Middle Klamath Coho Refuge Habitat Enhancement - Planning and Design Team Support FY2014

The Karuk Fisheries Program met with the non-profit Middle Klamath Watershed Council whom collaboratively lead efforts for planning and designing Coho salmon habitat projects along the Klamath River and its tributaries. Other key collaborators included the Salmon River Restoration Council (SRRC) and representatives of both Six Rivers National Forest and the Klamath National Forest. The Karuk Tribe attended numerous planning meetings, workshops and field reviews to look at specific project sites and support engineering needs for projects. Time and effort was divided between 6 project areas located within the Middle Klamath River Basin that are mentioned in the attached report with a short description of activities accomplished for each project area. 3 of these project areas are located in the Upper Klamath Subbasin worksite, 2 of these project areas are located in the Lower Klamath Subbasin worksite and 1 of these project areas are located in the Salmon River worksite. Slightly more time was spent working with SRRC and working on the projects in the project area of the Salmon River Restoration worksite.

The design team will segregate sites into three basic project categories. Category 1 type sites will be the simplest type designs where enhancement work can be accomplished by hand crews and non-mechanical methods with minimal permitting. This type of project includes small wood structures/debris bundles and small wood structures, manual post assisted wood structures. Category 2 projects are more complex and require mechanical equipment and a moderate level of permitting, but not costly engineered designs. These included constructed off channel ponds, large wood habitat structures and grade control structures and simple channel modifications. Category 3 type sites are the most complex designs and require a high level of permitting and costly engineering designs. These types of projects include bridge constructions, major channel realignments and modifications of road and highway infrastructure. For category 1 and 2 type sites, we envision providing implementation ready designs that could be incorporated into near future proposals. For more complex sites, we propose to provide a minimum of 30% level of final design, but would require more costly engineering designs which could be developed further with additional funding. For each category type would support future proposals and lead to more projects implemented in the near future.

The project will accomplish the planning and assessments necessary to move ahead with project implementation proposal which strategically identify locations and prescribe restoration methods and project designs that benefit ESA listed Coho Salmon. Coho Salmon juveniles that utilize the mainstem Klamath River during the summer months are dependent on cold water thermal refugia for survival and slow water refuges for winter survival. The Karuk Fisheries program has worked extensively to better understand Coho salmon utilization both summer and winter refuges, specifically the unique biological and physical elements which make these types of habitat usable for Coho salmon. The Tribe recently teamed up with graduate students Humboldt and Oregon State to study other elements of Coho utilization within cold water refuges including studies looking at fish disease, diet and growth, movement patterns and density effects. This science will be used to guide habitat elements of designs in combination of the collective knowledge of the design team to ensure projects benefit coho salmon.

The project is consistent with the objectives of the SONCC coho recovery plan. The plan calls for restoration actions that improve off channel habitats and thermal refugia along the Middle Klamath River Subbasin and Upper Klamath Coho populations. Project locations are consistent with areas identified by the SONCC Coho Recovery Plan and include location in lower Seiad Creek, Horse Creek, China Creek and Beaver Creek. The planning and design team is composed of Tribal, State, Federal and NGO biologists whom are actively planning projects with the SONCC Recovery goals as a guiding principal.