Engaging the community to sustain our watershed
TRWC Restoration and Enhancement 2010 accomplishments
Committee members, using the Coos Watershed model, worked through a prioritization process using two implemented Council projects and formulated restoration goal statements.
Committee members continued to forward restoration and other information to Adam for mapping and compilation.
Committee identified bank erosion concerns as future workshop focus for the Council.
Individual committee members worked with OWEB small grant landowners on restoration project including planting plans, plantings and monitoring.
Committee members reviewed various grant applications and discussed requested letters of support for various projects.
Committee members provided input on Council submitted grant applications.
Committee discussed and planneda May 6, 2011 Tualatin Basin Restoration Gathering for restoration practitioners to gain lessons learned from restoration projects and identify potential partners for future restoration projects.
Committee members obtained information on the METRO Chehalem Ridge property; will tour the property on April 13, 2011 in order to better understand partnering opportunities.
Committee members agreed to plan and perform 2011 restoration tours of Council and other partner projects.
Committee members decided to apply for funding for a project that would identify fish passage barriers on private lands in the Dairy-McKay sub-basin in 2011 and submitted grant application to BLM RAC.
July-December 2009
Restoration project implementation
1) GC/Sahnow property restoration project: Project elements completed: construction and placement of six large wood and boulder structures resulting in creation of pools and scour in a .18 mile stream reach; depressions dug for amphibian habitat, but will require over bank event in order for depressions to retain water. Place and anchored boulders and logs on riparian/floodplain areas for roughness. Seed disturbed riparian areas. Prepare and submit reports to WashingtonCounty and arrange inspections.
2) GC/North Fork Gales Creek large wood placement project: (pre-implementation work included permitting; prepare scope of work & hold required onsite bidder meeting; receive and review bids, check references; select contractor and receive required insurance & bonds). Project elements completed: tip and move trees to project site and place up to 100 trees/large wood in one mile stream reach to create 30 % more pools, as well as create scour and secondary channels.
3) GC/Rippling Waters. 4 workdays included trash and invasive English ivy removal on a three acre uplands portion of the restoration project; participants included PU students, community and Adelantes Mujeres volunteers. (130 adult and youth volunteers). Contracted partner and Council crews treated garlic mustard and Japanese knotweed in past inundated areas and Himalayan blackberry in the uplands area.
Other Dorman Ponds twice yearly trash clean-ups. 8 participants.
Project monitoring. West Fork Dairy Creek Restoration Project; Murtaugh Creek; GC/Sahnow; NF Gales Creek project; GC/Rippling Waters, GC/Bateman Creek.
Native Plants. Native Plant Co-op annual report prepared and filed; annual MOU meeting attended.
Proposals. Committee prepared and submitted Meyer Memorial Trust –Bonneville Environmental Foundation proposal.
Restoration Project Grant applications
OWEB restoration grant applications
1) GC/Rippling Waters-Buckiewicz-Kral project. Work with various partners to resubmit OWEB restoration grant application for RW-Buckiewicz-Kral project for Oct 2009 OWEB deadline.
2) Main stem GalesCreek project. Work with ODFW on developing and submitting main-stem Gales Creek LWD restoration grant application for Oct 2009 OWEB deadline.
Other applications. NOAA/American Rivers grant application for design for Bateman Creek culvert replacements.
OWEB small grant applications
a) Elmwood neighbors(1.3 riparian acres, .5+ upland acres) and b) the Radloff family(5 upland acres, .3 wetland acres); Council members assisted in developing scopes of projects, schedules of work for grant applications, maps, etc for fall grant application deadlines; coordinator assisted on grant application editing, revising, compiling and coordinating grant applications.
c) CarterCreek. SOLV, one business landowner(2 acres including riparian, uplands, wetlands areas); coordinator assisted in editing, revising and coordinating grant application.
Potential Projects – site visits. Participate in onsite meeting with WaldorfSchool (McKay Creek) re: plant choices for future restoration.
January – December 2010
Restoration project implementation
1) GC/Sahnow property restoration project: project elements completed by Tualatin SWCD: invasive plant species treatment and retreatment; planting 2600 native trees and shrubs in 2.5 acres.
2) GC/North Fork Gales Creek large wood placement project: project elements: planting of 1000 conifers in ten disturbed areas to provide future large wood recruitment and increase forest diversity. Grant documentation and reports completed and submitted.
3) GC/main stem large wood placement project: project elements: (pre-implementation: ODF prepared notifications for its property and selected contractor) project elements: contractor tipped, moved and placed 105 whole trees in a .75 mile stream reach to create additional pools, retain coarse gravels, increase side channels and floodplain inundation as well as provide bank erosion protection. Work also included roughening compacted former railroad bed to increase tree and shrub growth.
4) GC/Rippling Waters. Two workdays included trash and invasive English ivy removal on a three acre uplands portion of the restoration project; participants included PU students and community volunteers. 19 participants.
5) Other. Dorman Pond clean up, twice yearly with SOLV; 12 participants
Technical assistance project implementation
1) Bateman Creek Culvert Replacements Design. Project elements: Obtain physical information needed to provide and evaluate alternatives for three road crossings that are fish passage barriers.
