Yakama Nation Fisheries Program
Rock Creek Fish and Habitat Assessment for the Prioritization of Restoration and Protection
Statement of Work and Budget 2012

BPA Project Number:  2007-156-00
BPA Project Title: Rock Creek Monitoring & Evaluation  

Contract Number:  

Contract Title: Rock Creek Monitoring & Evaluation
Performance/Budget Period:  June 1, 2012 - May 31, 2013


Technical Contact: Elaine Harvey
Fisheries Biologist
Yakama Nation Fisheries Program
P.O. Box 655
4 Bickleton Hwy.
Goldendale, WA 98620
Phone: 509-773-3147 / Fax: 509-773-3723
elaine@ykfp.org

Contracting Contact: Paul Ward
Program Manager
Yakama Nation Fisheries Program
P.O. Box 151
Toppenish, WA 98948
Phone: 509-865-6262 / Fax: 509-865-6293
ward@yakama.com

Financial Contact: Debbie Azure
Yakama Nation Fisheries Program
P.O. Box 151
Toppenish, WA 98948
Phone: 509-865-6262 / Fax: 509-865-6293
debbie@yakama.com


The Rock Creek Fish and Habitat Assessment Project's goal is to gather sufficient information on anadromous salmonid populations' (steelhead, fall Chinook, and coho) status within the subbasin to make informed decisions to identify and prioritize future habitat enhancement sites and treatments. Information collected will include fish abundance, growth, genetics, diseases, habitat use, and movement of salmonids in Rock Creek, a unique watershed of the Middle Columbia River.  
  
The Middle Columbia River Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Distinct Population Segment (DPS) was identified and listed as a threatened species on January 5, 2006 (71 FR 834).  NOAA designated Rock Creek as "Critical Habitat" for Middle Columbia listed Steelhead DPS (NOAA 2005). This fish and habitat assessment project is a partnership between the Yakama Nation (YN) and United States Geological Survey (USGS). Project activities include monitoring and evaluation activities that develop, analyze, and report information pertaining to natural production, genetics, and ecological interactions in order to prioritize restoration and protection actions. The Rock Creek subbasin has been identified as a unique watershed with a high productivity potential for steelhead (as evidenced by spawner surveys) but with significant habitat limitations (low flow, high stream temperatures, and riparian, channel and floodplain degradation).

Juvenile steelhead electrofishing surveys will continue be conducted to assess the current distribution, relative abundance, and life histories in randomly selected reaches of Rock Creek and its tributaries. Information on fish species composition will be collected during the work associated with population abundance and fish life history assessments. Fish species composition data will document the distribution of individual species, relative abundance, and movement within or out of the watershed. Abundance and distribution surveys, as well as fish movement data collected via PIT tag monitoring technology, will be used to assess survival and growth, and to identify key reaches and habitats (e.g., pool refugia) for future restoration or enhancement. Genetic tissue samples will be collected during the population abundance surveys for analysis of the genetic composition of the O. mykiss population in the Rock Creek system. The genetic analysis will obtain a baseline signature of genetic divergence among sub-populations and allow managers to determine the Rock Creek O. mykiss populations association with, and importance to the rest of the Middle Columbia Steelhead DPS.  This year will conclude the five year genetic sample collection and analyses of Rock Creek O. mykiss.  

A sub-sample of O. mykiss fish specimens will be obtained during population abundance surveys for disease sampling. This data will provide an important baseline on the health of existing fish populations in the Rock Creek drainage. Scale samples will be taken from a sub-sample of juvenile and adult steelhead carcasses (during spawning surveys) to determine age and stock composition.

The project's goal continues refinement of information to characterize baseline conditions of the Rock Creek subbasin and anadromous fish habitat to prioritize sites for restoration.  Environmental and biological attribute data will be collected throughout the watershed.  Data will be compiled, analyzed, and put into the Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment (EDT) Stream Reach Editorl.  Historic watershed conditions (e.g. Government Land Office survey maps and notes, air photos, flow data) will also be researched and incorporated into the EDT model.  EDT modeling will assess watershed and field investigations to refine  the impact and magnitude of past activities, as well as restoration opportunities and benefits.  Possible restoration projects could be developed using EDT model projections.  Habitat and large woody debris field surveys will be conducted in the mainstem and its tributaries to assess the current baseline conditions.  Spawning surveys and scale analysis will be done for steelhead (O. mykiss), fall Chinook (O. tshawytscha), and coho (O. kisutch). Stream temperature and water quality monitoring will be conducted throughout the subbasin.

A geomorphic assessment will be conducted in the mainstem Rock Creek and Squaw Creek to focus on site specific localities for future restoration projects which will be cost shared with a grant from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.  The geomorphic assessment includes a literature review, field verification, GIS mapping, and a draft report.  The cumulative information gathered from the geomorphic assessment, fish population and habitat assessment, adult spawner distribution, and EDT modeling will allow for a more complete understanding of limiting factors, habitat processes, and subsequently restoration actions.