The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Grand Ronde Model Watershed (GRMW) have prioritized passage barrier culverts throughout the upper Grande Ronde subbasin. Indian Creek is a tributary to the Grande Ronde River, approximately 2.8 river miles south of the town of Elgin, Oregon. Four crossings within the Indian Creek watershed have been prioritized for replacement:

Site 1 - Little Indian Creek (at Forest Service Road [FSR] 62)
Site 2 - Little Indian Creek (at Private Road)
Site 3 - North Fork Indian Creek (at FSR 62)
Site 4 - Camp Creek (at FSR 6210)

This contract will focus on Site 4 - Camp Creek for implementation in 2025.

Problem Description and Cause of Problem:

The project is located along the eastern edge of the Wallowa-Whitman Nation Forest and within the Indian Creek watershed. The sites are located along Little Indian Creek, North Fork Indian Creek, and Camp Creek, all of which are tributaries to Indian Creek. The Indian Creek watershed generally drains to the northeast joining the Grande Ronde River south of Elgin. The watershed provides habitat for ESA-listed spring/summer Chinook Salmon, steelhead, and Bull Trout, as well as other native species. The upper watershed is owned by the USFS and is primarily managed for recreation use with some grazing and timber production. Portions of the Little Indian Creek watershed also include private forest managed for timber production.

Little Indian Creek (at Forest Service Road [FSR] 62) - species status (summer steelhead/Redband trout); size: 6ft squashed corrugated metal pipe (CMP); culvert condition - undersized perched outlet.

Site 2 - Little Indian Creek (at Private Road) - species status (summer steelhead/Redband trout); size:2 ft. CMP; culvert condition - undersized

Site 3 - North Fork Indian Creek (at FSR 62) - species status (summer steelhead/Redband trout); size:2 ft x 3 ft squashed CMP; culvert condition - undersized perched outlet and riprap lined downstream channel.

Site 4 - Camp Creek (at FSR 6210) - species status (Bull Trout/summer steelhead/Redband trout); size:4.5 ft CMP; culvert condition - undersized perched outlet

Site History:

The land surrounding the project crossings was first occupied by the Nez Perce people (around 1440 CE) and later by the Cayuse, Shoshone, and Bannock tribes (Powell, 2008). European settlement activities, beginning in the late 1800s, included timber harvest of the local forests. As settlements expanded into the early 1900s, road systems were extended into the Blue Mountains and logging continued throughout the forested region. The Wallowa National Forest was created in 1908 from the combination of seven Forest Reserves, and the Whitman National Forest was created in 1908 by combining three Forest Reserves (Powell, 2008). The Wallowa and Whitman National Forests have been managed together since 1954. Timber harvesting from public lands in the Blue Mountains began soon after forest reserves and national forests were established. High levels of timber harvesting occurred on the Blue Mountain national forests from the late 1970s to the late 1980s (National Forest Foundation, n.d.). National forest harvest levels declined dramatically (by 72 percent) between 1990 and 1995 (National Forest Foundation, n.d.). Today, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest participates in auctioned timber sales to meet annual harvesting goals (Phillips, 2022). Recreationally the National Forest is used for hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, skiing and other recreational activities.  There is no record of ongoing or historical maintenance problems at any of the project crossings, and there is no record of recent flood events at any of the project crossings.

Project Goal:

The goal of this project, as defined by USFS and GRMW, is to provide rigorous, data-driven, constructability-focused, and permit-ready restoration designs that, when implemented, will improve upstream and downstream fish passage for aquatic species of concern and allow for sediment transport. Accomplishing this goal will benefit ESA-listed species including, steelhead, and Bull Trout, as well as other native species (e.g., Lamprey and Redband Trout).

Project Elements:

1.  Culvert Replacement
2.  Reconstructed Channel
3.  Large Wood and Boulder Habitat Structures
  - Habitat Rootwads and Sweeper Logs
  - Placed Whole Trees – Single Log and Channel Spanning
  - Wood in Boulder Step

Specific project objectives and benefits include:

*  Improve upstream and downstream fish passage
*  Improve sediment sorting and routing
*  Increase quantity and quality of native fish habitat including the occurrence of large wood and pools
* Increase channel complexity with channel morphology similar to reference reach conditions