Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program
SOW Report
Contract 73720: 1992-026-01 EXP MARR FLATS BIG SHEEP FENCE
Project Number:
Title:
Grande Ronde Model Watershed
BPA PM:
Stage:
Implementation
Area:
Province Subbasin %
Blue Mountain Grande Ronde 100.00%
Contract Number:
73720
Contract Title:
1992-026-01 EXP MARR FLATS BIG SHEEP FENCE
Contract Continuation:
Previous: Next:
n/a
Contract Status:
Closed
Contract Description:
The Marr Flat Big Sheep Fence project will construct a fence along the eastside of Big Sheep Creek on the Marr Flat Allotment.  Currently there is about a 7.5-mile section of the boundary between the Big Sheep Riparian Pasture and the Miller Butte and Spoon Springs pastures.  The latter two pastures are ridgetop pastures that are used after August 10.  The fence will prevent cattle from drifting off the ridge top pastures.  This is especially a problem during hot droughty conditions, such as in the summer of 2015, when cattle are drawn to riparian areas.

The goal of the project is to assist in the recovery of the Big Sheep Creek Spring Chinook, steelhead, and bull trout populations by protecting redds from trampling by livestock during spawning and incubation periods. Cattle are currently allowed to graze from July 10 to August 10.  The fence would provide protection after the grazing period ends. Conserving the habitat for these species aids in their recovery and conservation as ESA listed species.  

The permittees continue to ride this portion after August 10th to move any cattle out.  Often the cows are in the draws and work their way to the bottom after the rider has gone by.  There are also gates on a road in the uplands that the permittees continually find open by recreationalist thus allowing cattle access to the bottom of Big Sheep Creek.  The Forest Service and permittees have decided a fence would be the best tool to alleviate the cows from going to the bottom.  The letdown fence will consist of approximately 7.5 miles of 4-strand barbwire.  The fence will be located on the east side of Big Sheep Creek Drainage continuing north to the Forest Service boundary.  The fence will begin on top of the ridge, east of Big Sheep Creek, center of section 24, Township 4 South, Range 46 E, tying into the existing Big Sheep/Lick Creek fence.  This will also delete the gates on the road and maintenance of the fence will be done by the permittees.  

Existing condition - The presence of cattle along Big Sheep Creek during the spawning/incubation period for spring Chinook salmon creates the risk of damage to redds and subsequent mortality of embryos through trampling by livestock.  Currently there is about a 7.5-mile section of the boundary between the Big Sheep Riparian Pasture and the Miller Butte and Spoon Springs pastures.  The latter two pastures are ridgetop pastures that are used after August 10.  The Forest Service and Marr Flat permittees have tried a range of techniques to reduce the potential of cattle trampling redds; adjusting the dates of use of the Big Sheep Riparian pasture to account for documented early spawning behavior, increased riding by permittees, and unauthorized use monitoring after August 10.  Previously it was believed that the steep terrain along this unfenced boundary section was a barrier to cattle movement.  However, during hot droughty conditions when cattle are drawn to riparian areas, such as in the summer of 2015, the steep terrain is not a reliable barrier to cattle.  A field survey of the unfenced section in the Tyee Creek area by WWNF range and fisheries personnel revealed that additional fencing is needed along the unfenced boundary east of Big Sheep Creek.

Specific Actions – About 7.5-miles of 4-strand barbed wire fence will be constructed along the eastside of Big Sheep Creek.  The fence will be constructed as a let-down fence due to snow loads and high elk numbers in the area.  Numerous elk trails cross the area where the fence will be constructed.  The intent is to construct a wildlife friendly fence that will allow the wildlife especially elk that live and migrate through this area to pass with minimal impact to the elk and the fence and decrease cattle impact on fish and riparian habitat.  Let down fence will also decrease maintenance caused by snow.  The exact location of the fence will be confirmed this summer (2016) by the permittees and FS personnel.  

