The Small Streams Project involves Lookout Creek (3 miles), Meadowbrook Creek (.75 mile), and Smith Creek (2.0 miles)(total of 5.75 miles).  The project is located within the Upper Grande Ronde River Watershed (1706010401) and Meadow Creek Watershed (1706010402).  These streams are all primarily steelhead and redband trout streams.  Historic beaver trapping, timber harvest, grazing, mining and roading have created a laterally confined channel, with limited floodplain interaction and diminished vegetation.  The project would prioritize LWD placement (channel spanning jams, whole trees, and small wood material) to add roughness, increase floodplain interaction, and habitat complexity, and promote out of channel flooding.  It is expected that the project will promote longer periods of hydrologic production, decreased stream temperatures and increased riparian deciduous vegetation.  Partners include Grande Ronde Model Watershed, Bonneville Power Administration and the US Forest Service.

Overall Goal: To achieve proper ecological form and function of the small streams and its meadows, and thereby restore habitat for the imperiled Snake River Basin Spring/Summer Chinook and Snake River Basin Steelhead.

The project will involve placing wood into a channel spanning log jam configuration into the above streams. The project would prioritize LWD placement (channel spanning log jams, whole trees and small wood material) to add roughness, increase floodplain interaction and habitat complexity, and promote out of channel flooding. It is expected that the project will promote longer periods of hydrologic production, decreased
stream temperatures, and increased riparian deciduous vegetation.