North Santiam Headwaters Spring Chinook Salmon Habitat Improvement

The purpose of this grant was to restore spawning habitat and to improve channel complexity and off-channel habitat for Upper Willamette River spring Chinook salmon both above and below Big Cliff and Detroit Dam. As part of the Hazards to Habitat Program the Oregon Department of Transportation and the US Forest Service removed approximately 85 hazard trees located along Highway 22. An additional 35 large trees were tipped and along with the highway trees placed in the main river channel, in side-channels and in the rivers floodplain. A total of 6 stream reaches were improved with multiple large wood structures: 3 reaches along the Upper North Santiam, 2 reaches on Horn Creek and 1 reach on Marion Creek. In addition to the large wood approximately 100 cubic yards of spawning gravel was added to 0.25 miles of Horn Creek. Six log sills were also strategically placed in Horn Creek to help hold the gravel in place. To improve fish habitat conditions below the dams the US Forest Service donated large wood swept from Detroit Lake to the watershed council. The large wood was incorporated into 4 council restoration projects on Snake Creek, Stout Creek, Cold Creek and Dieckman Creek.

The goal and purpose of this project is to improve Upper Willamette River Chinook salmon habitat by restoring large wood in the mainstem North Santiam River and spawning habitat in Horn Creek. Partnering with the Oregon Department of Tansportation to reduce hazard trees adjacent to Highway 22 will also improve public safety. The From Hazards to Habitat portion of this project will also benefit Upper Willamette River winter steelhead as the North Santiam Watershed Council completes restoration projects the portion of the watershed below the Detroit and Big Cliff Dams.