Lower Milton Creek Oxbow Reconnection

Salmonid Habitat Restoration and Acquisition

Project ID	OWEB 221-1010-19047
Recovery Domains	Lower Columbia River
Start Date	03/09/2021
End Date	06/13/2025
Year	2020
Status	Completed
Last Edited	01/14/2026

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Description

Milton Creek is located in central Columbia County; it contains 17.8 miles of mainstem stream and 6.6 miles of streams within five major tributaries that support Coho, Steelhead, Cutthroat, and Pacific Lamprey. This project reconnected 600 ft of historic oxbow channel to the main-stem of Milton Creek, installed fencing to remove livestock from 1.5 acres of riparian area, stabilized 500 ft of stream bank to allow reestablishment of riparian vegetation, enhanced the riparian and floodplain area by removing invasive species and planted native vegetation to establish stream canopy cover and diversity. Project partners are ODFW, Columbia SWCD, SBWC and the landowners.

Project Benefit

The habitat restoration actions will:
1) provide 600 feet of off-channel habitat during the winter high flows
2) increase habitat complexity with the addition of logs and appropriate riparian vegetation
3) remove grazing animals from 1.5 acres of riparian area
and 4) create more canopy cover over the stream channel as trees mature to reduce water temperatures providing needed cold water refuge.

Accomplishments

Metric

Completed

Originally
Proposed

Instream Habitat

Stream Miles Treated

.15

.12

Riparian Habitat

Stream Miles Treated

.22

Acres Treated

1.5

Source

Funds

State

$76,931

Other

$11,857

In-Kind Donated Labor

$5,699

In-Kind Other

$2,500

Report Total:

$96,987

Worksites

20250001

Worksite Identifier: 20250001
Start Date:
End Date:

Area Description

No Area Description data was found for this worksite.

Location Information

Basin: Willamette (170900)
Subbasin:
Watershed:
Subwatershed:

State: Oregon
Recovery Domain: Lower Columbia River
Latitude: 45.878
Longitude: -122.897

ESU

Lower Columbia River Steelhead DPS
Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon ESU
Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon ESU

Map

Photos

Metrics

C.0 Salmonid Habitat Restoration and AcquisitionY (Y/N)

. . C.0.a Habitat restoration and acquisition funding 96,987.34
. . C.0.b Length of stream treated/protected .15

. . C.0.c

Project identified in a Plan or Watershed Assessment

National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region, 2011-01-01, Columbia River Estuary ESA Recovery Plan Module for Salmon & Steelhead; National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Region, 2013-06-01, ESA Recovery Plan for Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon, Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon, Columbia River Chum Salmon, and Lower Columbia River Steelhead; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2010-08-01, Lower Columbia River Conservation and Recovery Plan for Oregon Populations of Salmon and Steelhead;

. . C.0.d.1 Project Monitoring (LOV)
. . C.0.d.2 Monitoring Location (LOV)
. . C.4 Instream Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
- . . . . C.4.a Instream Habitat Funding 75,682.52
- . . . . C.4.b Total length of instream habitat treated .15
- . . . . C.4.c.1 Channel reconfiguration and connectivityY (Y/N)
  - . . . . . . C.4.c.2 Type of change to channel configuration and connectivity (LOV)
  - . . . . . . C.4.c.3 Miles of stream treated for channel reconfiguration and connectivity .01
  - . . . . . . C.4.c.4 Miles of off-channel stream created through channel reconfiguration and connectivity .11
  - . . . . . . C.4.c.6 Instream pools created/added through channel reconfiguration and connectivity 0
- . . . . C.4.d.1 Channel structure placementY (Y/N)
  - . . . . . . C.4.d.2 Material used for channel structure (LOV)
  - . . . . . . C.4.d.3 Miles of stream treated through channel structure placement .15
  - . . . . . . C.4.d.5 Pools expected to be created through channel structure placement 5
  - . . . . . . C.4.d.7 Number of structures placed in channel 4
- . . . . C.4.e.1 Streambank stabilization Y (Y/N)
  - . . . . . . C.4.e.2 Material Used For Streambank Stabilization (LOV)
  - . . . . . . C.4.e.3 Miles of streambank stabilized .01
- . . C.5 Riparian Habitat ProjectY (Y/N)
  - . . . . C.5.a Riparian Habitat Funding 21,304.82
  - . . . . C.5.b.1 Total riparian miles streambank treated .22
  - . . . . C.5.b.2 Total Riparian Acres Treated 1.5
  - . . . . C.5.c.1 Riparian plantingY (Y/N)
    - . . . . . . C.5.c.2
      Species of plants planted in riparian
      
      Cascara, Western Red Cedar, and Pacific Willow; Swamp Rose, Salmonberry, common snowberry, ninebark, Douglas spirea, spreading rush
    - . . . . . . C.5.c.3 Acres planted in riparian 1.5
    - . . . . . . C.5.c.4 Miles of streambank treated with riparian planting .22
  - . . . . C.5.d.1 FencingY (Y/N)
    - . . . . . . C.5.d.2 Miles of fence along stream .22
    - . . . . . . C.5.d.3 Acres of riparian area protected by fencing 1.5
  - . . . . C.5.h.1 Riparian plant removal/controlY (Y/N)
    - . . . . . . C.5.h.2
      Species of plants treated/removed in riparian
      
      Blackberry, canary reed grass, and creeping buttercup
    - . . . . . . C.5.h.3 Acres of riparian treated for plant removal/control 1.5
    - . . . . . . C.5.h.4 Miles of streambank treated for riparian plant removal/control .22