Restoring Native Riparian on Pataha Creek

The sponsor planted 2000 willow stakes along Pataha Creek in the spring of 2018 in 14 distinct patches along the margins of the creek. A total of 0.5 acres of riparian area was planted in 2018. Due to intense competition by reed canary grass and browsing by beaver the sponsor returned to the planting sites in the summer of 2018 and mowed the grass around the plantings, installed landscape fabric and fencing. Willows protected from reed canary grass and beaver browsing were growing well in the summer of 2018 but the grass started to shade the willows out and deer damage also hampered growth even within fenced areas. By the spring of 2019 less than 5% of the willows were surviving. The sponsor removed all the fencing prior to 2019 spring floods to prevent fencing being washed. Future work in this portion of Pataha Creek will be extremely challenging to recover stream and riparian function in this important tributary to the Tucannon River and historic spawning and rearing area for Endangered Species Act listed Snake River steelhead, Chinook, and bull trout.
The project area has been updated from the original metrics to reflect the actual project work area. The project area entered at the beginning of the project reflected the extent of the first phase of the project where beaver dam analogues and post assisted log structures were built to help aggrade materials and create habitat complexity. The original intent of this project was to plant a select portion of the phase 1 project area where structures successfully aggraded materials for long-term stability.

The goal was to start the process of creating a functioning riparian area within the incision trench of Pataha Creek by establishing woody native vegetation. Over time this will help to reduce reed canary grass cover and provide material for beaver to expand their populations improving instream and floodplain habitat for rearing and spawning Snake River steelhead, Chinook, and bull trout.