North Fork Salmon River Habitat Restoration, P3

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game completed this project to improve spawning, rearing, and overwintering habitat for Snake River Chinook Salmon and steelhead in the North Fork of the Salmon River drainage. Specific actions were completed on two worksites to increase habitat complexity, recruit spawning gravels, add lateral habitat, increase floodplain connectivity, stabilize banks, and create overwinter and rearing habitat on private property.

Project actions included:

Worksite #1 – Arbon Property:
Eleven large woody debris (LWD) structures were installed, including channel spanning weirs, partial channel spanning weirs, and engineered log jams throughout 0.2 miles of stream. Pools were excavated at all of these structures and a boulder field was included to increase habitat complexity.

Native riparian vegetation was planted over the entire project site on both sides of the river for a total of 0.4 miles of vegetation over approximately 2.5 acres (50 foot buffer on each side). Species included Carex nebrascensis, Juncus arcticus, Salix geyeriana, and Pupulus balsamifera.

Worksite #2 – Barton/Ellis/Hill Property:
Twelve LWD structures were installed, including spanning weirs, partial channel spanning weirs, rock barbs, and engineered log jams throughout the 0.38 miles of stream. Two boulder fields in the final design, which increased the number of pools by 15, for a total of 27 pools.

Native riparian vegetation was planted over the entire project site on both sides of the river for a total of 0.76 miles of vegetation over approximately 6 acres (50 foot buffer on each side). Species included include Carex nebrascensis, Juncus arcticus, Salix geyeriana, and Pupulus balsamifera.

The Shoshone Bannock Tribe provided match funding.

This project work will implement priority actions to improve spawning, rearing, and overwintering habitat for the Snake River steelhead DPS, Salmon River MPG, and North Fork Salmon River steelhead population. As provided by the NMFS 2016 proposed recovery plan.
1. Continue to increase habitat complexity, pool frequency, and spawning habitat by adding structures to stream channels.
2. Reestablish riparian vegetation to provide cover, stabilize streambanks, and reduce stream temperatures.
And, implement priority actions to improve spawning, rearing, and overwintering habitat for the Snake River Chinook Salmon ESU, Upper Salmon River MPG, and North Fork Salmon River population: Increase habitat complexity: improve pool frequency, add structures to improve spawning habitat, create pools, stabilize banks, create scour, and retain spawning gravels.