KLICKITAT

The Klickitat Watershed Enhancement Project (KWEP) works to restore, enhance, and protect watershed function within the Klickitat subbasin.  Project work emphasizes restoration and protection in watersheds and reaches that support native salmonid stocks, particularly steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss; listed as "Threatened" within the Mid-Columbia Evolutionarily Significant Unit), spring Chinook (O. tshawytscha) salmon, and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus; Endangered Species Act "Threatened").  Restoration activities focus on restoring stream processes by removing or mitigating watershed perturbance, improving habitat conditions, and water quality.  Watershed and habitat improvements also benefit fall Chinook (O. tshawytscha), coho (O. kisutch) salmon, resident rainbow trout, and cutthroat trout (O. clarki) and enhance habitat for terrestrial and amphibian wildlife species.  Protection activities compliment restoration efforts within the subbasin by securing refugia and preventing degradation.  90% of the off-reservation project area is in private ownership thus cooperation with state, federal, tribal, and private entities is essential.  KWEP addresses goals and objectives presented in the Klickitat Subbasin Plan, Klickitat Lead Entity Strategic Plan, and the Northwest Power Planning Council's Fish and Wildlife Program.  

PROJECT GOALS

The overall goal of KWEP is to restore watershed health to aid recovery of salmonid stocks in the Klickitat subbasin.  There are four sub-goals:
•   Provide educational opportunities and public outreach related to salmon, habitat, water quality and watershed health.
•  Assess watershed and habitat conditions to prioritize sites for restoration activities.  This involves data collection, compilation, and review of existing as well as historic habitat and watershed conditions.  Identification and filling of data gaps is also a component of KWEP.
•  Protect, restore, and enhance priority watersheds and reaches to increase riparian, wetland, and stream habitat quality.  In-situ and watershed-scale restoration activities mitigate or resolve conflicting historic, present, and/or future land-uses.  Protect areas of existing high-quality habitat conditions and prevent further deterioration of degraded habitats.  Restore areas of degraded stream channel and/or habitat condition.
•  Monitor watershed conditions to assess trends and effectiveness of restoration activities.  Monitoring is a critical component to evaluating project success and guiding adaptive practices.  Site-specific and basin-wide spatial scales are addressed.  KWEP augments the Klickitat Monitoring & Evaluation Project (BPA project #1995-06-335) by assisting data collection and providing Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) and analysis of channel morphology, streamflow, temperature, habitat, and channel substrate data.

ROCK CREEK
The Rock Creek Project is using a three-pronged approach to restore watershed health and aid recovery of salmonids and culturally significant fish species in Rock Creek, a 223-square-mile subbasin tributary to the Columbia River upstream of John Day Dam.  First, assessment of the current fish use, water quality/quantity, and habitat conditions to determine areas of high steelhead productivity and survival, and the primary limiting habitat factors.  Second, creation of a list of prioritized actions to protect, restore, and enhance stream reaches.  Third, conduct restoration actions to address restoration priorities, and monitor the effectiveness of restoration activities.

The Research Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) is focused on salmonid stocks, steelhead (Onchorhynchus mykiss; listed as “Threatened” within the Mid-Columbia Evolutionary Significant Unit), Coho Salmon (O. kisutch), and bridgelip suckers (Catostomus columbianus).  The overall goal is to support sustainable populations in the Rock Creek subbasin.  The Rock Creek subbasin has been identified as a watershed with high steelhead production potential (as evidenced by spawner surveys) but with significant habitat limitations (low summer flows; high stream temperatures; and riparian, channel and floodplain degradation).

The bridgelip sucker was historically abundant throughout the subbasin and is a culturally significant fish species to the Yakama Nation.  In the last decade, it has been observed by the Tribal members that suckers are less abundant for ceremonial and subsistence harvest.  Bridgelip suckers are a culturally significant species of concern.  In previous contract years, we documented the distribution of bridgelip suckers during our juvenile salmonid abundance and population surveys.  During this contract year we will continue studying their life history during the juvenile population and abundance surveys.  

We will continue to conduct salmonid spawner abundance and redd surveys, water quality sampling, water temperature monitoring, juvenile population and abundance surveys, low-flow habitat mapping, and gathering PIT-tag interrogation information.  This year we will be evaluating over-summer-survival of juvenile steelhead in summer perennial pools by conducting fall population surveys in the spring and fall seasons.  Water quality and temperature will be closely monitored in those pools through the summer months.  We will PIT-tag all O. mykiss with greater than 60mm forklengths and collect genetic samples during both sampling seasons.  We will assess the fish population and abundance and over-summer-growth in each sampled pool.  Genetic fin-clips will be collected from all O. mykiss and genotyped to compare introgressed O. mykiss with Rock Creek O. mykiss to compare overall summer-survival-rates of both.

A Low-Tech Process Based Restoration Design (15%) done for two reaches in Rock Creek and one site in Walaluuks Creek in the previous contract.  The design entailed an in-depth pool geomorphic assessment of each reach to get a low-cost, “processed based” design to address lack of wood, habitat complexity, and underwater cover that is a limiting the carrying capacity of juvenile fish during the summer months.  This year we plan to build off of that design and incorporate a hydrology and hydraulic analysis and design to finish the Low-tech processed based design (100%).  

Beaver use and observations in Rock Creek were documented during perennial habitat and multiple-pass spawner surveys (2015 - 2020).  The data will be compiled into a database and a GIS map of beaver use in surveyed reaches of the watershed will be created.  A beaver restoration assessment model is available for the Rock Creek watershed and the beaver activity data will continue to be compiled and GIS maps will help assist with the beaver restoration assessment.

One site was identified for riparian revegetation in Rock Creek at RM 19 (Shike II site) this year where native trees, shrubs, and grass will be planted.  The Shike II site is building off the original Shike site at RM 19.3 and invasive weed control will be conducted at the new Shike II site which are mainly knapweed and blackberries.  Invasive weed control will be conducted at previous riparian enhancement sites conducted in 2015 - 2019.  The primary target weed types include non-native thistles, knap weed, star thistle and blackberry bushes.  Weed removal will involve mechanical, hand, and organic application treatments.