Deerhorn Creek Restoration Project

Trout Unlimited and the Malheur National Forest are partnering to restore channel complexity and natural floodplain function along Deerhorn Creek in the Middle Fork John Day Watershed. The project will use a combination of channel fill and berm removal, channel structure placement, riparian and wetland planting, riparian fencing, and wetland structure removal and to treat an area with incision and degradation caused by a legacy of beaver trapping, grazing, timber harvest, and construction of a historic railroad grade. Restoration of Deerhorn Creek will result in a dynamic, resilient, hydrologically connected system with quality habitat for steelhead, salmon, Pacific lamprey, and numerous other aquatic and terrestrial species.

This project will restore important spawning and rearing habitat for ESA-Listed Mid-Columbia Summer Steelhead, and rearing habitat for Mid-Columbia Spring Chinook that spawn in the Middle Fork John Day. Increased channel complexity will encourage sediment sorting and bar formation, improving the conditions for spawning gravels to accumulate. Floodplain reconnection will restore high-quality off-channel and low-velocity habitats, which are currently minimal on Deerhorn Creek due to its channelized nature. These areas, combined with increased pool habitat and cover from LWD will provide rearing salmonids with an array of areas to rest, hold, and feed. Healthy floodplain dynamics and a robust riparian vegetation community will help support a productive riparian food web. Increased shading and hyporheic exchange will improve access to thermal refugia, which is of critical importance in this part of the MFJD Watershed.