North Fork Nooksack Maple Reach Phase 2 Restoration

This project supported construction of North Fork Nooksack Maple Reach Phase 2 Restoration, to restore mainstem riverine and associated floodplain habitats in the North Fork Nooksack River, RM 50.1-50.5, near Maple Falls, Whatcom County, Washington. The project constituted Phase 2 of restoration in the broader Maple Creek Reach (RM 49.8 - 50.6) of the North Fork Nooksack River, located near and upstream of the Maple Creek confluence. A total of 18 log jams (including one flood fence) were constructed. The overall goal was to restore stable spawning and rearing habitat to improve abundance and productivity of North Fork/Middle Fork Nooksack Early Chinook Salmon, which are considered essential for recovery of the ESA-listed Puget Sound Chinook ESU. The project is in a high priority reach and implemented high priority strategies for restoration. The project also builds on previous acquisition, design, and restoration work funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. In addition to this project, funding for construction was provided by RCO (#20-1157; $1,219,748 spent to date as of 6/15/23), PCSRF FY18 ($181,064), EPA NEP FY19 funding ($179,659). Metrics have been reported to PCSRF grants proportional to amount of funding as follows: 82% RCO #20-1157, 5% NWIFC PCSRF FY17, 12% NWIFC PCSRF FY18.

North Fork/Middle Fork Nooksack early chinook are essential for ESU recovery, but wild abundances and productivity are critically low. Restoring instream habitat in the North Fork Nooksack River through the construction of historic-scale engineered log jams is an important strategy to improve abundance and productivity in the near term.



The primary goal of restoration in the Maple reach is to address early chinook limiting factors of high channel instability, lack of key habitat, and reduced habitat diversity by restoring habitat conditions and addressing the root causes of habitat degradation, namely the lack of large stable log jams that form and maintain forested islands, floodplain and associated side channels. Restoration is designed to benefit Nooksack early chinook egg-to emergence and early rearing survival by restoring stable side channels that can be used for spawning, which will in turn increase population productivity and ultimately increase both spawning densities in the reach and overall population spawner abundance. There will be collateral benefits to other species that use the reach (steelhead, bull trout, coho, chum, sockeye, pink, cutthroat trout).



Habitat objectives: (1) increase length of secondary channels (near-term) and side channels (longer-term) by 3,915 ft. after 2 bankfull events; (2) increase quantity of pools in mainstem and secondary channels (form 3-4 new primary pools and 8-10 new secondary pools after 2 bankfull events); (3) increase habitat unit diversity (# of habitat units) by 30% compared to baseline conditions after 2 bankfull events; (4) increase area of complex woody cover engaged with low-flow channel by 8,811 ft2. immediately; (5) encourage persistence of tributary habitat in West Fork Maple Creek immediately; (6) increase area of floodplain forest vegetation (floodplain forest, forested islands) with stand age at least 25 years by 7.6 acres within 25 years. Additional geomorphic objectives include: (1) maintain ability for the channel to migrate in response to watershed changes; (2) no increased risk of erosion of Glen bluff; and (3) no increased risk of flooding to adjacent landowners.