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Crooked River Ecosystem Assessment at the Watershed Scale. Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries/Watershed BPA Project #28043. The Proposal: Conduct an Ecosystem Assessment at the Watershed Scale (EAWS) in the Crooked River. Overall Project Goal:
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Crooked River Ecosystem Assessment at the Watershed Scale Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries/Watershed BPA Project #28043
The Proposal: Conduct an Ecosystem Assessment at the Watershed Scale (EAWS) in the Crooked River Overall Project Goal: • Use the EAWS to help initiate and sustain the ecological recovery of the Crooked River watershed
Characterization of the watershed • The majority of land in the watershed is Federally owned/managed by the Nez Perce National Forest
Characterization of the watershed • The primary anthropogenic disturbances in the watershed have been timber harvest, road construction, and mining
Characterization of the watershed • Timber harvest • Timber has been harvested from approximately 11% of the watershed, with some 700 acres coming from riparian habitat conservation areas (RHCA’s)
Characterization of the watershed • Timber harvest • Timber has been harvested from approximately 11% of the watershed, with some 700 acres coming from riparian habitat conservation areas (RHCA’s) • Approximately 50% of private land has been logged
Characterization of the watershed • Road construction • There are 137 road miles (avg. 2.0/mi2) in the watershed, with some 40 miles in the RHCA
Characterization of the watershed • Road construction • There are 137 road miles (avg. 2.0/mi2) in the watershed, with some 40 miles in the RHCA • Forest Road #233 represents one of the primary resource problems along the mainstem, as the majority of its length occurs within the Crooked River floodplain
Characterization of the watershed • Mining • Mining has drastically altered the mainstem Crooked River more than any other historic land use activity
Characterization of the watershed • Mining • Mining has drastically altered the mainstem Crooked River more than any other historic land use activity • A combined 347 acres of stream channel and riparian areas throughout the watershed have been severly altered by dredging in the 1930’s, late 1940’s, and early 1950’s
Characterization of the watershed • Fish species occurring in the watershed: • summer steelhead (threatened) • bull trout (threatened) • westslope cutthroat trout • “naturalized” spring/summer chinook salmon
Characterization of the watershed • Key limiting factors, as defined in the Nez Perce National Forest Section 7 assessment (1999), include:
Characterization of the watershed • Key limiting factors - aquatics: • poor riparian vegetation conditions
Characterization of the watershed • Key limiting factors - aquatics: • low riparian vegetation conditions • low floodplain connectivity
Characterization of the watershed • Key limiting factors - aquatics: • low riparian vegetation conditions • low floodplain connectivity • high levels of cobble embeddedness
Characterization of the watershed • Key limiting factors - aquatics: • low riparian vegetation conditions • low floodplain connectivity • high levels of cobble embeddedness • high percent fines by depth
Characterization of the watershed • Key limiting factors - aquatics: • low riparian vegetation conditions • low floodplain connectivity • high levels of cobble embeddedness • high percent fines by depth • low pool frequency
Characterization of the watershed • Key limiting factors - aquatics: • low riparian vegetation conditions • low floodplain connectivity • high levels of cobble embeddedness • high percent fines by depth • low pool frequency • poor amounts of off-channel habitat
Characterization of watershed • Key limiting factors, as defined in the Nez Perce National Forest Section 7 assessment, include:
Why focus restoration/protection efforts in the Crooked River? • Productivity
Why focus restoration/protection efforts in the Crooked River? • productivity • fisheries
Why focus restoration/protection efforts in the Crooked River? • productivity • fisheries • wildlife
Why focus restoration/protection efforts in the Crooked River? • productivity • fisheries • wildlife • M&E
Why focus restoration/protection efforts in the Crooked River? • productivity • fisheries • wildlife • M&E • NPTH
Project Objectives: • Conduct a fine scale analysis to describe past and current conditions in the watershed
Project Objectives: • Conduct a fine scale analysis to describe past and current conditions in the watershed • Prioritize critical areas for restoration and/or protection
Project Objectives: • Conduct a fine scale analysis to describe past and current conditions in the watershed • Prioritize critical areas for restoration and/or protection • Provide a means by which the watershed can be understood as an ecological system
Project Objectives: • Conduct a fine scale analysis to describe past and current conditions in the watershed • Prioritize critical areas for restoration and/or protection • Provide a means by which the watershed can be understood as an ecological system • Improve resolution of the Clearwater subbasin summary and assessment
Project Strategies: • Spend one year in data collection efforts
Project Strategies: • Spend one year in data collection efforts • Spend one year drafting the EAWS
Project Strategies: • Spend one year in data collection efforts • Spend one year drafting the EAWS • Work cooperatively with: • Nez Perce Tribe • IDFG • USFS • BLM
Project Strategies: • EAWS six-step process • Characterization of the watershed
Project Strategies: EAWS six-step process- • Characterization of the watershed • Identification of issues and key questions
Project Strategies: EAWS six-step process- • Characterization of the watershed • Identification of issues and key questions • Description of current conditions
Project Strategies: EAWS six-step process- • Characterization of the watershed • Identification of Issues and key questions • Description of current conditions • Description of reference conditions
Project Strategies: EAWS six-step process- • Characterization of the watershed • Identification of issues and key questions • Description of current conditions • Description of reference conditions • Interpretation of information
Project Strategies: EAWS six-step process- • Characterization of the watershed • Identification of issues and key questions • Description of current conditions • Description of reference conditions • Interpretation of information • Recommendations