In-Stream Improvements
These projects are part of the NFJDWC’s strategy for improving fish passage, habitat connectivity, and water quality and quantity within our watershed, while also helping provide operational stability to agricultural producers.
Cottonwood Creek Irrigation Improvements
This project is located on Cottonwood Creek, a significant tributary of the North Fork John Day River and an important habitat area for steelhead spawning and rearing.
Completed in summer of 2010, this project consolidated two points of diversion into a single, fish-friendly sheet-piling diversion that utilizes an ODFW fish screen. Additionally, over 2 miles of open irrigation ditch was converted to pipe.
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board provided the major funding, with match funds from Nature Resources Conservation Service and the landowners.
Eight Mile Culvert Replacements
This project, scheduled for the 2011 in-stream period, is located on Eight-mile Creek, an important tributary of the Middle Fork John Day River.
The existing culverts are undersized and perched, impeding juvenile salmonid passage under most conditions and often restricting adults. Replacing these structures with properly sized bottomless arch culverts will make 2½ miles of quality habitat accessible to all life-stages of steelhead and Chinook. Overall water quality will also be protected by removing the potential for culvert failure and resultant massive sediment loading to the stream.
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board provided the major funding, with match funds from the US Fish and Wildlife Service Partners Program, the landowners and the NFJDWC.
Bates Riparian Re-vegetation
This project is located on the site being developed as the Bates State Park in Grant County, where the old Bates Mill and the town of Bates once stood. In the early 1900’s both Bridge Creek and a section of the Middle Fork John Day River were straightened and soil brought in to build up the area for these developments. This disconnected the active floodplain, buried native soils, destroyed most of the riparian vegetation, and caused increased stream temperatures and velocity.
The proposed solution is to excavate fill material outside of the ordinary high water line, down to native alluvium soils, and re-vegetate the entire reestablished floodplain with locally adapted native riparian trees, shrubs, sedges and rushes.
The NFJDWC is partnering with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department on this and portion of park development. Funding provided by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.
Fox Creek Channel Restoration
The Fox Creek Restoration Plan, completed in 2010, highlighted this channel restoration as a priority project for this important tributary of the North Fork of the John Day River. It will permanently plug and abandon US Army Corps of Engineers channel along upper reach of Fox Creek. This will help restore connectivity and flood plain function, while also improving farming conditions for the landowner.
Funding is provided by the Bella Vista Foundation,the US Department of Fish and WildlifePartners Program, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.