Waite Ranch Floodplain Connectivity and Riparian Restoration Initiative

The project goal of the Waite Ranch Project is to reconnect tidal and riverine flows to the sitess existing pasture and seasonal wetlands, thereby restoring more than 200 acres if estuarine wetland habitats for fish, wildlife, and native plants. (ESA, 2018, Waite Ranch Restoration Project: Basis of Design Report - 60% Stage) (Attached in documents tab). Restoration components include a dike breach, dike lowering, primary tidal channel excavation, secondary tidal excavation, drainage channel filling, berm construction, erosion protection on highway embankment, setback dike re-enforcement, tidegate and culvert removal/modification, and vegetative plantings (including culturally significant plants species).



The dike breach and dike lowering in concert with the excavation of a primary and secondary channel will restore connectivity of water and sediment to Waite Ranch. The new tidal channel(s) will provide subtidal habitat which fish can occupy and use for access throughout the tidal cycle. Secondary channels will provide habitat diversity in terms of inundation frequency and channel edge. They will provide refuge for fish and foraging habitat for shorebirds particularly at water levels below marshplain and mudflat elevations. Large woody debris will be embedded in the channel banks to provide additional habitat structure and refuge. Additionally, secondary channels will minimize fish stranding and provide connectivity to the mudflat and marsh for habitat access and sediment delivery. The main purpose of the offset berms is to protect the highway from wave erosion, however they will also provide a diversity of vegetated habitats, including tidal swamp habitat. The goal of the vegetative plantings is to restore a self-sustaining tidal wetland vegetation community, in particular shrub and tree species associated with tidal swamp and riparian forest. (ESA, 2018, Waite Ranch Restoration Project: Basis of Design Report - 60% Stage

CTCLUSI will work with collaborative partners (McKenzie River Trust and the Siuslaw Watershed Council) to undertake a restoration project in the Lower Siuslaw River estuary where coho fisheries were culturally and historically important to the Tribe. This specific element of the project addresses habitat complexity including connected floodplain habitat, water quality, and hydraulic connectivity (flood water storage). The objectives of this proposal are to (1) improve habitat complexity including connected floodplain habitat, (2) improve water quality, (3) improve hydraulic connectivity including flood water storage, and 4) expand organizational capacity and capability. To measure the effectiveness of this project, the Tribes Restoration Projects Manager will coordinate, collect, and compile relevant data gathered by the Tribe and/or the collaborative partners on this project.



• Habitat Complexity Improvements: Lineal feet of secondary channel developed, and lineal feet of ditches removed/filled in, acres planted, juvenile survey data.

• Enhancements to Water Quality: Habitat assessments, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and juvenile survey data.

• Floodplain and Hydraulic Reconnection: Acres of land where tidal hydrology is restored, which will include acres restored to estuarine intertidal aquatic beds (mudflats), emergent marsh (tidal marsh) and intertidal scrub-shrub habitat.

• Enhancements of Tribal Capacity: Number of site visits to the restoration site, number of hours of direct restoration participation, number of training sessions participated in, number of collaborative meetings attended, hours of outreach restoration sites, and evaluation criteria templates developed.