focus of this monitoring effort will be on using LiDaR and CHaMP survey data to perform geomorphic change detection using post restoration repeat LiDaR and aerial photography surveys and data collected at treatment and control CHaMP monitoring sites. Pre-restoration data will be collated from available sources, such as USGS DEM’s and aerial photography.