Upper Sandy River Basin Habitat Restoration Project-Zigzag and Salmon River Watersheds

The Freshwater Trust (TFT) and US Forest Service (USFS) are taking the lead on the Upper Sandy River Basin Habitat Restoration Project-Zigzag and Salmon River watersheds on behalf of the Sandy River Basin Partners (the Partners). The Sandy River originates on Mt. Hood and flows 56 miles northwest before entering the Columbia River near Portland, Oregon. The proposed project will address primary limiting factors by increasing large wood abundance on the Zigzag River as well as three priority tributaries in the Zigzag River and Salmon River watersheds: Camp Creek, Still Creek, and Cheeney Creek. The proposed work is on public land managed by the USFS located near Zigzag, Oregon in Clackamas County. The intent of this action is to increase habitat complexity and diversity and increase side channel/ floodplain hydrologic connectivity to benefit salmon and steelhead. This project is part of a larger, multi-year, watershed-scale restoration effort and builds on similar successful projects completed in the basin by TFT and the Partners since 2008.

Sandy River salmon and steelhead populations have declined over the last century due to degradation of habitat and other factors. Sandy River basin spring Chinook, coho, and winter steelhead are negatively affected by loss of habitat, which impacts juvenile rearing and adult spawning. The Partners have identified the Zigzag and Salmon River watersheds among the top areas providing high quality habitat for the basin’s native fish. The overall goal of this project is to increase habitat complexity and diversity and increase side channel/ floodplain hydrologic connectivity through large wood placement via heavy lift helicopter to construct large wood jams in Zigzag River, Still Creek, Camp Creek and Cheeney Creek. Proposed work will increase available habitat higher up in the watershed where cooler water temperatures will provide more favorable habitat to salmon and steelhead and will increase off-channel areas to provide refuge from higher predicted stream flows.