Feasibility Study of Anadromous Reintroductions in the Malheur Subbasin

In November 2009, BPT began to develop a peer-reviewed protocol and a monitoring design to evaluate water quality and temperature conditions in the Malheur River Subbasin. BPT also began to involve landowners and grazing permittees to gauge public feedback. during the summer of 2010, project funds were spent on implementaion of water quality monitoring protocol. Dissolved oxygen, hourly temperature, pH and turbidity were measured in situ at several sites around the basin. BPT also began engaging federal and state comanagement agencies in developing long and short term goals/concerns for release of adult Chinook salmon into the Malheur. A multi-year tiered plan toward Chinook reintroduction was presented at the Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society to solicit regional feedback and expertise. BPT staff worked with BPT Council to develop site specific broad sense recovery goals, which identified a multiple year assessment plan for replacement of Chinook salmon into the Malheur River Basin.

Stream temperature, dissolved oxygen, discharge, turbidity, pH, and conductivity will be measured at 50 sampling sites throughout the Upper Malheur, North Fork Malheur and major tributaries (above BOR water storage facilities at Agency Valley and Warm Springs Dam) in historic Chinook salmon spawning and rearing habitat. This data will be used to map thermal barriers and temperature transitions moving up the drainage and to identify areas of poor salmonid water quality, so that steps make be taken towards repairing these areas. This data will also be statistically compared to known water quality and habitat standards for Chinook salmon (such as the EPA standards for salmonids) or to habitat use data from healthier basins, in order to identify areas of suitable habitat.
The project will also map unknown/groundtruth known barriers to migration; in terms of both upstream migrating adults and out-migrating smolts. Barrier data will be used to identify obstructions, so that steps toward their removal may be taken with the goal of restoring connectivity in the basin.