The Sweet Home Ranger District is seeking public comment on the proposed Calapooia Steelhead Habitat Enhancement Project.
The project is located on and adjacent to the Calapooia River, beginning at the U.S. Forest Service boundary and extending upstream approximately one mile. The legal description is T 15S R 4E; Sec 30.
The primary project objectives are to improve spawning, rearing and foraging habitat for upper Willamette winter steelhead. The Calapooia River is one of the only streams in the Willamette National Forest with no dams to hinder migration. Additional project objectives are to increase stream resilience, improve hydrologic function, increase shade and riparian forest quality in the long term.
To accomplish this, approximately 19 full-length 45- to 75-inch diameter live trees will be tipped and moved (if necessary) into strategic locations in the stream. The large logs will then naturally, over time, rack up smaller wood and trap spawning gravels, creating complex habitat and helping cool water temperature. Equipment used to perform the work will be a cable system operated from existing roads.
Large wood contributes to the ability of a stream to trap and retain spawning gravels and leaf litter and to provide cover for rearing juvenile salmonids. The current lack of large wood in the Calapooia River leads to degraded stream complexity, poor gravel retention and less spawning and rearing habitat for fish. Large wood in western Oregon streams leads to more complexity, which is important for cycling of nutrients, retention of gravel, regulation of downstream flash flooding and good habitat conditions for aquatic organisms. The Calapooia River is identified as a key stream for recovery of UWR winter steelhead, and therefore is a high priority for restoration.
The project would be jointly implemented by the Calapooia Watershed Council and U.S. Forest Service starting in 2019. The watershed council is submitting a funding proposal to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and the Forest Service has committed to providing technical design and implementation. A map of the project is attached.
Comments should be received by Nov. 25 so they can be considered in the planning process. Send any comments to Lance Gatchell, district hydrologist and project team leader at the Sweet Home Ranger district. He may be reached by mail at 4431 Hwy. 20, Sweet Home, OR, 97386, by phone at (541) 367-3628 or by email at [email protected].