SOUTHERN TERRITORIES HABITAT PROJECT

The overall goal of the Southern Territories Habitat Project (STHP) is to restore watershed processes to aid the recovery of salmonid stocks in the Mid-Columbia Region.  The Yakama Nation Fisheries Program and Yakima-Klickitat Fisheries Project (YKFP) work throughout the Yakama Reservation, usual-and-accustomed and ceded areas, managing harvest, habitat, and hatcheries, and conducting research, monitoring and evaluation around salmon, steelhead, lamprey, sturgeon, bridgelip suckers and other fish of tribal and ecological importance.  The long-term and landscape-scale view of resource management held by Yakama people—that everything is connected— is reflected in the approach to protecting and restoring healthy and resilient habitats and is succinctly stated as a “watershed” or “ridgetop to ridgetop” approach. The proposed expansion of the geographic scope of this project is a reflection of the YN’s landscape level approach and a recognition that species of concern span administrative and watershed boundaries and thus recovery efforts benefit from a larger spatial scope.

STHP is sub-project within the YKFP.  The YKFP is a joint project of the Yakama Nation (lead entity) and the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and is sponsored in large part by the Bonneville Power Administration with oversight and guidance from the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. The goal of the YKFP is to restore sustainable and harvestable populations of salmon, steelhead and other at-risk species that were historically present within Yakama Territories. In addition, to habitat protection and restoration work, YKFP pursues hatchery supplementation or reintroduction strategies to achieve the project goals.

PROJECT GOALS

To achieve the broad goal of restoring watershed processes to aid salmonid recovery, STHP utilizes a three prong approach:
- Assess watershed, habitat and fish conditions/status to inform the prioritization of restoration activities.
- Protect, restore, and enhance priority watershed and reaches.
- Provide educational opportunities and public outreach related to salmon, habitat, and water quality and watershed health.

Project Prioritization:

In 2021 the Klickitat Lead Entity Technical Committee collaboratively analyzed the most current biological and physical habitat data to prioritize areas and actions for habitat restoration at the watershed level. The Salmon Recovery Strategy Prioritization Framework determined tier A, B, and C priority areas and prioritized potential restoration projects within the Klickitat, White Salmon and Rock Ck basins. The Prioritization Framework and results can be found at: https://klickitatcounty.org/243/Salmon-Habitat-Recovery.

The Tepee Creek LTPBR reach is located within the White Creek Subwatershed which is a high ranking Tier A subwatershed. The
Tepee Creek LTPBR project will address high priority limiting habitat factors as defined by the prioritization framework, to benefit the limiting life stages for steelhead (rearing and spawning) by adding small diameter wood to increase channel roughness and increase pool frequency. Implementation will result in reducing channel downcutting, improved channel complexity, increasing pool frequency, floodplain reconnection, and sediment deposition and sorting.

The Swale Creek LTPBR reach is located within the Swale Creek Subwatershed which is a high ranking Tier B subwatershed. The
Swale Creek LTPBR project will address high priority limiting habitat factors as defined by the prioritization framework, to benefit the limiting life stages for steelhead (rearing and spawning) by adding small diameter wood to increase channel roughness and increase pool frequency. Implementation will result in enhancing floodplain and riparian function.

The Rattlesnake Gulch Road x-ing project reach is located within the Swale Creek Subwatershed which is a high ranking Tier B subwatershed. The Rattlesnake Gulch Road x-ing LTPBR project will address high priority limiting habitat factors as defined by the prioritization framework, to benefit the limiting life stages for steelhead (rearing and spawning) by reconnecting ~3 miles of steelhead habitat and restoring natural sediment, water, and drainage patterns, especially at tributary mouths.

Project Design:

Tepee Creek LTPBR  - Anabranch Solutions, 2021, IGC 56662 REL 235

Swale Creek LTPBR  - Anabranch Solutions, 2021, IGC 56662 REL 235

Rattlesnake Gulch Road x-ing - Parr Excellence, 2021-2022, IGC 56662 REL 235 and 259

Howard Lake 32 Rd/Upper Klickitat Floodplain Enhancement - Parr Excellence, 2022-2023, IGC 56662 REL 259

White Creek LWD Replenishment Phase 2 - YN, 2022-2023, IGC 56662 REL 259

Lower Snyder Creek Restoration - Inter-Fluve, 2022-2024, IGC 56662 REL 259

Project Construction:

Tepee Creek LTPBR (year 2 implementation - design (Anabranch Solutions, 2021) and permitting complete.  Construction will be conducted by YN staff and partners.

Swale Creek LTPBR (year 1 implementation) -  the design (Anabranch Solutions, 2021)  is complete and permitting nearly complete (SEC 106 in-progress).  Construction will be conducted by YN staff, subcontracted stewardship crew and partners.

Rattlesnake Gulch Road x-ing (Swale Ck trib) - the design is complete (Parr Excellence 2021-2022) and permitting in progress.  The construction will be subcontracted, and RFP will be issued spring 2023.