Cottonwood Creek Streambank

During this project eight meetings were held to coordinate and communicate project administration, planning, technical, reporting, and implementation activities with Office of Species Conservation (OSC), regional partners, and regulatory agencies to ensure project goals, objectives, and expectations are being met and to comply with environmental regulations.
The project sponsor worked a NOAA biologist to complete the biological opinion for the ESA consultation form.

The Idaho State Historic Presentation Office cleared the project as meeting Natural Historic Presentation Act Section 106 in July 2011. The Army Corps of Engineers authorized work through the Clean Water Act permitting process in July 2011.

Two on-site tours were completed to review designs and obtain input from landowners and agencies.

Fish were removed from project site prior to construction. Fish removed included thirty-three steelhead, one Coho salmon, and various other species.

Storm water control measures were installed to prevent runoff during the construction time frame.

Installation measures included 330 LF (.0625 miles) of stream bank protection, 3 rock barbs, 10 root wads and 330 LF of bio-engineering, 640 LF (.121 miles) of fence, 63LF of biologs, 51 LF of brush mattress, 2.5 acres of grass seeding and the planting of 283 trees.

Although the final report mentions two worksites, there was actually only one. On one side of the stream, streambank stabilization was implemented in two areas less than ½ a mile apart. Directly across stream from the streambank stabilization fencing was installed.

NPSWCD staff collected baseline fish habitat monitoring data and inspected installation during construction. The baseline data is summarized in the report “Cottonwood Creek Streambank Project Monitoring Report” dated December 2011. The monitoring protocol and report can be found at www.nezperceswcd.org.

The project was delayed for one year due to an 18 month delay in receiving the appropriate environmental permitting/clearances.

Monitoring of fish habitat data will be performed in 2015. Project site monitoring will occur in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

We were able to fully fund this project out of the 2008 grant.

Rearing habitat and long-term habitat quality will be improved for juvenile steelhead.