Objective: Develop final project designs (65% level of final design) including engineering for three priority sites within the three miles of Horse Creek between Salt Gulch and Fish Gulch.
Background: The Karuk Tribe is currently planning and implementing habitat restoration in collaboration with the Middle Klamath Watershed Council (MKWC), private lands owners, federal and state agencies. Horse Creek is one of the most utilized spawning tributaries for Coho Salmon in the Middle Klamath River. Private landowner outreach and communication is also an imperative step for implementing in-stream projects in the Middle Klamath River due to mixed ownership of suitable lands for this type of project therefore coordination with local landowners in Horse Creek is a key planning step.
Privately owned lands are mostly located in low gradient streams and valleys along the Middle Klamath River including Horse Creek Valley have the highest potential for benefitting Coho Salmon due to their low gradient channels, shallow groundwater and large floodplains. A small spawning population of Coho salmon persists in Horse Creek and spawning surveys have shown signs of increasing numbers since our project team began implementing projects. Outreach to private landowners has enabled our project team to implement off channel pond and in-stream wood placement at multiple locations in Horse Creek since 2015. To date, four off channel pond complexes have been constructed. During the past three years the planning team has completed large wood placement in a ½ mile of reach of lower Horse Creek and more recently implemented large wood placement utilizing a helicopter in the upper 1.5 miles of Horse Creek. Other efforts include a final design for a 2 mile reach in lower Horse Creek that includes channel realignment, additional side channels and large wood placement. Horse Creek is a large tributary and therefor has been split into separate planning reaches including the project reach, Salt Gulch to Fish Gulch.
The project will utilize groundwater monitoring well data, use existing LiDAR data and ground truth sites with specialists including; engineers, fish biologists, geologists and other restoration practitioners. Design alternatives and costs will be evaluated including an alternatives analysis that is based on cost effectiveness and feasibility.
To date, preliminary field reconnaissance has found at least three potential off channel pond sites, six side channel sites and multiple locations for large wood placement where heavy equipment access is feasible. During 2020 and 2021 the project team developed preliminary project designs for all the suitable locations within 3 mile Salt Gulch to Fish Gulch at 30% level of final design for large wood placement and off channel ponds construction sites. Groundwater monitoring wells were installed in November 2021. Project designs will include; description of current habitat conditions including hydraulic modeling, description or proposed actions, project site maps and project foot print, access routes, disposal areas, rough excavation quantities, large wood and tree procurement totals and permitting needs.
