Big Meadow Creek PCEI Planting Project

The Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute will design and install a Riparian Buffer Zone on both sides of a 0.2 mile section of Big Meadow Creek outside of Troy, Idaho. Currently, very few trees/shrubs are present on this reach of the creek, consequently increasing the temperature of the water and decreasing water quality. The floodplain is disengaged, and the streambanks are eroding due to limited vegetation and a lack of sinuosity.



Project actions to improve habitat for steelhead include: 1) native grass seeding to prevent further erosion into waterway; 2) installation of weed mats to decrease competition for native plantings; 3) planting of native riparian trees and shrubs; and 4) planting of native upland trees, forbs, and shrubs.

The Big Meadow Creek PCEI Planting Project will plant native grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees on Big Meadow Creek to increase habitat quality for steelhead. Grasses and forbs will stabilize eroding banks, decreasing deposition into the waterway, and adding a natural filtration of pollutants coming from surrounding agricultural land. Shrubs and trees will add deep rooting systems to the banks, aiding in stabilization, while also providing shade to the waterway upon maturity- drastically decreasing water temperature.