Overview:  The Snake River Salmon Recovery Board (SRSRB) manages the Tucannon River Programmatic Habitat Project (2010-077-00) through this parent contract for the operations support, management organization, implementation assistance, and reporting described in this summary. The goal of the Tucannon River programmatic is to restore habitat function and channel processes in the spring Chinook priority restoration reaches of the Tucannon River, leading to improved population productivity and abundance.  

Background: The Programmatic Habitat project works to: 1) set an annual work plan in coordination with the implementation partners, and then allocates budgets and assists in the pursuit of matching funds; 2) provide technical support to the implementation partners and coordinates outside technical design review; 3) provide a forum for the implementer to coordinate their restoration project among regional BPA funded projects including the CCD Columbia County Tucannon Stream & Riparian Restoration Project (1994-018-06), the CTUIR Tucannon Watershed: Protect and Restore Habitat (2008-202-00), and the WDFW Floodplain Management Plan; 4) support collaborative project development so that implementer may gain local endorsement of proposed restoration projects by vetting habitat concepts and design elements through the regional salmon recovery board (SRSRB); 5) conduct public involvement and develop outreach materials for the purpose of promoting the Programmatic’ s restoration goals and objectives; and 6) collect information about project implementation outcomes to document performance, report accomplishments, validate improved habitat conditions, and inform program reporting.

Current Emphases:  Project management activities in 2021 will encompass the following major tasks. The SRSRB will assist CCD, CTUIR, NPT and WDFW staff to implement the ecological restoration and habitat improvement projects in the following priority stream reaches: PA-13 (Phase I) construction; PA-13 (Phase II) pre-construction; PA-17/18 (Phase II) final design & pre-construction/construction; PA27-28.1 Phase 1.5 and design of PA27-28.1 Phase II design, PA-26 final design and construction; and Tumalum Culvert final design and site preparation. The SRSRB staff will also assist in the development and design of priority projects in the following areas:   PA-34 Phase I (CCD, PA17/18 Phase III and PA27/28 Phase II.  These projects have been prioritized and selected for their high-benefit to spring Chinook habitat. The primary focus of the projects are to increase stream channel complexity through wood placement, and promote floodplain connectivity through increasing connection to side and off-channel habitats.  

Constraints (the need to phase certain project-area work): For pragmatic reasons, PA-17/18 and PA-13 and PA27/28.1 are being sequenced across multiple implementation periods due to the size of the project areas, the complexities involved in funding both projects (within a single fiscal-year), and permitting constraints for some of the actions proposed. The multi-phased approach at PA-17/18 will also provide an opportunity to incrementally develop design concepts with multiple private landowners. The design contractor selected in 2017 for Phase-I is continuing to work with CTUIR and program staff to develop designs for Phase-II that balance landowner needs and interests with the requirements of effective and well-considered salmon and steelhead habitat actions. This continuity should lead to a quality restoration design that incorporates project elements ready for implementation in 2021 through 2022. PA-13 delayed in 2020 due to the impacts of the 2020 flood event, is currently being phased to accommodate both funding complexities as well as a limited seasonal work window; implementation activities commenced at PA-13 in the summer (2020), with in-water work scheduled for completion in 2022.

Ongoing: The SRSRB continues to support the CCD, CTUIR, NPT and WDFW in prioritizing projects identified in the Conceptual Restoration Plan (2020-update), and by the application of the Strategy to subsequent project proposal evaluations. The SRSRB works with sponsors to prioritize restoration actions based on the Plan recommendations, and to complete restoration designs for future implementation. In the interim, SRSRB staff continues to support the CCD in updating and adapting the design for PA-26 (Phase II) following the 2020 flooding and developing the PA-34 floodplain connectivity design; provide coordination assistance for the CCD’s EC-clearances in 2021-22; assist WDFW in the implementation of PA-13 (Phase I & II), beginning in 2021, and work with WDFW in securing materials; and support the NPT in completion of the fish barrier design at the Tumalum Bridge.

