Lapwai Creek Reach 14 B

The Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resources Management – Watershed Division implemented a restoration project on a 0.21-mile segment of Lapwai Creek in Culdesac Canyon north of Winchester, Idaho as part of its ongoing effort to restore critical habitat for ESA listed Steelhead. Identified as “Reach 14,” this stream section is located along U.S. Highway 95 (US 95) near milepost 285.1 on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation in Nez Perce County, Idaho. With the goal of providing stable and complex spawning and rearing habitat for ESA-listed steelhead, four objectives were identified. These objectives included: 1) Increasing channel complexity with channel morphology closer to historical, functional form. 2) Increase quantity and quality of native fish habitat, especially cover and pools. 3) Increase channel stability to limit negative impacts to US 95. 4) Increase the native extent and density of the riparian community. The projected addressed several factors including stream incision, floodplain disconnection, over-widening, lack of large woody debris, and lack of riparian vegetation. The stream was re-meandered into a more stable, sinuous design with increased complexity and pool construction. 35 Large wood structures and eight rock weirs were installed to enhance and maintain channel complexity. Ten pools were created, along with an additional 34 expected to be created over time from constructed features. 4,250 large native trees and bushes were planted to improve riparian and upland native vegetation with a total of 0.42 miles of riparian streambank and 2.2 acres of riparian area planted, and over 300 pounds of native grass and forb seed were planted throughout the floodplain.

Completing this habitat restoration project will provide a stable and complex channel that provides spawning and rearing habitat for ESA-listed steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Stabilizing this reach of Lapwai Creek and restoring natural stream processes and functions will increase the availability of high-quality rearing habitat for juvenile steelhead. Improving the current condition by increasing channel complexity, increasing quantity and quality of native fish habitat, especially cover and pools, increasing channel stability, and increasing the native extent and density of the riparian community will result in improved survival for all freshwater juvenile life stages. Furthermore, the reach of Lapwai Creek where the proposed restoration project is to occur holds the highest density of juvenile steelhead in the Lapwai Creek watershed (Chandler & Parot, 2003), and was ranked by Lapwai Creek Watershed Ecological Restoration Strategy (Richardson, Rasmussen & Chandler, 2008) as the highest priority area for targeting restoration to improve steelhead habitat and populations.