Lower Little Bridge Creek Wood Restoration

The Project was implemented as designed. A CH-107 Boeing Vertol was contracted through Columbia Helicopters Inc. to install 175 logs with roots throughout 1.5 miles of stream channel. Those logs were placed in accumulations of 4-7 logs each. In total 37 large wood structures were constructed in a single day with a total flight time was 6.4 hours. Placement of each of the large wood structures was directed by ground crews that consisted of a construction oversight engineer, fish biologist and helicopter crewmembers. This was a very efficient method for constructing this large scale habitat restoration project with robust riparian vegetation and difficult access. We were ablet to utilize clearings that were developed during wildfire suppression efforts associated with the Crescent Fire in 2018 so ground disturbance associated with this project was minimal.

GOALS:
1. The goal of the proposed project is to enhance adult spawning and juvenile rearing habitat for
ESA-listed “threatened” summer steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and summer rearing habitat for
“endangered” Upper Columbia spring Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).
2. Construct large wood structures to increase channel roughness and hydraulic complexity to
restore peripheral and transitional habitat necessary for rearing spring Chinook and steelhead.
3. Restart natural fluvial processes driving wood and gravel recruitment