Nehalem Watershed Restoration Tour 2007
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Transcript of Nehalem Watershed Restoration Tour 2007
Nehalem Watershed Nehalem Watershed Restoration Tour 2007Restoration Tour 2007
10 years of watershed restoration 10 years of watershed restoration and native salmon recovery…and native salmon recovery…
Sponsored by: Upper and Lower Nehalem Watershed CouncilsFunded by: Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
Photo by Don Best
Welcome…
Who:Who:
The Upper Nehalem Watershed CouncilThe Upper Nehalem Watershed Council– Established in January of 1996Established in January of 1996
Recognized by Columbia County - Board of Commissioners in July 1996Recognized by Columbia County - Board of Commissioners in July 1996 Recognized by Clatsop County - Local Government Group in August 1997Recognized by Clatsop County - Local Government Group in August 1997
The Lower Nehalem Watershed CouncilThe Lower Nehalem Watershed Council– Established in 1997Established in 1997
Recognized by Tillamook County - Board of Commissioners 1997Recognized by Tillamook County - Board of Commissioners 1997
a diverse representation of the stakeholders groupsa diverse representation of the stakeholders groups who have interest in the health and productivity of the who have interest in the health and productivity of the
Nehalem watershed…Nehalem watershed…
Where:Where:
The Nehalem Basin The Nehalem Basin North Pacific Coast of OregonNorth Pacific Coast of Oregon
Temperate rainforest ecosystemTemperate rainforest ecosystem 44thth field - 17100202 - HUC field - 17100202 - HUC 855 square miles, 599,660 acres855 square miles, 599,660 acres 1,258+ miles of salmon bearing streams1,258+ miles of salmon bearing streams 37% public forest land37% public forest land 50% private forest land50% private forest land 13% agriculture and rural residential, 13% agriculture and rural residential, Towns/cities = Towns/cities = Timber, Vernonia, Mist, Timber, Vernonia, Mist, Birkenfeld, Jewell, Elsie, Hamlet, Nehalem, Birkenfeld, Jewell, Elsie, Hamlet, Nehalem, and Wheelerand Wheeler
Why:Why:
UNWC mission:UNWC mission: The Upper Nehalem Watershed Council The Upper Nehalem Watershed Council
is a dedicated and dependable grassroots organization with a proven is a dedicated and dependable grassroots organization with a proven track record of success and measurable results. We value productive track record of success and measurable results. We value productive forests; cool, clean, clear water; sustainable ecosystems; and healthy forests; cool, clean, clear water; sustainable ecosystems; and healthy communities full of informed citizens. We are working diligently to communities full of informed citizens. We are working diligently to reforest our waterways and improve salmon habitat in respectful reforest our waterways and improve salmon habitat in respectful cooperation with local stakeholders.cooperation with local stakeholders.
LNWC mission:LNWC mission: The Lower Nehalem Watershed Council The Lower Nehalem Watershed Council
is dedicated to the protection, preservation and enhancement of the is dedicated to the protection, preservation and enhancement of the Nehalem watershed through leadership, cooperation and education.Nehalem watershed through leadership, cooperation and education.
