Walker Ranch Restoration Project - Klamath

Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Acquisition

Fish Passage Improvement Instream Habitat Riparian Habitat Upland Habitat And Sediment
Project IDKLAMATH-2022-01
Recovery Domains -
Start Date03/01/2023
End Date09/30/2024
Year2022
StatusOngoing
Last Edited02/27/2024
 
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Description    


The Upper Klamath Basin (UKB) has provided the Klamath Tribes with an abundance of natural resources for thousands of years. Anadromous fish, including Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, were important components of tribal resources before their runs were extirpated by the construction of dams on the Klamath River in the early 20th century. The Klamath Tribes seek to restore ecological health and cultural value to the UKB, in part, through the restoration of native anadromous fisheries.


The Upper Klamath Basin Keystone Initiative (National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and partners, 2008), the Klamath River Basin Fish Management Plan, which authorizes efforts to re-establish anadromous fish in the UKB (State of Oregon, 2008, Klamath Basin Anadromous Fish Reintroduction Plan, OAR 635-500-3890), and an anadromous fish re-introduction plan being developed by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and The Klamath Tribes are currently active conservation and restoration initiatives in the UKB.


The projects described in this proposal are considered crucial steps towards achieving the tribal restoration goal of reintroduction and restoration of the Klamath Tribes historic salmonid fisheries, including Chinook, Coho, lamprey, and steelhead species that have been extirpated. The proposed project will place stream enhancement structures within the Walker Ranch on the Snake Creek, plant/cage native riparian vegetation, fence riparian habitat, and install cattle watering facilities.

The restoration projects shall be conducted within the historic reservation of the Klamath Tribes (figure1). The Klamath Tribes maintains hunting, fishing and gathering rights within the historic reservation. The Klamath Tribes also maintains water rights within the historic reservation. The historic reservation is vital to the Klamath Tribes for cultural, historic and subsistence purposes.


Restoration Program


The Klamath Tribes restoration program is a collaborative effort to identify, design and implement restoration projects on private lands. The Klamath Tribes works with USFWS, ODFW, and Trout Unlimited to find private landowners with lands adjacent to streams to identify issues that affect water quality, fish habitat or riparian habitat and work with the land owner to find solutions to the problems. The Klamath Tribe program is an adaptive management approach that will collect data, use historic data, and use ongoing monitoring studies to assess the effects of the restoration project and make adjustment to the restoration program as needed. The Klamath Tribes expects to conduct 3-5 five projects per year depending on size and complexity of the project.


ACTIVITIES:


Stream Enhancement: Placing logs, rocks, and root wads in streams to improve spawning habitat for salmonids. Funding will be used to obtain, transport material, beaver dam analogs and place logs in the Sycan River and Snake Creek.


Planting/Caging: Cattle grazing, beaver, and other native wildlife have made establishing woody shrubs and trees along the riparian corridor difficult if not impossible. By planting native trees and shrubs and caging the new planting and existing trees and shrubs already present within the riparian habitat of Snake Creek we will greatly improve habitat conditions. Trees and shrubs will increase soil stability, increase nutrient filtration, and provide shade to streams.



Off-Stream Watering for Cattle: In situations where livestock do not have access to water (except that which is in the river) the current laws states that irrigation canals are not allowed to be charged even for stock water (unless in a drought year). In these scenarios, the landowner must utilize the riparian pastures so water is available to the cattle, and the livestock then spend an inordinate amount of time in the riparian area, degrading the riparian habitat along the Wil

Project Benefit    


The result of The Klamath Tribes Restoration Program will be improved water quality, improved fish habitat and riparian habitat improvement. The Klamath Tribes Restoration program will use an adaptive management approach to collect data, conduct project monitoring that will provide more insight on effectiveness of restoration projects and suggestions to improve the program. The program also strives to achieve better communication and coordination between the Klamath Tribes, USFWS, non-Government agencies and landowners.


TRACKING METRICS

Reports will document how many projects were implemented, how many miles of stream were restored, monitored or analyzed. Reports of how many acres were planted/cages or fenced off will be produced as well.

Accomplishments

Metric Completed Originally
Proposed
Instream Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated .20
Riparian Habitat
  Stream Miles Treated .20
  Acres Treated .5
Upland Habitat
  Acres Treated 10.0
Fish Passage
  Barriers Removed 1
  Miles Opened 1.00

Funding Details

No Funding data has been entered for this project.


Project Map



Worksites

1801020206    


  • Worksite Identifier: 1801020206
  • Start Date:
  • End Date:
Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

  • Basin: Klamath (180102)
  • Subbasin: Sprague (18010202)
  • Watershed: Lower Sycan River (1801020206)
  • Subwatershed: Chester Spring-Sycan River (180102020606)
  • State: Oregon
  • Recovery Domain:
  • Latitude: 42.486551196540965
  • Longitude: -121.27917766570833

ESU

  • Upper Klamath / Trinity Rivers Chinook Salmon ESU

Map

Photos

Metrics

Metrics
  • C.0 Salmonid Habitat Restoration and AcquisitionY (Y/N)
    •      . . C.0.a Habitat restoration and acquisition funding .00
    •      . . C.0.b Length of stream treated/protected
    •      . . C.0.c
      Project identified in a Plan or Watershed Assessment
    •      . . C.0.d.1 Project Monitoring (LOV)
    •      . . C.0.d.2 Monitoring Location (LOV)
    •      . . C.2 Fish Passage ImprovementY (Y/N)
      •      . . . . C.2.a Fish Passage Funding
      •      . . . . C.2.b.1 Length of stream made accessible
      •      . . . . C.2.b.2 Square miles of streambed made accessible (Square miles)
      •      . . . . C.2.b.3 Type of blockage/barrier (LOV)
      •      . . . . C.2.b.4 Number of blockages/impediments/barriers impeding passage
      •      . . . . C.2.c.1 Fish passage blockages removed or altered (other than road crossings reported in C.2.f to C.2.i)Y (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.2.c.2 Number of blockages/impediments/barriers removed/altered
      •      . . . . C.2.g.1 Bridge installed or improved at road stream crossingY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . . . C.2.g.2 Number of bridges installed or improved/upgraded
        •      . . . . . . C.2.g.3 Miles of stream made accessible by bridge installation or improvement/upgrade
      •      . . C.4 Instream Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
        •      . . . . C.4.a Instream Habitat Funding
        •      . . . . C.4.b Total length of instream habitat treated
        •      . . . . C.4.c.1 Channel reconfiguration and connectivityY (Y/N)
        •      . . C.5 Riparian Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
          •      . . . . C.5.a Riparian Habitat Funding
          •      . . . . C.5.b.1 Total riparian miles streambank treated
          •      . . . . C.5.b.2 Total Riparian Acres Treated
          •      . . . . C.5.c.1 Riparian plantingY (Y/N)
          •      . . C.6 Upland Habitat And Sediment ProjectY (Y/N)
            •      . . . . C.6.a Upland Habitat / Sediment Funding
            •      . . . . C.6.b.1 Acres of upland habitat area treated
            •      . . . . C.6.j.1 Upland livestock management Y (Y/N)