John Day Basin Partnership 2024 TA

The John Day River Basin in northeast Oregon is home to native aquatic fish species and habitat of state significance, small rural communities whose economy is centered on agriculture and natural resources, and exceptional historical and cultural riches. The 8,100 square mile John Day River Basin is one of the most important undammed river systems in the west and hosts two of the last remaining intact wild anadromous fish populations in the Columbia River System. The John Day Basin Partnership (JDBP) or (Partnership) is currently in year 5 out of 6 of our OWEB FIP Native Aquatic Habitat Initiative. This project will update the Partnership’s existing Strategic Action Plan and update aquatics Atlas prioritization with completed restoration project data & information learned through survey and include/incorporate new uplands prioritization.

The Partnership strives to accelerate the pace and scale of watershed restoration actions centered upon improving conditions for ESA-listed steelhead and bull trout as well as state sensitive species including redband trout, chinook salmon, bull trout, and Pacific lamprey.

Juvenile rearing habitat is considered the major limiting factor for steelhead during their freshwater lifecycle, and summer conditions within the John Day Basin are especially challenging for all cold-water aquatic species due to high summer temperatures, lack of habitat, low stream flows, and anthropogenic activities that have negatively impacted natural stream function.

Technical assistance funds are used to actively engage partners to accelerate projects that promote steelhead survival, especially during critical low-flow periods. The Partnership engages with project sponsors to help craft high quality projects in addition to providing a centralized group of active restoration practitioners that collaborate and share resources to maximize implementation effectiveness. The Partnership is comprised of highly capable practitioners with multidisciplinary natural resource expertise that share knowledge and work towards the goal of salmon and steelhead recovery.