The CTUIR’s North Fork John Day Fisheries Enhancement Project (The Project) works to protect and enhance physical and biological process and in turn habitat to improve the natural production of indigenous, Mid-Columbia River (MCR) Evolutionary Significant Unit (ESU) summer steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), spring Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) within the North Fork of the John Day River Basin. The Project originated in 2000 with initial on-the-ground implementations occurring in 2001. Restoration actions were initially undertaken within lower Camas Creek tributaries (Snipe and Owens Creeks), Deer Creek and the Lower North Fork John Day River. Over time however, the Project identified three focus basins (Camas, Desolation, and Granite Creeks) for which analysis and actions plans have been developed to guide restoration actions.

Focus basins contain a mix of privately held and publicly managed lands. Historic land management practices influenced each basin somewhat differently, however, past and current grazing, timber harvest, and transportation infrastructure development and maintenance influence all basins. The Granite Creek basin however, has been heavily placer and lode mined as well. Restoration prioritization is primarily guided by the John Day Basin Partnership’s ATLAS prioritization of the John Day basin supplemented by the CTUIR derived Camas Creek Assessment and Desolation Creek Geomorphic Assessment and Action plan. The Bull Run Creek Action Plan informs work in portions of the Granite Creek watershed and also was incorporated into the John Day Partnership's Atlas Framework.

These documents do not however replace the CTUIR’s First Foods Policy implemented through the Umatilla River Vision and Upland Vision. The Project’s approach to habitat restoration is rooted in the CTUIR’s First Foods Policy and Umatilla River Vision. The First Foods Policy identifies food groups integral to the tribe’s religion and culture while the Umatilla River Vision outlines a framework for process based analysis using five primary touchstones (Hydrology, Geomorphology, Aquatic Biota, Riparian Vegetation, and Connectivity). The framework has been adopted by the CTUIR’s Department of Natural Resources for all management and restoration actions. The First Foods Policy, Umatilla River Vision and Upland Vision are inherently consistent with the strategies and objectives outlined in the John Day Subbasin Plan and other planning and recovery documents.

Thus far, habitat has been improved through nine conservation agreements, nine complete or partial barriers to passage removed, 515 Km and 8,138 acres of stream channel and floodplain habitats improved, and two assessments and one action plan have been developed to guide restoration actions. Work will continue within the Camas, Desolation, and Granite Creek basins until priorities guide our work elsewhere.

During 2023 our efforts will focus on maintaining the Mud Creek and Hidaway Creek Conservation Agreements, implementing Phase 2 hand crew work on North Fork Cable and Camas Creeks, and planting native vegetation at the Granite and Hidaway Creek project sites. Efforts will continue concurrently to select and develop actions to be developed and implemented beyond 2023.

CTUIR staff have been working with Trout Unlimited and Umatilla National Forest staff to identify areas for and implement low tech hand crew techniques in higher elevation meadow habitats which are sensitive to heavy equipment access and movement. Since 2020 hand crew work occurred as a component of contract 73982 Releases 106, 136, and 162 within the Camas and Desolation Creek basins. During 2023 collaborators will revisit the Camas and North Fork Cable Creek sites where collaborators have been monitoring site adjustments to previous treatments. Hand crew efforts use minimal designs and site sourced wood to increase stream channel and floodplain roughness. Permits are secured by the Umatilla Nation forest under ARBO and the CTUIR supplements funding Trout Unlimited obtains from other sources. Trout Unlimited staff are responsible for veteran crew administration and oversight.

Planting efforts during 2023 will continue to occur as a component of intensive habitat restoration implementation. However, CTUIR staff recognize that a component of adaptive management is continually adjusting our response to the effects of past restoration efforts. As such, the 2023 planting Work Element was developed and will be carried forward to adaptively improve planting success and take advantage of developing planting approaches/resources over time. An example of this has been our efforts to collect local seed and grow out Torrent sedge. This will be incorporated into larger restoration efforts such as the 2020/21 Granite Creek RM 7.5 and 2022 Hidaway Creek sites are lacking this sedge which would have historically had a significant role in site stability and complexity. However, due to past mining activity and grazing management Torrent sedge is no longer present in either of these sites. Future efforts contained within this Work Element will further supplement these and other sites with torrent sedge while also planting native hardwoods to improve site response.

Construction oversight will be provided for Desolation Creek Reach 3 and Bull Run Creek habitat implementation projects under this contract. Both implementation projects are covered under standalone habitat contracts that run concurrently with this contract and cover the entire construction period for the projects. Project details, milestones, metrics, and deliverables are captured under those standalone contracts:
Contract 73982 REL 158, 2000-031-00 EXP DESOLATION CREEK REACH 3 HABITAT AND FLOODPLAIN
Contract 73982 REL 186, 2000-031-00 EXP BULL RUN FLOODPLAIN AND HABITAT