Middle Fly Creek Restoration/UGR HW Handcrew (Year 1 & 2)

The Middle Fly portion of this project involves implementing restoration in Middle Fly Creek to improve habitat for listed spring/summer Chinook salmon and summer steelhead. The project is located in the Lower Fly Creek Subwatershed (170601040108(T 5S, R 35.5E, S 3, 4, 8, 9)). Currently, the stream channel is simplified with low levels of large wood, course substrate, and lack of quality pool habitat. Floodplain inundation and function is limited. The project would construct debris jams and habitat structures at 56 sites within the middle 3.0 miles of Fly Creek (RM 4.0 – RM 7.0). Approximately, 2400 trees and tops will be flown in and placed by helicopter. There will be 100 trees directionally felled by hand and 85% of the racking material will be incorporated into the structure and stream through hand placement. Project partners are United States Forest Service, Grande Ronde Model Watershed and Bonneville Power Administration.The hand crew portion of the project would involve placing wood into approximately 2.5 miles of channel within the Upper Grande Ronde River, 4 miles within Limber Jim Creek, and 3 miles within Chicken and West Chicken Creeks (9.5 miles of stream channel). The project will involve placing 2000 small trees into main and side channel areas, primarily to create or improve upon full spanning debris jams. Channel substrate will also be placed into the jams, where heritage resources permit. A mini excavator will be used in one mile of channel to construct jams, due to the distance from the stream to the trees. Within the main stream channels, existing full spanning debris jams will be targeted to increase backwater pool area, so that floodplain connectivity, side channel activation, fish cover and habitat complexity are improved. Within the side channels, new full spanning debris jams will be constructed with wood and channel substrate (where applicable). All of these streams have had previous restoration work completed on them. Partners include: USFS, GRMW, and BPA.