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The NWFSC Scientific Publications Database serves as an archival repository of NWFSC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, technical memorandums, reports, or other information authored or co-authored by NWFSC or funded partners. As a repository, the SPD retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.

NOAA Fisheries Northwest Science Center Publication Details

CitationBliesner KL, Osborne LJ, Feden MJ, Tattam IA, Fetcho KE and Jordan CE (2026) Adaptive monitoring and partnerships in river restoration: insights from the Middle Fork John Day River Intensively Monitored Watershed, Oregon. Front. Ecol. Evol. 14:1719657. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2026.1719657 (https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2026.1719657)
TitleFlow of Knowledge: Reflecting on the History of River Restoration and Monitoring Efforts in the Middle Fork John Day River, Oregon
Publication Year2026
Volume14
Keywordsrestoration, salmon habitat, IMW
AbstractSalmon and steelhead declines have prompted habitat restoration in the Columbia Basin-leading to large-scale monitoring aimed at assessing a biological response. From 2008 - 2024, Middle Fork Intensively Monitored Watershed (IMW) partners applied restoration to 16.7% of summer steelhead distribution. Monitoring projects were conducted to quantify habitat and population-level responses. Though recovery has not yet been demonstrated and stream temperature remains a key limiting factor, coordinated restoration and monitoring produced valuable insights. The Middle Fork IMW demonstrated that in systems like the Middle Fork John Day River, where no centerpiece solution exists (e.g., high-head dam passage), achieving recovery requires community supported implementation of stream restoration at a large spatial scale. Additionally, the long-term working partnership of the Middle Fork IMW created space for identifying critical lessons and limiting factors. Maintaining the stability of collaborat
Official CitationBliesner KL, Osborne LJ, Feden MJ, Tattam IA, Fetcho KE and Jordan CE (2026) Adaptive monitoring and partnerships in river restoration: insights from the Middle Fork John Day River Intensively Monitored Watershed, Oregon. Front. Ecol. Evol. 14:1719657. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2026.1719657
Links (https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2026.1719657)