Estimated construction cost is about $2.00 per foot or about $10,560 per mile.  The reason for higher construction cost is the difficult access and terrain of the area.  The proposed fence is not in close proximity to roads, is often in steep and rocky terrain where constructing fence is difficult or requires specific tools such as a rock drill or hydraulic post pounder.  A trail or path about 6 feet wide will need to be cleared to allow maintenance access and a place to let the fence down.  Most of the project area is timbered increasing work of creating the letdown trail.  Steep terrain is also common to this project area, while we have made effort to avoid it, it is likely that steep terrain will be encountered.
Account Type(s):
Expense
Contract Start Date:
09/01/2016
Contract End Date:
12/31/2018
Current Contract Value:
$73,188
Expenditures:
$73,188

* Expenditures data includes accruals and are based on data through 31-Oct-2024.

BPA CO:
BPA COR:
Env. Compliance Lead:
Contract Contractor:
Work Order Task(s):
Contract Type:
Contract (IGC)
Pricing Method:
Cost Reimbursement (CNF)
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Full Name Organization Write Permission Contact Role Email Work Phone
Amanda Coffman Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation No Interested Party amanda@grmw.org (541) 663-0570
Mary Estes Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation No Interested Party mary@grmw.org (541) 663-0570
Katie Frenyea Nez Perce Tribe Yes Contract Manager kathrynf@nezperce.org (541) 432-2506
Tracy Hauser Bonneville Power Administration Yes COR tlhauser@bpa.gov (503) 230-4296
Andre L'Heureux Bonneville Power Administration No Interested Party allheureux@bpa.gov (503) 230-4482
Heidi McRoberts Nez Perce Tribe No Supervisor heidim@nezperce.org (208) 621-3548
Coby Menton Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation Yes Technical Contact rcoby@grmw.org (541) 426-0389
Montana Pagano Nez Perce Tribe Yes Contract Manager montanap@nezperce.org (541) 432-2507
Christopher Roper Bonneville Power Administration No CO Assistant cproper@bpa.gov (503) 230-3514
Tybee Sheidler Bonneville Power Administration No CO Assistant tasheidler@bpa.gov (503) 230-3820
Robert Shull Bonneville Power Administration Yes Env. Compliance Lead rwshull@bpa.gov (503) 230-3962
John Skidmore Bonneville Power Administration Yes F&W Approver jtskidmore@bpa.gov (503) 230-5494
Jesse Steele Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation No Interested Party jesse@grmw.org (541) 663-0570
Connar Stone Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation No Interested Party connar@grmw.org (541) 663-0570
Emmit Taylor, Jr. Nez Perce Tribe No Interested Party emmitt@nezperce.org (208) 621-3544
Alexandra Towne Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation Yes Interested Party alex@grmw.org (541) 663-0570
Ian Wilson Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation No Interested Party ian@grmw.org (541) 426-0389
Karen Wolfe Bonneville Power Administration Yes Contracting Officer ktwolfe@bpa.gov (503) 230-3448
Elham Zolmajd-Haghighi Bonneville Power Administration No CO Assistant ezolmajd-haghighi@bpa.gov (503) 230-7414


Viewing of Work Statement Elements

Deliverable Title WSE Sort Letter, Number, Title Start End Concluded
Project permits and environmental compliance documents and authorizations. A: 165. Environmental Documentation 06/30/2017 06/30/2017
Bidg Sheep Let-down Fence Installation B: 40. Fence Installation - Big Sheep Creek 11/30/2018 10/22/2018
Successful Project Administration C: 119. Project Administration 12/31/2017 12/31/2017
Upload Marr Flats Big Sheep Fence Project Completion Report D: 132. Completion Report - Marr Flats Big Sheep Fence Project - Sept 2016 - December 2018 12/31/2018

Viewing of Implementation Metrics
Viewing of Environmental Metrics Customize

Primary Focal Species Work Statement Elements
Chinook (O. tshawytscha) - Snake River Spring/Summer ESU (Threatened)
  • 1 instance of WE 40 Install Fence
Steelhead (O. mykiss) - Snake River DPS (Threatened)
  • 1 instance of WE 40 Install Fence

Sort WE ID WE Title NEPA NOAA USFWS NHPA Has Provisions Inadvertent Discovery Completed
A 165 Environmental Documentation 09/01/2016
B 40 Fence Installation - Big Sheep Creek 04/18/2019
C 119 Project Administration 09/01/2016
D 132 Completion Report - Marr Flats Big Sheep Fence Project - Sept 2016 - December 2018 09/01/2016
E 185 Quarterly Status Reports 09/01/2016