Upper Cottonwood Creek Instream Restoration Phase 2

Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Acquisition

Instream Habitat Upland Habitat And Sediment
Project IDOWEB 224-6024-23648
Recovery Domains -
Start Date10/23/2024
End Date02/01/2028
Year2024
StatusOngoing
Last Edited04/30/2025
 
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Description    


1) The proposed project is located in northwest Grant County approximately 13 miles south of the town of Monument, Oregon in the Cottonwood Creek drainage (HUC 170702020905).
2) Cottonwood Creek is a 303(d) listed stream for temperature that provides critical spawning and rearing habitat to ESA-listed Mid-Columbia River summer steelhead. Elevated water temperatures and low flow significantly limit steelhead populations in Cottonwood Creek, a tributary to the North Fork John Day River (ODFW 2019).
3) Phase 2 of the Upper Cottonwood Creek Instream Restoration project includes installing low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR) structures on two additional sections of Cottonwood Creek, covering 2.6 miles. The restoration efforts will focus on the installation of beaver dam analogs (BDA) and large woody debris (LWD) to improve LWD retention, attenuate flows, enhance floodplain connectivity, aggregate sediment, and increase riparian hardwood productivity. These measures will result in increased physical complexity within the channel, providing benefits to steelhead and their habitat. Phase 2 will also integrate upland restoration work, which includes a 70 acre precommercial thinning unit and a 60 acre juniper cut near the project area. Forestry work within the unit will provide wood for instream work and complement other forestry work with the Cottonwood Creek Drainage. The proposed unit is overstocked with a mixture of conifer species, which negatively affects forest health, reduces water availability, decreases available forage and habitat for wildlife, and increases the risk of catastrophic wildfire.
4) Partners for this project include Chad Engle (Landowner), Monument SWCD, The Warm Springs Tribe, USFWS, and ODFW.

Project Benefit    


1) The proposed project is located in northwest Grant County approximately 13 miles south of the
town of Monument, Oregon in the Cottonwood Creek drainage (HUC 170702020905).
2) Cottonwood Creek is a 303(d) listed stream for temperature that provides critical spawning and rearing
habitat to ESA-listed Mid-Columbia River summer steelhead. Elevated water temperatures and low flow
significantly limit steelhead populations in Cottonwood Creek, a tributary to the North Fork John Day
River (ODFW 2019).
3) Phase 2 of the Upper Cottonwood Creek Instream Restoration project includes installing low-tech
process-based restoration (LTPBR) structures on two sections of Cottonwood Creek, covering
2.6 miles. The restoration efforts will focus on the installation of beaver dam analogs (BDA) and large
woody debris (LWD) to improve LWD retention, attenuate flows, enhance floodplain connectivity,
aggregate sediment, and increase riparian hardwood productivity. These measures will result in
increased physical complexity within the channel, providing benefits to steelhead and their habitat.
Phase 2 will also integrate upland restoration work, which includes a 70 acre precommercial thinning unit
and a 60 acre juniper cut near the project area. Forestry work within the unit will provide wood for
instream work and complement other forestry work with the Cottonwood Creek Drainage. The proposed
unit is overstocked with a mixture of conifer species, which negatively affects forest health, reduces water
availability, decreases available forage and habitat for wildlife, and increases the risk of catastrophic
wildfire.
4) Partners for this project include Chad Engle (Landowner), Monument SWCD, The Warm Springs
Tribe, USFWS, and ODFW.

Accomplishments

Metric Completed Originally
Proposed
Instream Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated 2.60
Upland Habitat
  Acres Treated 130.0

Funding Details

SourceFunds
PCSRF$117,670
Other$64,077
In-Kind Donated Labor$324,004
Report Total:$505,751


Project Map



Worksites

23648    


  • Worksite Identifier: 23648
  • Start Date:
  • End Date:
Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

  • Basin:
  • Subbasin:
  • Watershed:
  • Subwatershed:
  • State:
  • Recovery Domain:
  • Latitude: 44.61351611
  • Longitude: -119.35088139

ESU

  • Middle Columbia River Steelhead DPS

Map

Photos

Metrics

Metrics
  • C.0 Salmonid Habitat Restoration and AcquisitionY (Y/N)
    •      . . C.0.a Habitat restoration and acquisition funding
    •      . . C.0.b Length of stream treated/protected
    •      . . C.0.c
      Project identified in a Plan or Watershed Assessment
    •      . . C.0.d.1 Project Monitoring (LOV)
    •      . . C.4 Instream Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
      •      . . . . C.4.a Instream Habitat Funding
      •      . . . . C.4.b Total length of instream habitat treated
      •      . . . . C.4.d.1 Channel structure placementY (Y/N)
      •      . . C.6 Upland Habitat And Sediment ProjectY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . C.6.a Upland Habitat / Sediment Funding
        •      . . . . C.6.b.1 Acres of upland habitat area treated
        •      . . . . C.6.h.1 Upland vegetation managementY (Y/N)
          •      . . . . . . C.6.h.2
            Species of plants in upland vegetation management