Upper Grande Ronde River-Bowman Habitat Enhancement Project

The Bowman Fish Habitat Restoration Project is located between RM 153.8 and 155.2 of the Upper Grande Ronde River, tributary to the Snake River, in Union County, Oregon. This section of the Grande Ronde River provides important spawning and rearing habitat for ESA listed spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead. Chinook and steelhead spawning and rearing occurs in the project reach. Throughout the project reach, the Grande Ronde River is over-widened and shallow. Pool habitat and wood recruitment is poor. High water temperatures impact adult Chinook salmon during migration and holding and juvenile rearing. Restoration actions for this project target critical salmonid life stages and limiting factors, and include: large wood placement, floodplain reconnection, channel reconfiguration and connectivity, riparian plantings, and livestock exclusion fencing. A side channel will be constructed to provide off-channel habitat and form a multi-threaded channel complex. An existing levee will be removed to allow for greater floodplain activation. Additionally, an access road used as a cattle crossing will be relocated to divert livestock from the spring area and reduce sediment.

PCSRF FFY 2019 funds were expended on project costs incurred during the PCSRF FFY 2019 contract award period. PCSRF FFY 2020 funds and other funding will be used to complete the project. No funds are reported as match to PCSRF funds.

Restoration actions for this project target critical salmonid life stages and limiting factors, and include: floodplain reconnection, side channel and off-channel habitat restoration, riparian fencing, LWD placement, and channel reconstruction. This project will immediately benefit ESA listed salmon and steelhead by improving and expanding migration, spawning, incubation and emergence, and summer and over-winter rearing habitats. Restoration actions will increase abundance and productivity of salmon, steelhead, and multiple native fish species.