The Yakama Nation Fisheries Resource Management Program is using a three-pronged approach to restore watershed health and aid recovery of salmonids and culturally important 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, a creation of a prioritization list based off of the habitat and fish information for actions to protect, restore, and enhance stream reaches.  Last, conduct restoration actions and adaptively respond to restoration priorities, by monitoring to assess subbasin conditions and effectiveness of restoration activities.

The overall goal of this project is to improve habitat conditions of salmonids listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the Rock Creek subbasin to an extent of supporting sustainable populations.  The Middle Columbia River Steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Distinct Population Segment (DPS) was identified and listed as threatened on January 5, 2006 (71 FR 834).  NOAA identified Rock Creek as Critical Habitat for the Middle Columbia Steelhead DPS (NOAA 2005).  The Rock Creek subbasin has been identified as a watershed with high potential productivity for a genetically distinct population of steelhead (as evidenced by spawner surveys and results of genetic analysis) but with significant habitat limitations (low flow; high stream temperatures; and riparian, channel and floodplain degradation).  

This project is currently in its late transition stages from a Research Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) project to an on the ground Habitat project.  The Rock Creek Fish and Habitat and Assessment project was initiated in Dec2007 as primarily a RM&E Project with limited habitat restoration objectives.  Since 2007, habitat, water quality, water temperature, adult distribution and abundance, juvenile fish population abundance and distribution, steelhead genetic collection, fish pathogen, and PIT-tag interrogation information has been compiled and used to identify key reaches and habitats (e.g., pool refugia) for future restoration or enhancement.   Additional time is needed for monitoring fish PIT-tagged as juveniles to return and be detected as adults to understand the complete life cycle.  An understanding of how and where steelhead use Rock Creek, and an understanding of which life history strategies are successful, is fundamental to implementing meaningful restoration strategies.  

Efforts have begun to conduct riparian plantings and to assess headwater forested areas and their role in the altered watershed hydrology of the basin.  While some initial habitat restoration activities have begun, we believe that there is still uncertainty regarding which reaches and what actions are appropriate for targeted habitat restoration work.  Data collected and analyzed through this proposal, combined with costshare funded geomorphic assessments, will lead to a more complete understanding of limiting factors, habitat processes, and subsequently, appropriate restoration actions.  The basic RM&E information combined with the geomorphic assessment and ESA Rock Creek Population of the Middle Columbia River steelhead Recovery Plan recommendations will be used to guide in identification and prioritization of habitat actions.

During this contract year the geomorphic field assessment will be conducted in the Rock Creek subbasin.  A cumulative analysis of the Rock Creek Fish and Habitat RM&E data, lidar flight and orthophoto data, and field data will be used to create a final report. The geomorphic assessment is taken a collaborative approach with the Yakama Nation and the Eastern District Conservation District.  

In January 2014, a draft report from the Rock Creek geomorphic assessment will be completed with a conceptual design of two identified subreaches to conduct restoration habitat actions.  These actions will be focused in the mainstem Rock Creek, Squaw Creek, or Luna Creek.  Spring enhancement, riparian rehabilitation, cattle exclusion fence construction, pool enhancement, floodplain reconnection, channel stabilization, and large wood placement are examples of restoration strategies that will be identified and implemented during the 2014 through 2017 contract years.  Effectiveness monitoring is planned for future habitat projects that will be conducted by Yakama Nation Fisheries ranging from qualitative descriptive measures to quantitative experimentally designed research projects.  Some of the effectiveness monitoring include water temperature sampling, habitat surveys, macroinvertebrate sampling, riparian descriptions, ground water levels and photo points.