West Fork of Little Bear PCEI Habitat Improvement Project

The Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute (PCEI) will implement habitat improvement practices on a 0.57 mile section of the West Fork of Little Bear Creek in Troy, Idaho. Currently, the stream has eroded banks, un-vegetated sections, and very little woody debris.

Project actions to aid in improving steelhead habitat will include: 1) installing six Post-Assisted Log Structures (P.A.L.S.) throughout the upper 0.29 miles of stream to stabilize banks, increase woody debris, and create habitat complexities, and 2) install a Riparian Buffer Zone on 0.57 mile with native upland and riparian plantings to improve water quality.

The implementation of PALS and vegetation along this section of Little Bear Creek will improve steelhead habitat. Erosion along the stream will decrease, woody debris will accumulate, habitat diversity will increase, and water temperatures will eventually decrease.