The project is located in the Washougal River Watershed and is north of the cities of Camas and Washougal. The project consists of replacing a culvert on Larson Creek at Stauffer Road that is a fish passage barrier. Larson Creek is a small tributary to the Little Washougal River that is currently inaccessible to salmonids. The Larson Creek basin contains a 10-acre marsh created by two beaver ponds, which are interconnected by multiple channels that flow through a large wetlands area. Along with the beaver ponds and wetlands, access is also blocked to 1,500 feet of active stream channel that contains good spawning and rearing habitat. The riparian zone for most of this stream is in excellent condition. Removal of this barrier will provide winter refuge, rearing and spawning opportunities leading to an increase in survival and reproduction rates for salmon. Steelhead, coho and sea-run cutthroat trout are known to utilize the project area. Steelhead is listed as threatened, coho are candidate species, and the sea-run cutthroat is proposed for listing. All three species are considered depressed by the WDFW.
