To a Decade and Beyond - Expanding Stream and Species Monitoring to Guide Luckiamute Restoration

The Luckiamute Watershed Council (LWC) proposes to build on our previous stream monitoring work to collect continuous temperature data and environmental DNA from surface waters in the Luckiamute watershed during the summer months of 2025 and 2026. This data collection will continue to inform restoration project development in the watershed. Monitoring in the summers of 2025 and 2026 will expand the dataset to 10 years of continuous monitoring in the longest running sites. Temperature monitoring sites were chosen because they are located within current restoration project areas, key tributaries in the watershed, or potential future restoration locations. eDNA sampling locations were chosen to explore the distribution of target species throughout the watershed. This project will install 24 temperature stations and collect approximately 30 eDNA samples for 2 summers in the Luckiamute watershed in Polk and Benton counties. Work will include field deployment, midseason checks, retrieval of loggers, pre- and post-sampling accuracy checks, as well as eDNA metabarcoding. The LWC will continue to implement quality assurance measures to ensure high-quality data that meets A-level standards. The LWC will continue to develop our partnerships with technical experts to conduct analysis of the full dataset to inform our restoration projects selection, locations, design, and development. The LWC makes the stream temperature data public through Oregon DEQ and our data visualization website created with earlier OWEB funding. We will make the eDNA results public through the US Forest Service eDNAtlas. Our project partners include a variety of stakeholders including local field and technical volunteers, private landowners, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Bureau of Land Management.

The Luckiamute Watershed Council (LWC) proposes to build on our previous stream monitoring work to collect continuous temperature data and environmental DNA from surface waters in the Luckiamute watershed during the summer months of 2025 and 2026. This data collection will continue to inform restoration project development in the watershed. Monitoring in the summers of 2025 and 2026 will expand the dataset to 10 years of continuous monitoring in the longest running sites. Temperature monitoring sites were chosen because they are located within current restoration project areas, key tributaries in the watershed, or potential future restoration locations. eDNA sampling locations were chosen to explore the distribution of target species throughout the watershed. This project will install 24 temperature stations and collect approximately 30 eDNA samples for 2 summers in the Luckiamute watershed in Polk and Benton counties. Work will include field deployment, midseason checks, retrieval of loggers, pre- and post-sampling accuracy checks, as well as eDNA metabarcoding. The LWC will continue to implement quality assurance measures to ensure high-quality data that meets A-level standards. The LWC will continue to develop our partnerships with technical experts to conduct analysis of the full dataset to inform our restoration projects selection, locations, design, and development. The LWC makes the stream temperature data public through Oregon DEQ and our data visualization website created with earlier OWEB funding. We will make the eDNA results public through the US Forest Service eDNAtlas.