Middle Fork John Day Riparian Fencing and Enhancement

Under this project, .99 miles of stream was treated and 30.11 acres were treated at the Vinegar to Vincent worksite and the Beaver Creek worksite. At the Beaver Creek worksite, 0.7 miles of fence was installed which will protect 4.31 riparian acres. At the Vinegar to Vincent worksite, 0.65 miles of fence was installed which will protect 25.8 riparian acres. One significant change to the original scope of work was replacing the Phipps Meadow work site with the Vincent to Vinegar in-stream restoration work site (Vincent to Vinegar was previously completed in 2022 using, in-part, PCSRF funding for both implementation and subsequent planting efforts). In 2024 CTWS installed over 33,000 plants in the Middle Fork John Day subbasin another a different project using OWEB funding which will add to the overall biological diversity of this area.

The Middle Fork John Day River is home to two anadromous fish species, ESA-listed summer steelhead and spring Chinook salmon. High water temperature is a widespread concern throughout the John Day River basin, and is a primary limiting factor to Chinook and steelhead recovery in the Middle Fork John Day. Much of the upper Middle Fork lacks shading riparian vegetation, resulting in high solar inputs to the stream and increasing water temperatures significantly. Late summer temperatures verge on the upper thermal tolerances of salmonids, commonly reaching up to 21*C. This contributes to not only the reduced survival of salmonines, but increases stress on spawning adults.