Cruiser Creek Enhancement Project
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| Condition of culvert before project. |
After culvert replacement on 4th of July Creek – March 2006. |
(photos by Tillamook Estuaries Partnership)
The Cruiser Creek drainage is part of the Elkhorn Creek Watershed, which lies within the Trask River Watershed (a major river that flows into Tillamook Bay). The Elkhorn Watershed straddles the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, and those two organizations undertook an unprecedented collaborative effort beginning in 2005 to enhance habitat.
Cruiser Creek is home to Coho, steelhead, fall Chinook, cutthroat, and Pacific lamprey, but large wood habitat conditions were poor. On three tributaries to Cruiser Creek—Whirlwind Creek, Fourth of July Creek, and an unnamed creek—three undersized culverts with outlet drops of two to four feet had isolated upstream habitat, preventing passage by both juveniles and adults. Cruiser Creek also had significantly degraded instream habitat conditions as measured by the lack of pools, secondary channels or large wood. The creek was also affected by sediment delivery from nearby roads. Finally, the creek lacked riparian diversity, which contributed to the lack of instream large wood.
The Tillamook Estuaries Partnership coordinated efforts among ODF, BLM, and other partners, including the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tillamook Bay Watershed Council, Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership (LCREP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), Tillamook County Future’s Council, and Tillamook Native Plant Cooperative. The total project cost was $196,105 with contributions from ODF (in-kind, $71,740), BLM (in-kind/cash, $23,805), LCREP ($39,960), and OWEB ($60,600).
The multi-step project addressed all the various habitat problems at Cruiser Creek. The three undersized culverts, all on ODF land, were replaced with larger culverts. The new fish passage-friendly culverts were embedded in the stream and are as wide as the stream channel. Along 1.5 miles, 145 trees (half with their rootwad) and 140 boulders were placed instream. More than three miles of roads (Cruiser, Elkhorn, and Laughlin Creek roads) were decommissioned by removal of stream crossings, installation of waterbars, and blocking of vehicular access points. The culvert, instream structure placement, and road work was done in summer 2005. In the winter of 2005-2006, five riparian acres were planted with a mix of native trees including 300 native conifer species (hemlock, western red cedar, Douglas fir) and 1,500 native red alders.
Thanks to the culvert replacements, an additional two miles of Coho, steelhead, and cutthroat spawning and rearing habitat are now accessible. Fish passage will improve because the excessive culvert drops have been eliminated and water velocities have been reduced. The new structures result in 40 to 80 key pieces of large woody debris per mile and will improve channel complexity, provide stream habitat, enhance stream productivity, and aid in gravel storage and routing processes. Riparian diversity has increased and the stream will benefit from shade and a future source of large woody debris. Finally, decommissioning the roads has reduced sediment sources. This unique partnership has thrived, and it marks the first of what the partners believe will be many habitat enhancement opportunities.
Karnowsky Creek Watershed Restoration Project
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Karnowsky Creek valley after channel reconstruction
(photo by Siuslaw Soil and Water Conservation District)
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Except for the Columbia River, the Siuslaw River was once the largest Coho-producing system on the Oregon Coast. Karnowsky Creek, a tributary of the Siuslaw River, supports populations of Coho, Chinook, and cutthroat. Historic human uses of the surrounding valley, though, had severely altered and degraded the creek.
The creek used to meander through the valley with a sinuous (winding) and complex channel, but it was ditched to both sides of the valley in an effort to increase the workability and availability of crop and grazing land. Upper reaches of the ditched channel became completely dewatered and fish could not pass through after winter flows had ceased. Endangered Coho and other aquatic species were seen stranded in remnant pools above the dewatering point. The lack of large wood and degraded riparian conditions were also limiting factors in much of the system. Coho runs had declined to a miniscule fraction of their historic highs.
The Karnowsky Creek Watershed contains approximately 1,800 acres; the U.S. Forest Service Siuslaw National Forest manages all but 200 acres. Partners in the restoration project include U.S. Forest Service (USFS), National Forest Foundation (NFF), Siuslaw Institute, Siuslaw Middle School Stream Team, Salmon/Trout Enhancement Program, Siuslaw Watershed Council, Siuslaw Soil and Water Conservation District, and Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation and Development.
These partners used a variety of methods to improve the area, including large wood placement, creation of off-channel ponds, riparian planting, and channel reconstruction. In 2004, an excavator placed a total of 130 logs, and five off-channel ponds were created. Channel reconstruction work that same year included filling the old ditches, installing 12 bank stabilizing wood structures, and completing gravel seeding and wood placement for stream grade control in 25 riffles.
With NFF and USFS funding, 1,025 conifer trees were planted. This riparian planting expanded in 2005. NFF funds facilitated the planting of 319 shrubs, 356 hardwoods, and 645 conifers over about 15 acres. Channel reconstruction that year also involved filling more ditches and reinforcing buried wood in the new channel with boulders.
