PGE and the Tribes, through the Pelton Fund, have contributed $200,000 to a major habitat restoration project set to begin this summer on Shitike Creek, which runs through the community of Warm Springs.  One of many supporting projects helping to restore fish passage on the Deschutes River, this project will return the creek to its natural meandering channel and provide valuable habitat for returning fish to spawn.

The habitat decline dates back to flood control efforts decades ago. When the big flood of 1964 hit central and eastern Oregon, people got worried about controlling flood water. All across the area, meandering creeks were straightened and deepened. It worked beautifully. Streams no longer overflowed their banks. Houses and businesses were protected. However, stream straightening took a big toll on fish populations. Straighter creek channels mean fewer deep pools and areas for spawning. Faster currents make it difficult for the young fish to find slow, sheltered areas to feed and develop.

Shitike Creek was one of the streams straightened in the 1960s. Located just below the Pelton-Round Butte hydro project, this creek is important rearing ground for summer steelhead, redband trout, bull trout, spring Chinook salmon and Pacific lamprey.

Over the past 40 years, Shitike Creek has started to re-establish a more meandering path. Unfortunately, this new path is migrating too close to the retired wastewater lagoons of the Warm Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant.

To solve the problem, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have developed plans to return Shitike Creek to its natural meandering channel. This will accomplish several things:

• Create better, more diverse habitat for fish and wildlife
• Reduce the risk of flooding by reconnecting the stream with its flood plain
• Protect the wastewater plant

Work starts in summer of 2009 and includes:

• Moving the creek to the other side of the valley
• Creating six new meander bends with pool-glide-riffle features
• Converting the two retired wastewater lagoons into wetland habitat
• Creating two ponds and side channel features to add additional complexity for fish and wildlife

This is a big project requiring significant investment and collaboration with various groups. The effort is administered by the Habitat Program of the Tribes’ Natural Resources Branch, in collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Tribes’ forestry business has donated 200 trees (with root wads attached) to create pool habitat with hiding cover. Clearwater Native Plant Nursery is providing native trees and shrubs for the project, which volunteers from Oregon Trout will plant along the creek banks.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 21st, 2009 at 4:35 pm and is filed under Fish, Habitat restoration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.