Upper Deschutes Basin Restoration Partnerships

Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Acquisition

Instream Habitat Riparian Habitat
Project ID19-Warm-01
Recovery DomainsMiddle Columbia River
Start Date02/01/2020
End Date08/31/2022
Year2019
StatusCompleted
Last Edited02/27/2024
 
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Description    


As part of a regional effort to restore habitat for reintroduced salmon, steelhead and native redband and bull trout, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council (UDWC) and its partners are focusing on restoring reaches of Whychus Creek, a Deschutes River tributary. Whychus Creek historically provided some of the best spawning, rearing and/or migration habitat for redband trout, bull trout, spring Chinook and summer steelhead upstream of the Pelton Round Butte dams on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. The goal of this overall effort is to reverse the effects of historic channel and floodplain manipulation that has led to the degradation of Whychus Creek habitat. Degradation has been linked to channel straightening, berming, subsequent incision and disconnection of the creek from its floodplain. The Whychus Canyon Restoration Project includes approximately six miles of stream/floodplain restoration that will be completed over the next decade. Within the Whychus Canyon Restoration Project six-mile restoration reach, Phase I was completed in 2016. This project proposed to address phase II of the project.

Specific activities proposed for Phase II implementation included restoring 1.3 miles of creek to naturally meandering channels and a fully connected floodplain to include channel creation/connection to off-channel habitat, creation of instream pools, channel bed restoration, meander creation, channel structure placement including logs and log complexes with root wads and riparian planting.

During phase II implementation, given the scope and scale of the work, it was determined that restoration of these 1.3 miles would require additional funding and would need to be completed in different years. This project funded the first ~0.5 miles of restoration, which was completed during 2021. The next phase of work for the remaining ~0.8 miles is scheduled for 2023 with additional funding. The first year of work was supported by this project and a separate OWEB grant. Because this OWEB grant also included PCSRF funds, these metrics are reported separately (via OWEB) and account for the instream habitat improvements. The funding from this PCSRF project supported the riparian habitat improvements that occurred on this stream section. These riparian habitat improvements included the planting of 32,793 plants within 7 acres of riparian habitat.

Project Benefit    


Phase II will build on our 2016 Phase I implementation approach that restored a mile of Whychus Creek and resulted in valley wide diverse riparian vegetation supported by a raised water table, a three-fold increase in wetted area at base flow, a three -old increase in overall channel lengths, a five-fold increase in number of fish habitat units, a thirteen fold increase in number of wood pieces per unit valley length, a five-fold increase in number of pools per valley unit length and large increases in macroinvertebrate biomass and diversity of taxa including sensitive EPT taxa. These foundational elements supported a four-fold increase in trout populations and a 37-fold increase in Chinook populations per unit valley length, similar benefits we seek to achieve in Phase II with this proposal.

Accomplishments

Metric Completed Originally
Proposed
Instream Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated .00 1.30
Riparian Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated .53 1.30
  Acres Treated 7.0 16.0

Funding Details

SourceFunds
PCSRF$80,000
Report Total:$80,000


Project Map



Worksites

Whychus Canyon Phase II (a)    


  • Worksite Identifier: Whychus Canyon Phase II (a)
  • Start Date: 02/01/2020
  • End Date: 08/31/2022
Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

  • Basin: Deschutes (170703)
  • Subbasin: Upper Deschutes (17070301)
  • Watershed: Whychus Creek (1707030107)
  • Subwatershed: Lower Whychus Creek (170703010709)
  • State: Oregon
  • Recovery Domain: Middle Columbia River
  • Latitude: 44.38187
  • Longitude: -121.40815

ESU

  • Mid-Columbia River Spring-run Chinook Salmon ESU
  • Middle Columbia River Steelhead DPS

Map

Photos

Metrics

Metrics
  • C.0 Salmonid Habitat Restoration and AcquisitionY (Y/N)
    •      . . C.0.a Habitat restoration and acquisition funding 80,000.00
    •      . . C.0.b Length of stream treated/protected .53
    •      . . C.0.c
      Project identified in a Plan or Watershed Assessment
      --The Middle Columbia River Steelhead Recovery Plan (NMFS 2009) --The Squaw Creek Action Plan (UDWC 2002) --The Whychus Creek Restoration Strategy (UDWC 2006) --The Squaw Creek Watershed Assessment (DSWCD 1994)
    •      . . 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 .00
      •      . . . . C.4.b Total length of instream habitat treated .00
      •      . . . . C.4.c.1 Channel reconfiguration and connectivityY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.c.2 Type of change to channel configuration and connectivity (LOV)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.c.3 Miles of stream treated for channel reconfiguration and connectivity .00
        •      . . . . . . C.4.c.4 Miles of off-channel stream created through channel reconfiguration and connectivity .00
        •      . . . . . . C.4.c.5 Acres of off-channel or floodplain connected through channel reconfiguration and connectivity .0
        •      . . . . . . C.4.c.6 Instream pools created/added through channel reconfiguration and connectivity 0
      •      . . . . 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 .00
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.4 Acres of streambed treated through channel structure placement .0
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.5 Pools expected to be created through channel structure placement 0
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.6 Yards of average stream-width at mid-point of channel structure placement project0 (Yards)
        •      . . . . . . C.4.d.7 Number of structures placed in channel 0
      •      . . C.5 Riparian Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . C.5.a Riparian Habitat Funding 80,000.00
        •      . . . . C.5.b.1 Total riparian miles streambank treated .53
        •      . . . . C.5.b.2 Total Riparian Acres Treated 7.0
        •      . . . . C.5.c.1 Riparian plantingY (Y/N)
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.2
            Species of plants planted in riparian
            Scirpus microcarpu Salix sp. (S. geyeriana, S. monochroma, etc.) Argentina anserina Alnus incana Carex nebrascensis Spiraea douglasii Mimulus guttatus Betula occidentalis Carex aquatilis Cornus sericea Geum macrophyllum Populus trichocarpa Carex amplifolia Rosa woodsii Iris missouriensis Populus tremuloides Eleocharis palustris Symphoricarpus albus Sisyrinchium idahoense Prunus virginiana Carex athrostachya Philadelphus lewisii Sidalcea oregana Pinus ponderosa Juncus balticus Ribes cereum Polemonium occidentale Juncus effusus Purshia tridentata Aquilegia formosa Juncus ensifolius Lupinus polyphyllus Carex microptera Potentilla gracilis Penstemon rydbergii Balsamorhiza sagittata Elymus elymoides Poa secunda Festuca idahoensis Pseudoroegneria spicata Koeleria macrantha
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.3 Acres planted in riparian 7.0
          •      . . . . . . C.5.c.4 Miles of streambank treated with riparian planting .53