Eightmile Creek Restoration

Eightmile Creek is a tributary of the Middle Fork of the John Day River (MFJDR) at RM 11.8 downstream of Ritter, Oregon. The 0.7 mile project reach is located on private property just upstream from the mouth and above County Rd 15. Eightmile Creek provides important spawning and rearing habitat for ESA listed Mid-Columbia Summer steelhead, however, the degraded nature of the system decreases potential productivity. Regional plans and assessments have identified many habitat limiting factors in Eightmile including degraded riparian area, lack of habitat complexity, floodplain degradation, altered hydrology, and decreased water quality and quantity. This reach has the potential to store more water through floodplain reconnection and by increasing pool habitat. This project proposes using a low-tech process-based restoration approach, installing beaver dam analogs (BDAs), post-assisted log structures (PALS), and large wood structures to increase habitat complexity and water storage. Additionally, this project proposes removing patches of encroaching juniper from the riparian area and adjacent hillslopes in efforts to promote water availability and native plant production. This project also includes a planting effort to improve stream shading and riparian conditions. This is a cooperative effort between the North Fork John Day Watershed Council (NFJDWC), the Ritter Land Management Team (RLMT), the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). NFJDWC will be the project lead, providing primary project oversight, contract oversight, planting, some materials, and project monitoring. RLMT will assist with project oversight, planting, and maintenance. ODFW will provide direct assistance with implementation as well as consultation to project design and oversight of instream work. USFWS will provide assistance with permitting.

Eightmile Creek is a tributary of the Middle Fork of the John Day River (MFJDR) at RM 11.8 downstream of Ritter, Oregon. The 0.7 mile project reach is located on private property just upstream from the mouth and above County Rd 15. Eightmile Creek provides important spawning and rearing habitat for ESA listed Mid-Columbia Summer steelhead, however, the degraded nature of the system decreases potential productivity. Regional plans and assessments have identified many habitat limiting factors in Eightmile including degraded riparian area, lack of habitat complexity, floodplain degradation, altered hydrology, and decreased water quality and quantity. This reach has the potential to store more water through floodplain reconnection and by increasing pool habitat. This project proposes using a low-tech process-based restoration approach, installing beaver dam analogs (BDAs), post-assisted log structures (PALS), and large wood structures to increase habitat complexity and water storage. Additionally, this project proposes removing patches of encroaching juniper from the riparian area and adjacent hillslopes in efforts to promote water availability and native plant production. This project also includes a planting effort to improve stream shading and riparian conditions.
This project aims to improve habitat for salmonids and increase water retention in the reach. Placement of woody materials as well as construction of BDAs and PALS will improve fish habitat by creating deep pools and reconnecting the floodplain where possible. This will directly benefit native fish and will serve to improve water storage in the system keeping more water on the landscape for longer and thus representing an overall benefit to watershed health. We hope by creating pool habitat and additional riparian plant establishment, we can encourage the establishment of beaver within this reach. Additionally, by raising the water level and slowing water velocity, the project will improve sediment deposition, eventually reversing incision.