This contract supports and is part of the Wind River Watershed Project, initiated in 1998.  The project's focus is on restoration of Wind River steelhead.  In 1997, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife rated the status of the Wind River summer run steelhead as critical.  In 1998, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed the steelhead of the lower Columbia river as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.  Due to the status of this stock, the Wind River summer steelhead have the highest priority for recovery/restoration in the state of Washington's Lower Columbia Steelhead Conservation Initiative.  Project participants are the Underwood Conservation District (UCD), US Geological Survey, US Forest Service, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.  

This contract continues Underwood Conservation District's support and participation in the project.  UCD will provide habitat restoration work in support of the recovery of the Wind River summer steelhead stock in 2017 and 2018.  Work will focus on further developing the design plans and permitting for the Little Wind River Habitat Enhancement Project, Phase IV, upstream of previous habitat work conducted by UCD.  Under the previous statement of work we selected the highest priority project that was the most ready to carry forward for implementation.  This project is being readied for potential implementation with BPA dollars in a subsequent contract.  Additional work involves maintaining vegetation at past planting sites and installing new plants at key restoration sites in the Wind River watershed.  Other work such as producing periodic (quarterly) status reports, the annual progress report, coordinating with project partners, producing environmental compliance documentation, stream temperature monitoring, as well as managing and administering the project will be funded at levels to allow continued maintenance of these activities.