The project began in 2002, and monitoring has indicated sometimes slow but steady positive results. Both the upper and lower main stem channels have functioned well, with stable vegetation and frequent floodplain inundation in winter. In summer, juvenile salmon are moderate in number and are found mostly in constructed pools with wood cover. In fall 2004, a spawner was observed in the new upper main stem channel. The 2004 wood treatment has ended scour erosion in the lower section of one tributary. Riparian vegetation has had an 80 percent survival rate. Overall, conditions are looking up for Coho and other native species.
North Fork Yachats Basin Restoration
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Log jams from large wood placement
(photos by MidCoast Watersheds Council)
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| Helicopter placing large wood |
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Located in southwestern Lincoln County, the North Fork Yachats River joins the mainstem Yachats River roughly eight river miles from the ocean. The Yachats system supports populations of Chinook, Coho, steelhead, and cutthroat trout. The decline in populations of Coho, steelhead, and cutthroat prompted the MidCoast Watersheds Council to designate the system as a priority basin for restoration work. The North Fork in particular is extremely well suited for Coho production, but a history of heavy logging and agricultural use led to a lack of instream complexity and the predominance of shallow bedrock pools throughout the system.
The partners in the effort to address these problems were the MidCoast Watersheds Council, U.S. Forest Service Siuslaw National Forest, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Forest Foundation, Siuslaw Soil and Water Conservation District, and the property owner. During the first two weeks of October 2005, 47 full-spanning log jams consisting of 235 key pieces were placed in the upper North Fork and its major tributary, Williamson Creek, using a Chinook heavy-lift helicopter. In Williamson Creek, 30 smaller trees were pushed over with an excavator and placed in the creek with their rootwads attached.
A follow-up Aquatic Habitat Inventory will document biological response through time. Despite the unusually wet winter of 2005-2006, no logs washed away from their positions. Since the logs stayed in place, the number of pieces of large wood per square mile is considerably higher than before project implementation, which means that channel complexity has already begun to increase and salmonid populations will benefit. This project is typical of the efforts to address primary limiting factors to the production of Coho salmon in Oregon’s coastal streams.
Tillamook Resource Area Riparian Restoration
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Young volunteer about to plant a cedar.
Photo by Bureau of Land Management.
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Although the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Tillamook Resource Area is home to a myriad of salmonids, riparian conditions in the Tillamook, Nehalem, Nestucca/Neskowin, Scappoose Bay, and Tualatin River watersheds needed to be improved. The condition of a section of the Tillamook River, for example, illustrated the broader situation. Based on the results of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Aquatic Inventory Surveys, this section received an “undesirable” habitat rating for several reasons: 87 percent of the reach was open sky with less than one percent canopy closure, large woody debris (LWD) was almost completely nonexistent, 20 percent of the streambanks were actively eroding, and conifers were absent from the riparian zone. Degraded riparian conditions throughout the Tillamook Resource Area provided poor habitat complexity and limited habitat productivity for native fish and wildlife.
Nine partners pooled their time and resources, the Tillamook County Soil and Water Conservation District, Oregon Youth Authority, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, Tillamook Bay Watershed Council, Upper and Lower Nehalem watershed councils, Nestucca/Neskowin Watershed Council, Scappoose Bay Watershed Council, Tualatin River Watershed Council, and Yamhill Basin Council. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, BLM, and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board provided the funding.
Overall, the purpose was to enhance the quality of river and wetland habitats for the public benefit in the Tillamook Resource Area. Stated objectives included: creating healthy watershed riparian conditions, coordinating the growing of plant materials, providing locally-adapted native plants and seeds for riparian restoration projects, and providing restoration project advice and education to promote better habitats for fish and wildlife.
Riparian restoration began in November-December 2003 with the removal of Himalayan blackberry and Reed canary grass, both invasive plants that interfere with native vegetation. In 2004, project partners planted about 20,000 trees and shrubs, and they started or propagated another 60,000 plants for future restoration efforts. Horning Seed Orchard, Camp Tillamook, and Phipps Nursery were principal participants in this operation. Tree species included: spruce, cedar, hemlock, maple, and Oregon ash. About 25 miles of stream were planted in 2004, and another 22 in 2005.
During those two years, about 1,634 people attended a total of 55 education sessions or tours related to the project. Ultimately, the project addressed water quality, threatened species, instream and riparian habitat improvement priorities, future large wood recruitment and shading, bank stabilization, and erosion at the project site. Ongoing maintenance and planting work will ensure the success of this immense long-term group effort.
The 2005-2007 Biennial Report provides more information about accomplishments in each watershed basin.
Return to watershed basin map
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