The Councils strive to meet the goals of theOregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds
What we do:What we do:
Public Outreach and EducationPublic Outreach and Education Partnership BuildingPartnership Building Watershed Assessment/issue IDWatershed Assessment/issue ID Action Plan DevelopmentAction Plan Development Water Quality/Quantity/Biological MonitoringWater Quality/Quantity/Biological Monitoring Riparian RestorationRiparian Restoration Salmon Habitat/Passage Improvement Salmon Habitat/Passage Improvement Project Effectiveness MonitoringProject Effectiveness Monitoring Noxious Weed ControlNoxious Weed Control Organizational DevelopmentOrganizational Development FundraisingFundraising AccountabilityAccountability
Watershed OutreachWatershed Outreachreaching out to the watershed community…reaching out to the watershed community…
Vernonia Salmon Festival
Forestry and project tours
Hands-onVolunteer tree plants
Council sponsored:Public forumsLandowner workshopsCouncil presentationsDisplays at public eventsProject toursNewspaper articlesPublications
River exploration
Hands-on EducationHands-on EducationOregon Youth Conservation Corp…Oregon Youth Conservation Corp…
Involving local youth in hands on watershed restoration since 1997
Learning as they go…
Watershed AssessmentWatershed Assessmentconditions of the the past vs the present…conditions of the the past vs the present…
present view
present forest cover
field verification
Riparian Conditions AnalysisRiparian Conditions Analysisunderstanding the present, planning for the future…understanding the present, planning for the future…
Upper Nehalem River
Conifer Medium Dense29%
Mixed Medium Dense16%
Conifer Regen Dense14%
Road3%
Conifer Small Dense7%
Conifer Small Sparse0%
Shrub1%
Grass7%
Mixed Medium Sparse0%
Mixed Small Dense3%
Hardwood Small Dense6%
Conifer Medium Sparse0%
Hardwood Medium Dense9%
Mixed Small Sparse1%
Conifer Regen Sparse0% Water
2%
Hardwood Small Sparse0%
Conifer Medium Dense
Mixed Medium Dense
Conifer Regen Dense
Road
Conifer Small Dense
Conifer Small Sparse
Shrub
Grass
Mixed Medium Sparse
Mixed Small Dense
Hardwood Small Dense
Conifer Medium Sparse
Hardwood Medium Dense
Mixed Small Sparse
Conifer Regen Sparse
Water
Hardwood Small Sparse
Watershed Health MonitoringWatershed Health Monitoringfrom the headwaters to the bay, and all points in between…from the headwaters to the bay, and all points in between…
Volunteer monitoring - Volunteer monitoring - 10+ years10+ years
Partners:U and L NWC volunteers, landowners, DEQ, EPA, ODFW, Xerces Society,Contractors and the City of Vernonia, Nehalem and Manzanita
All data collected using state protocols
Volunteers trained by DEQ staff
DEQ assisted councils in developing a Quality Assurance Project Plan
Water QuantityWater Quantityfrom draught to flood… from draught to flood…
Rock Cr GaugeNehalem USGS Gauge
Volunteer flow monitoringLow flows limit salmon rearing potential
High flows accelerate soil erosion, cause property damage and disturb salmon redds
UNWC installed RC gauge for City of Vernonia`s Water Curtailment Plan
Partners in flow monitoring:OWRD, USGS, ODFW, City of Vernonia, City of Nehalem, Water Watch, and volunteers
1996 storm approachesAverage rainfall
1996 precipitation
Water QualityWater Qualitycool clean clear water, good for all…cool clean clear water, good for all…
Beneficial usesBeneficial uses
Water Quality – TemperatureWater Quality – Temperaturefinding the heat sources…finding the heat sources…
Partners: Nehalem Valley Chapter - Izaak Walton League, DEQ, BLM, volunteers and landownersSites: 80+ basin wideDuration: 15 yrs of data collection
Forward Looking Infra-red
North Coast - TemperatureTotal Maximum Daily LoadEstablished 2002
Cooler waterbenefits all life…
humans, salmon, insects,
amphibians
302.9 stream miles impaired
Water Quality – TemperatureWater Quality – Temperature
The Nehalem is water quality limited from the headwaters to the bay…
More temperature…
Water Quality – TurbidityWater Quality – Turbidityfinding the source of sediment…finding the source of sediment…
Partners: UNWC and LNWC Volunteers, DEQ staffSites: 100+Duration: 7yrs
WQ – BacteriaWQ – Bacteriaprotecting beneficial uses…protecting beneficial uses…
Dedicated volunteers collected bacteria samples from 15 lower Nehalem sites: 1/mth for 6 yrs
DEQ TMDL data
10 miles of fecal coliform
impairment
Biological - Aquatic HabitatBiological - Aquatic Habitatassessing quality of habitat…assessing quality of habitat…
locating and prioritizing project reaches…locating and prioritizing project reaches…
Partners: Boswell associates, OWEB, ODFW, council volunteers
Biological - Salmon PresenceBiological - Salmon Presencenative salmon populations persist in the Nehalem…native salmon populations persist in the Nehalem…
a precious resource… a precious resource…
Biological - Macro invertebrateBiological - Macro invertebratemacros “tell all” about water quality… all we need to do is listen…macros “tell all” about water quality… all we need to do is listen…
Field collection
Lab: sort and ID
Bugs do not lie…
Oregon Plan Macroinvertebrate Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity for Fish Hawk Creek Above and Below Reservoir 1998 - 2002
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Year Sampled
Impairment Level
Above Lake Below Lake ODF Restoration Site
None
Slight
Severe
Moderate
Watershed RestorationWatershed Restorationunderstanding the watershed is the first step…understanding the watershed is the first step…
Riparian FencingRiparian FencingLandowner cooperation is key to water resource protection…Landowner cooperation is key to water resource protection…
Happy “Free to Grow” Cows
15 miles of riparian fence installed in cooperation with local Landowners
Riparian ReforestationRiparian Reforestationgrowing strong…growing strong…
95+ UNWC cooperators, to date
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program 9 new sign-ups400+ acres in reserve
Partners:OWEB, DEQ, BLM, NRCS, ODF, FSA, ODFW, VCLC, VHS, Landowners.
