Wapiti Meadow Conservation Easement

This project involved two phases. The first phase was the purchase of a conservation easement and the second phase involved habitat protection and restoration work.

The Wapiti Conservation Easement on Johnson Creek, which is designated as critical Chinook salmon habitat was acquired on December 17, 2010. The conservation easement limits development and protects riparian resources on 128.64 acres of the Wapiti Meadow Ranch into perpetuity and will provide protection of .75 miles of spawning and rearing habitat along Johnson Creek which is directly adjacent to the conservation easement.

The easement protects a culturally significant site discovered in 1997 by the landowners. The landowners found an elk hide-clad cache of 16 bi-face points. The University of Idaho documented the find and determined the cache to be over 6,000 years old.

An irrigation diversion (push up dam - fish passage 1) on Cox Creek was redirecting 0.82 cfs of flow to an adjacent north meadow. This allowed ESA listed fish to enter the diversion ditch and becoming stranded in the meadow. The diversion (push up dam) was blocked effectively preventing access by the ESA listed fish.

One 12 long by 24 in diameter culverts (fish passage 2) on Cox Creek was removed and replaced with one 5 span x 2 rise precast concrete bridge to provide passage of all age classes of fish. This culvert opened up 0.2 miles of habitat and ESA listed fish have been documented utilizing the full range of this habitat.

An additional diversion (fish passage 3) was closed off at Forstrum Creek. This diversion was shedding water out of the creek and onto a dirt road. Blocking this diversion kept the water off the road and created more flow in Forstrum Creek.

Instream habitat actions involved the placement of 45 unanchored logs in 0.2 miles of the channel (Cox Creek), with the expectation that 15 pools will be created along 0.2 miles of the channel.

The stream banks were stabilized by planting riparian vegetation along 0.3 miles of the stream (Cox Creek).

Canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) was removed from 3 acres along 0.3 miles of stream (Cox Creek).

Three acres were planted with Black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii), Golden current (Ribes aureum), Mountain alder (Alnus incana), Red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), Woods rose (Rosa woodsii), Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa), Booths willow (Salix boothii), Sandbar willow (Salix exigua) and Geyers willow (Salix geyeri) along 0.3 miles of stream (Cox Creek).

Though not originally proposed a total of .45 miles of fence was installed to exclude livestock from the stream, protecting 22.5 acres.

Reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) and Creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) has been removed from two acres of wetland area.

The Nez Perce Tribe will continue to initiate restoration actions. In 2015 an undersized culvert on Cox Creek will be replaced. They will continue to control the reed canary grass and maintain planting for years to come.

The project will improve Chinook salmon and resident fish species habitat through planned and implemented restoration actions including riparian restoration, wetland meadow restoration, noxious weeds inventory and treatment, re-connectivity of three perennial tributary streams within Johnson Creek, fencing and fence maintenance.