To track the progress of implementation toward habitat goals in the Tucannon, the SRSRB will continue to conduct pre and post project surveys of conditions within the project reaches using a Rapid Habitat technique adapted from the CHaMP protocol. The greatest value of the surveys to the Program is its use as an as-built condition of each project quickly following construction. The surveys are made available to those conducting change detection research to better assist them in understanding the restoration activities and results.
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Habitat restoration projects developed though the programmatic are vetted in the SRSRB recovery process building local support in the communities where the restoration will take place.  Restoration projects recommended for funding under the programmatic have undergone multiple levels of review and technical comment before being recommended for implementation.  Only projects exhibiting high benefit to spring Chinook are currently recommended for funding, with selection criteria that prioritize projects that will address the limiting factors outlined for the Tucannon River in the 2008 Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) Biological Opinion.

Purpose:  The projects are expected to increase pool and LWD frequency, improve off-channel habitat, promote floodplain connectivity by increasing stream channel roughness (LWD), and increase channel and side channel length.

Objectives:  The restoration objectives for the Tucannon spring Chinook are as follows (channel structure, LWD and floodplain connectivity being the highest priority):  
  1.  Increase riparian function to 75% of maximum
  2.  Increase large woody debris to 2 or more pieces per channel width
  3.  Increase pool frequency to 15% of stream area
  4.  Reduce channel confinement/increase floodplain connectivity to at least 25% of river length
  5.  Reduce maximum daily water temperature so that it does not exceed 72F at confluence of Pataha Creek (RM 11.8 of the Tucannon)
  6.  Decrease substrate embeddedness to 20% in all reaches above confluence of Pataha Creek (RM 11.8).

Status:  In 2017, the SRSRB RTT worked with project sponsors to identify the high priority projects which are in stage of design that could put them in position for construction in the 2019 & 2022work windows. The RTT has selected projects based on their ability to achieve measurable progress towards one or more of the objectives listed above, that are outlined in a work plan through 2021.  Solicitation of projects will take place annually as the following two years’ work is outlined and recommended to BPA for funding. Project designs will be evaluated by the RTT and the Snake River Salmon Recovery Board as they are developed leading into implementation.  It is anticipated an updated work plan will be developed in 2021 as the Tucannon Conceptual Restoration Plan is finalized and will be reviewed by the  local RTT.

In 2020, the Programmatic continued to use it annual project implementation funding to leverage matching grants from outside funders, and typically averages cost-share amounts between $200-400 k/fiscal year.  In 2020 >$400k was awarded to the program sponsors from the SRFB for implementation in 2020 for implementation in 2021-22.  It is not the desire of the programmatic nor sustainable to pursue grants from the SRFB in a way not to impact other priority projects within the region.  In 2020, matching funds were pursued by NPT for Tumalum final design and implementation in 2021-22, and CCD was awarded ~$100k to complete restoration designs at PA-34.  The  CTUIR is planning a grant request in 2021 which is anticipated for the 2022-23 implementation work window for implementation in PA27-28.1 Phase II or PA-17 Phase II.  The Programmatic staff provides technical support to its project sponsors in the pursuit and acquisition of matching grants for both the design and construction of projects within the framework of the review and evaluation process for the Tucannon.

Management Considerations: Implementation of projects is expected to be completed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Columbia Conservation District, Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group (legislative program that supports non-profit groups of volunteers who cooperate with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to improve salmon resources throughout the state), the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pomeroy Conservation District, Nez Pierce Tribe and/or other qualified groups, tribes, or agencies that submit proposals that are approved by the SRSRB.

This ongoing BPA contract support facilitates the development of future projects and the refinement of the work plan as well as soliciting project sponsors for implementation.  The SRSRB will also facilitate the collection and reporting of data for implementation status, action and habitat effectiveness, and trend monitoring. The SRSRB will update the Habitat Work Schedule restoration project data base with new project starts, and the completion status for active projects. With long-term and sufficient funding levels, restoring channel processes and habitat function across large reaches will improve spring Chinook productivity in the Tucannon River.