200,000+native treesand shrubsplanted
North Coast North Coast Native Plant CooperativeNative Plant Cooperative
growing native plants from seed to riparian planting stock…growing native plants from seed to riparian planting stock…
Partners: Tillamook Bureau of Land Management and Watershed Councils = Yamhill, Tillamook Bay, Nestucca, Lower and Upper Nehalem, Scappoose Bay and Soil and Water Conservation District`s = Tillamook, Clatsop and Columbia, and Tillamook Estuary Partnership. Nursery meets all our riparian restoration needs!
Native Coho – RecoveryNative Coho – Recoveryraising salmon in the wild…raising salmon in the wild…
Nehalem “Native” CohoBorn to be Wild…
Salmon Habitat ImprovementSalmon Habitat Improvementbuilding habitat, increasing salmon production…building habitat, increasing salmon production…
Partners: Longview Fibre Co, Weyerhaeuser, Forest Systems, Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation, ODFW
Salmon PassageSalmon Passageremoving barriers one crossing at a time…removing barriers one crossing at a time…
Before
After
Before
During
After
Reflection Creek
East HumbugAfter
During
Before
Cedar Creek
Partners:Longview Fibre Co., Forest Systems, ODOT, County Rd. Departments, USFWSWonderland Rain Forest
Examples of Council barrier removal projects implemented to date…
More in the works…
More on salmon habitat…
Noxious Weed ControlNoxious Weed Control
Beautiful InvadersBeautiful Invaders
Beware:Beautiful invaders coming to a watershed near you…
Yellow Flag Iris
Purple Loosestrife
English Ivy
Scotch Broom
Nehalem Knotweed ControlNehalem Knotweed Controleradicating Knotweed from the headwaters down to the bay…eradicating Knotweed from the headwaters down to the bay…
Partners:North Coast Weed Management Area GroupNehalem Knotweed Task ForceClatsop SWCD, ODA, OSU Extension, UNWC, LNWC, Columbia SWCD, NRCS, and Landowners
Sea of Knotweed
Stem Injection
“Knot” in the
Nehalem!
