Murderers Creek Restoration Phase II

The John Day Basin supports one of the last intact populations of wild steelhead in the Columbia River Basin with Murderers Creek serving as the most significant keystone tributary for spawning in the South Fork subbasin. Despite its ecological importance, the stream system faces key habitat limitations including lack of juvenile cover, reduced beaver habitat, active headcutting, poor floodplain connectivity, and channel incision.



Building on the success of the 2.5-mile Murderers Creek Ranch Enhancement restoration effort (2023), this project proposes to implement an additional 3 miles of instream and riparian habitat enhancement for ESA-listed steelhead and juvenile Chinook salmon. This project is located on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area and is a high-priority project as identified in the CTWSRO John Day Aquatic Restoration Strategy and John Day Basin Partnership ATLAS prioritization.



Designs are being completed by RivHab Engineering and include project elements such as side channel excavation, strategic berm removal and fill back into the stream, large wood and beaver-dam analog structures, riparian planting, and fencing. Project partners include the South Fork John Day Watershed Council, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife - Phillip W. Schneider Wildlife Area & Fish Habitat Program, RivHab Engineering, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon.



A project-specific Monitoring Plan is being developed in tandem with designs to establish measurable objectives for use in evaluating project success and identification of adaptive management opportunities. Target objectives will be refined through the remaining design process but will include metrics such as floodplain inundation area, physical habitat characteristics, and long-term photopoint monitoring. This reach supports high densities of native freshwater mussels and these will be incorporated into post-implementation snorkel surveys. Additionally, ODFW may provide salmonid monitoring support if capacity allows.



PCSRF funds as well as OWEB Open Solicitation funds, CTWS – BPA funds and match from ODFW will be used to complete the 3 miles of instream restoration including hiring contractors and materials for the project.



Worksite #1 Proposed Work: Murderers Creek Phase 2

Propose to implement 3 miles of instream restoration work including engineered log jams, beaver dam analogs, side channel connection, berm removal, address headcuts on Todd and Duncan Creek, spawning gravel placement, riparian planting, and riparian fencing. Work will include areas on Murderers Creek and two tributaries Todd Creek and Duncan Creek, along with upland vegetation management. Restoration work will increase juvenile rearing habitat, promote floodplain reconnection, address headcuts that are currently contributing to fish passage issues, store water longer into summer months, and increase native plant species to promote stability and shade.

The Murderers Creek Phase 2 restoration project will deliver measurable and lasting watershed and habitat benefits by restoring instream function, reconnecting floodplain and rebuilding native riparian systems across 3 miles of Murderers Creek, Duncan Creek and Todd Creek.



Key Benefits:

Improved Instream Complexity - Large wood structures and beaver dam analogs (BDAS) will restore pool-riffle sequences, create cover, and reestablish sediment deposition zones. This will provide essential rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids while increasing hydraulic diversity and flow attenuation across the system.

Floodplain Reconnection - Regrading and structure installation will elevate incised streambeds, allowing flows to access historic floodplains. This will reduce stream energy, enhance overbank storage, recharge shallow groundwater, and support thermal buffering which is key for adapting to climate-driven reductions in summer baseflows.

Riparian Restoration and Shade Recovery - Active planting and natural recruitment of native shrubs and trees will improve stream shading, reduce solar heating and stabilize streambanks.



This project builds on the success of the 2023 completed 2.5-mile Murderers Creek Ranch restoration, which demonstrated improvements in floodplain reconnection, instream cover, and riparian recovery. By extending these efforts another 3 miles upstream and into key tributaries, Phase 2 strengthens cumulative watershed benefits creating a stream of high-functioning habitat over 5.5 miles. This continuity enhances the long-term ecological integrity of the entire Murderers Creek watershed.



Proposed actions are aligned with recommendations put forth by the CTWSRO John Day Aquatic Restoration Strategy and the John Day Basin Partnership’s ATLAS prioritization framework.