BPA project 2002-070 -00, entitled “Restoring Anadromous Fish Habitat in the Lapwai Creek Watershed”, addresses the need to restore the Lapwai Creek aquatic ecosystem so that the habitat within the watershed no longer limits recovery of the ESA Threatened lower Clearwater Steelhead population.

As a part of an ongoing partnership with the Nez Perce Tribe, the Nez Perce Soil and Water Conservation District proposes to implement habitat improvement projects to address primary limiting factors in order to increase the productivity and viability of the watershed’s steelhead population.

The NPSWCD proposes to address the primary factors limiting abundance and productivity of the focal species, steelhead (O. mykiss). The NPSWCD and NPT have prioritized restoration projects to address these limiting factors based on the Clearwater Subbasin Plan (NPPC, 2005), the Lapwai Creek Ecological Restoration Strategy (Richardson and Rasmussen, 2009), current watershed surveys (NPT 2012), and the Clearwater Expert Panel process (2012). Since the completion of the Lapwai Creek Restoration Strategy in 2009, additional habitat and fish distribution data has been collected. In 2020, the NPSWCD plans to update the 2009 plan to incorporate the adult steelhead data collected from 2012 to 2018 and juvenile distribution and abundance collected by the University of Idaho from 2015 to 2018.

Limiting factors for the Lower Clearwater Steelhead population in the Lapwai Creek watershed were identified in the 2009 Ecological Restoration Strategy and then updated during the 2012 FCPRS BiOp Expert Panel process using NOAA’s newly developed standardized terminology.  The limiting factors for the watershed include: anthropogenic barriers, riparian condition, large wood debris recruitment, bed and channel form, in-stream structural complexity, increased sediment quantity, elevated temperatures, toxic contaminants, and decreased water quantity.

Past accomplishments have entailed the installation of land improvement projects to address these limiting factors, including 9.92 miles of riparian fencing, 6.21 miles of upland fencing, 928.07 acres of weed control, two livestock waste systems, 10,916.8 LF of riparian plantings, 8 stream crossings, 12.25 miles of road improvements, 2 miles of streambank bioengineering restoration, 10.38 acres of wetland enhancement, 24,655.8 acres of direct seeding, 20 alternative watering systems for livestock, 13 water and sediment control structures, 2,200 LF grassed waterway, the development of 16 habitat conservation plans, 9.27 miles of access restored, 3.1 miles of floodplain reconnected, 85.1 acres of tree planting, and 200 acres of grass seeding.

Work planned for the May 1, 2020 through April 30, 2021 contract period includes:

- Vegetative plantings - 1.5 acres with native trees, shrubs, grass
- Maintenance of vegetation planted at 6 sites from 2015 to 2019 (21.7 acres). Protection of approximately 39 acres of wetland meadow from noxious weeds, and 0.8 acre of streambanks protected from hybrid knotweed
- Inventory and assessment on four private land parcels and development of restoration plans for those parcels
- Installation of 1,450 feet of fence
- Installation of 1,109 acres of direct seeding
- Stream temperature monitoring at 12 sites
- Preparation of non-technical annual progress report for prior contract period
- Preparation of draft RME report for 2020 temperature data
- Finalization and uploading of RME report for 2019 temperature data
- Outreach efforts to landowners in high priority restoration areas including direct mailings, website, and newsletters
- Identify and select projects for future contract periods
- Develop 1 to 4 designs for restoration projects at various sites in the Lapwai Creek basin.

Work completed under this contract assists in meeting the following objectives from the Lapwai Creek restoration plan:

Objective 1 – Reduce stream temperatures
Reduce water temperatures to levels meeting applicable water quality standards for life stage specific needs of anadromous and native resident fish, with an established upward trend in the number of stream miles meeting standards. The benchmark for this objective is to reduce overall days exceeding daily average temperatures at less than 16 degrees Celsius for spawning and rearing for anadromous salmonids and less than 20 degrees Celsius under all circumstances (NPCC 1994). Additional benchmarks for specific project types are discussed under relevant deliverables. Desired outcomes include restoring hydrologic and riparian functions related to temperature, identifying and rehabilitating wetland and floodplain areas, and continuing efforts aimed at increasing streamside shading where shading has been reduced by anthropogenic activities. This objective is consistent with the Clearwater Subbasin Management Plan, pg 35 (NPCC, 2005).

Objective 2 – Improve aquatic habitat diversity and complexity
Improve aquatic habitat diversity and complexity to levels consistent with objectives in the subbasin plan, with particular emphasis on recovery of anadromous stocks. Aquatic habitat condition (including diversity and/or complexity components) is limiting all focal species. Improvement in habitat productivity is considered critical to attainment of goals for both anadromous and resident species. Address priority problems with protection and restoration activities designed to promote development of more complex and diverse habitats through improved watershed condition and function. Desired outcomes include additions of large woody debris, stream channel reconstruction, increased side channels, increased pool quality/quantity, floodplain reconstruction, protecting and restoring wetland, and improved hydrologic functions. Management criteria includes water temperature of 16°C, adequate sources of woody debris recruitment, width to depth ratios <10, streambank conditions are >90% stable, with on average, less than 10% of banks actively eroding, and overbank flows occur on a 1.5 – 2 year event. Link to Clearwater Subbasin Plan, pg. 37 (NPCC, 2005).

Objective 3 – Reduce instream sedimentation
Reduce instream sedimentation to levels meeting applicable water quality standards, with an established upward trend in the number of stream miles meeting standards. Benchmarks for this activity include streambanks are >90% stable, < 20% cobble embeddedness, and turbidity is low (NOAA, 1996). Additional benchmarks for specific project types are discussed under relevant deliverables. Desired outcomes include restoring streambank condition, reducing sediment delivery to the stream from hydrologically connected roads and uplands, and reducing sediment inputs by implementing practices that address problems from logging, mining, agriculture, and other historic and current sediment producing activities. This objective is consistent with the Clearwater Subbasin Management Plan, pg 35 (NPCC, 2005).

Status and Trend and Implementation/Effectiveness monitoring under this contract is coordinated with the Nez Perce Tribe. The Nez Perce Tribe conducts the monitoring and evaluation required to determine population status and trends, as well as the physical and biological response to the habitat/watershed restoration efforts. The Nez Perce Soil and Water Conservation District (NPSWCD) utilizes the Nez Perce Tribe's monitoring data to prioritize habitat improvement and site specific project areas.