Nehalem Bay EstuaryNehalem Bay Estuarywhere the river meets the sea…where the river meets the sea…
AssessmentAssessment
Assessment partners (recent):• DLCD - Oregon Coastal Management Program - Dynamic Estuary Information System• OWEB – Estuary Assessment• USFWS – Estuary Assessment
Critical salmon habitat
Nehalem Bay Clean-upNehalem Bay Clean-upEstuaries - the most abundant habitat in the world…Estuaries - the most abundant habitat in the world…
Estuary Clean-up results, average per biennial event:
Volunteers = 120+ Solid Waste = 65 cubic yardsScrap Metal = 400 lbsRecyclables = 120 gallonsHazardous Waste = 20 gallons
VolunteersVolunteersmake the watershed world go round… make the watershed world go round…
we could not do it with out them…we could not do it with out them…
Annual value ofVolunteer
contributionsto U&L Nehalem
Watershed Council projects
is: $60,000+
Natural Resource AdvisorsNatural Resource Advisorsonly the best for the Nehalem…only the best for the Nehalem…
OWEBOWEB ODFWODFW DEQDEQ NRCSNRCS BLMBLM OWRDOWRD ODAODA USFWSUSFWS DSLDSL NOAANOAA ACEACE
EducatorsEducatorsit takes a village to save a watershed…it takes a village to save a watershed…
Oregon Watershed Enhancement BoardOregon Watershed Enhancement Board:: watershed health, salmon recovery, grant management watershed health, salmon recovery, grant management Oregon State UniversityOregon State University: Extension, Stewardship - group facilitation, watershed health seminars: Extension, Stewardship - group facilitation, watershed health seminars Portland State UniversityPortland State University:: graduate students - watershed assessment public education graduate students - watershed assessment public education University of OregonUniversity of Oregon:: RARE internship program - action plan development – public outreach RARE internship program - action plan development – public outreach Department of Environmental QualityDepartment of Environmental Quality:: water quality monitoring and data analysis water quality monitoring and data analysis Oregon Department of Fish and WildlifeOregon Department of Fish and Wildlife:: salmon recovery and stream restoration training salmon recovery and stream restoration training Oregon Water Resources DepartmentOregon Water Resources Department:: hydrology training, flow monitoring, water law hydrology training, flow monitoring, water law Oregon Division of State LandsOregon Division of State Lands: : wetland ID and protectionwetland ID and protection Oregon Department of ForestryOregon Department of Forestry:: forest health, riparian restoration, Oregon forest Practice Act forest health, riparian restoration, Oregon forest Practice Act Natural Resource Conservation ServiceNatural Resource Conservation Service:: river restoration, conservation planning river restoration, conservation planning Oregon Department of AgricultureOregon Department of Agriculture:: noxious weed control, farm conservation practices noxious weed control, farm conservation practices Nehalem Valley Izaak Walton LeagueNehalem Valley Izaak Walton League:: public education on local watershed health issues public education on local watershed health issues River NetworkRiver Network:: River Rally workshops - wide range of watershed health organizational training River Rally workshops - wide range of watershed health organizational training Oregon TroutOregon Trout:: Salmon Watch, River Keeper: citizen and youth salmon and river interaction Salmon Watch, River Keeper: citizen and youth salmon and river interaction Xerces SocietyXerces Society:: macro invertebrate collection and ID, project development training macro invertebrate collection and ID, project development training Technical Assistance Community ServicesTechnical Assistance Community Services:: non-profit development training non-profit development training Ford Family FoundationFord Family Foundation:: Ford Institute Leadership Program Ford Institute Leadership Program Coal Creek Education FoundationCoal Creek Education Foundation:: ecosystem, botany, creativity ecosystem, botany, creativity Vernonia Outdoor SchoolVernonia Outdoor School:: ecosystem, watershed and water quality classes for local students ecosystem, watershed and water quality classes for local students Oregon Forest Resources InstituteOregon Forest Resources Institute:: forest health, salmon recovery, tours forest health, salmon recovery, tours Vernonia Community Learning CenterVernonia Community Learning Center:: local outreach - hands-on restoration classes for local youth local outreach - hands-on restoration classes for local youth Vernonia and Neahkanie School DistrictsVernonia and Neahkanie School Districts:: hands-on watershed health for students hands-on watershed health for students Oregon Youth Conservation CorpOregon Youth Conservation Corp:: hands-on restoration training for local youth hands-on restoration training for local youth Boy and Girl Scouts of AmericaBoy and Girl Scouts of America:: hands-on local environmental learning projects for youth hands-on local environmental learning projects for youth
FundersFunders
OWEB = $1,620,000.00OWEB = $1,620,000.00 DEQ = $395,208.00DEQ = $395,208.00 NRCS = $128,500.00NRCS = $128,500.00 ODFW Restoration and Enhancement Board = $39,000.00ODFW Restoration and Enhancement Board = $39,000.00 BLM = $239,897.00BLM = $239,897.00 PSMFC = $2,300.00PSMFC = $2,300.00 USFWS = $44,130.00USFWS = $44,130.00 River Network = $8,000.00River Network = $8,000.00 Ford Family Foundation = $4,000.00Ford Family Foundation = $4,000.00 Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation = $6,000.00Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation = $6,000.00
RecipientsRecipients
Thank you!!!
There is no place like home…
Thank you for joining us!