Native Plants. Committee and Council members helped assess native plant and shrub needs for various restoration projects and delivery of plants (approximately 1845 plants)
Five community volunteers participated inthree Native Plant Co-op Nursery tasks/workdays. Native Plant Native Plant Co-op annual report prepared and filed; annual MOU meeting attended.
Restoration Project and Technical Assistance Grant applications
OWEB restoration grant application
1) Clear Creek Large Wood Placement Project. Submitted partnered application in October 2010 for a project that would 1) place up to 86 logs and/or whole trees in the stream to create pools and scour; 2) remove the obsolete concrete structure from the stream; and 3) develop a small graded riffle at the Clear Creek intake structure to provide easier access for migratory adults.
OWEB technical assistance grant applications
1) Bateman Creek Culvert Replacements Design. Submitted partnered application in October 2010 that would result in development of design for three road crossings that are fish passage barriers located on Bateman Creek, a GalesCreek tributary.
2) GalesCreek Watershed Restoration Action Plan. Submitted application in October 2010 that would prepare a comprehensive restoration action plan for the GalesCreek subwatershed to guide and prioritize future restoration activities in the watershed; utilize a science-based approach to identify limiting factors to salmonid production in the watershed; tie project recommendations and prioritization directly to limiting factors. inform the limiting factors analysis from existing data collected by TRWC partners. Obtain supplemental field work on data gaps and identification of projects. Outcome identified was an action plan document will be the primary product along with matrices identifying limiting factors, projects, and prioritizations.
Other proposals.
1)TRWC proposal to the Bureau of Reclamation for Lower Gales Creek Habitat Enhancement Plan include a design focus on three projects, SWRP trends monitoring and community outreach/workshops. Contract awarded December 2010.
2) Upper Fanno Creek project manager. Partnered application resulted in funding from West Multnomah SWCD for a 237 hour project manager to provide technical assistance to landowners on properties less than one acre in Upper Fanno Creek watershed. The award resulted in development of technical documents (posted on website), outreach and publicity, and 5 site visits with projects completed or in progress. A West Multnomah SWCD FISH grant was awarded for a Pendleton Creek project.
Project monitoring. West Fork Dairy Creek Restoration Project; Murtaugh Creek; GC/Sahnow; NF Gales Creek project; GC/Rippling Waters, Gales Creek main stem project, GC/Bateman Creek.
Jan-June 2011
Restoration project implementation
1)GC/main stem large wood placement project: project elements: Planting of 600 conifers in eight disturbed areas, future large wood recruitment andincrease greater conifer diversity onsite.
2) GC/Rippling Waters. 1 workday that will included trash, invasive English ivy removal on a three acre uplands portion of the restoration project
3) Other. Dorman Pond clean up with SOLV
Technical assistance project implementation
1) Bateman Creek Culvert Replacements Design. Project elements: 50% design completed with input from landowner, agency personnel and committee members, with 90% design to be completed.
2) LowerGalesCreek Habitat Enhancement Plan. Analysis and cost estimate for large wood placement project on a property located within the plan area.
Native Plants. Committee members helped assess native plant and shrub needs for 10+ various restoration projects and delivery of plants (approximately 2300 plants)
Restoration Project and Technical Assistance Grant applications
OWEB restoration and technical assistance grant applications
1) GC/Bateman Creek Culvert Bridges. Scope of work to be decided.
2) GalesCreek Watershed Restoration Action Plan. To be revised and submitted.
Other proposals. 1) Assessment for fish passage barriers on private lands located in Dairy-McKay sub-basin watersheds submitted to BLM RAC in March.
Project monitoring. West Fork Dairy Creek Restoration Project; Murtaugh Creek; GC/Sahnow; NF Gales Creek project; GC/Rippling Waters, Gales Creek main stem project, GC/Bateman Creek..
Small OWEB grant projects. Plantings at Elmwood Neighborhood, Radloff family and SOLV/Carter Creek restoration projects.
Other activities.
Tualatin Basin Restoration Gathering, May half day activity for restoration practitioners to share lessons learn from restoration projects,
TualatinBasin Restoration Project tours. Identifying projects and dates.
2011 Restoration and Enhancement Committee work plan
- Work on list of conceptual projects in conjunction with Gales Creek Watershed Action Plan. Discussion of prioritization with suggestion to come up with 40 conceptual projects & rank. Analysis whether these meet restoration goals & come up with prioritized list of projects.
- Continue joint tracking & mapping: i) invasive species; ii) culverts.
- Concentrate on identification of privately owned barriers.
- Continue previously identified work, i.e., Tualatin Basin Restoration Gathering; quarterly tour; etc
- Tracking and responding to grant opportunities
Incorporating a communication strategy into the committees’ 2011 work plan.
Committee members agreed that for future restoration grants identifying a “sponsor” for restoration planting portion of projects would met mutual goals of community support/involvement of an “outside” Council group, provide support for the landowner, and provide education. REI employees were identified as a group that often sought team building opportunities, such as planting. Other watershed education strategies may include a calendar of restoration project tours that may be an outcome from the May 6 Tualatin Basin Restoration Gathering.
TRWC R&E Committee summary
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