Cowlitz Tribe Abernathy Creek Sitka Spruce Side Channel Project

Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Acquisition

Instream Habitat Riparian Habitat
Project IDSitka Spruce
Recovery DomainsLower Columbia River
Start Date01/13/2014
End Date12/02/2015
Year2013
StatusCompleted
Last Edited01/25/2024
 
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Description    


The Cowlitz Indian Tribe placed large wood structures in a high priority area of Abernathy Creek to enhance instream habitat for coho and winter steelhead. The project site is located in upper Abernathy Creek west of Longview, WA on Department of Natural Resources land. The Tribe installed three anchored engineered log jams to encourage stable side-channel habitat, and several smaller accumulations of wood in the channels and floodplain to catch and sort gravels and provide spawning and rearing habitat. Tribe staff planted trees and shrubs in the riparian area to increase long term habitat values and restore areas disturbed by heavy equipment during construction. This reach of Abernathy Creek supports populations of winter steelhead, a Primary population for regional recovery goals, coho salmon, ESA-listed (threatened), and coastal cutthroat trout. This project builds upon previously funded design and construction projects in the Mill-Abernathy-Germany subbasin, and will support the goals and objectives of the Intensively Monitored Watershed program for the Lower Columbia region.

Project Benefit    


The goal of this project is to restore stable floodplain and channel features historically provided by old-growth in-stream wood to support coho and steelhead rearing and spawning habitat in the project area of Abernathy EDT reach 10. The specific objectives are:
• Maintain a stable high-flow side channel for winter rearing by installing an ELJ at the head of the currently perched channel and aggrading the mainstem with wood placements;
• Encourage stable pool formation associated with three engineered log jams and other wood placements;
• Improve riparian conditions on a decades-scale by under-planting alder and maple forest with shade tolerant conifers such as grand fir, western redcedar, and Sitka spruce in selected areas surrounding the instream project area; and
• Place 65 total pieces of large wood to provide cover for adult and juvenile salmonids, catch mobile instream wood and debris, and foster enhanced biofilm and macroinvertabrate production in the project reach.

Accomplishments

Metric Completed Originally
Proposed
Instream Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated .10 .09
Riparian Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated .20 .09
  Acres Treated .1 .1

Funding Details

SourceFunds
PCSRF$184,387
Report Total:$184,387


Project Map



Worksites

Sitka Spruce    


  • Worksite Identifier: Sitka Spruce
  • Start Date: 12/02/2013
  • End Date: 12/02/2015
Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

  • Basin: Lower Columbia (170800)
  • Subbasin:
  • Watershed:
  • Subwatershed:
  • State: Washington
  • Recovery Domain: Lower Columbia River
  • Latitude: 46.28793442908006
  • Longitude: -123.19576889276212

ESU

  • Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon ESU
  • Southwest Washington Steelhead DPS

Map

Photos

Metrics

Metrics
  • C.0 Salmonid Habitat Restoration and AcquisitionY (Y/N)
    •      . . C.0.a Habitat restoration and acquisition funding 184,387.00
    •      . . C.0.b Length of stream treated/protected .10
    •      . . C.0.c
      Project identified in a Plan or Watershed Assessment
      Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board (2010). Lower Columbia Salmon Recovery and Fish & Wildlife Subbasin Plan. Longview, WA.
    •      . . C.0.d.1 Project Monitoring (LOV)
    •      . . C.0.d.2 Monitoring Location (LOV)
    •      . . C.4 Instream Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
      •      . . . . C.4.a Instream Habitat Funding 179,387.00
      •      . . . . C.4.b Total length of instream habitat treated .10
      •      . . . . C.4.d.1 Channel structure placementY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.2 Material used for channel structure (LOV)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.3 Miles of stream treated through channel structure placement .10
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.5 Pools expected to be created through channel structure placement 6
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.7 Number of structures placed in channel 7
      •      . . C.5 Riparian Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . C.5.a Riparian Habitat Funding 5,000.00
        •      . . . . C.5.b.1 Total riparian miles streambank treated .20
        •      . . . . C.5.b.2 Total Riparian Acres Treated .1
        •      . . . . C.5.c.1 Riparian plantingY (Y/N)
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.2
            Species of plants planted in riparian
            Picea sitchensis, Thuja plicata, Acer circinatum, Thamnus purshina, Symphoricarpus alba, Oemleria cerasiformis, Tsuga heterophylla, Sambucus racemosa
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.3 Acres planted in riparian .1
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.4 Miles of streambank treated with riparian planting .20