Fish Passage

DG. Known problems: Fair road density (2.8 mi/sq mi).

H - Open three or more miles of good quality habitat used by at least one stock of salmon or steelhead.  Exceptions:  include very cost efficient projects addressing unique limiting habitat or benefiting multiple stocks of salmon or steelhead.

H - Bridges are the preferred structure.  If culverts are used, they should be sized to allow full access to all fish species and life history stages.

M - Inventory, assess, and prioritize all habitat blockages (culverts, dikes, railroad grades, etc.) for all salmonid life history stages. 

M - Develop a database housed with the lead entity, to contain all blockage data. 

Floodplain Conditions

Poor in WF & EF; Good in mainstem.  Known problems: incision, limited off-channel habitat.

H - Reconnect potential off-channel habitat. 

H - Restoration actions need to increase instream LWD to help address channel incision and flow issues.  This includes appropriate riparian restoration to result in better future LWD levels.

H – Maintain, conserve and prioritize off-channel and side channel habitat and associated riparian. 

M - Inventory impacts and suitable restoration sites for floodplain habitat coincident with the barrier/culvert inventory.

Sediment

Poor (DG). Known problems: landslides caused by roads, bank erosion in lower reaches.

H - Improve road drainage at areas identified in watershed analysis.

H - Decommission road segments that are at high risk of causing landslides (watershed analysis).

H - Increase protection of steep and unstable slopes.

H - Stabilize and revegetate exposed mass wasting sites to reduce surface erosion.

H – Relocate gravel extraction activities away from shorelines and the 100-year floodplain.

H - Reduce livestock access to streams, especially to the mainstem Humptulips River and Deep Creek.          

H - Inventory roads and assess impacts to salmonids and prioritize restoration actions accordingly. 

M - Identify sites, extent, and restoration actions for bank erosion downstream of the forks.

Current Instream LWD

Good in mainstem; Poor in tributaries.

H - Actions are needed to increase LWD, or similarly functioning natural structures, in appropriate places in the tributaries.  This would include anchoring LWD and increasing natural recruitment potential (riparian restoration). 

H – Prevent removal of appropriate pieces of LWD, and other natural structures, within the floodplain through increased education and enforcement. 

H - Determine appropriateness through inventory or other assessment of LWD, or other natural structure(s), placement.  (e.g. gravel recruiting,  hydrology, wood or structure size, gradient, near term LWD recruitment potential, and valley confinement)

Riparian

Poor except in upper EF and upper WF. Known problems: riparian loss and conversion to hardwoods.

H - Revegetate open riparian areas with native plants including conifers in appropriate places.

M - Interplant conifer into hardwood riparian areas that were historically conifer areas.   

M- Plant conifer adjacent to and outside existing and limited existing conifer and hardwood riparian areas.

H - Funds, lands, and easement opportunities should be identified to obtain areas of mid-to late seral stage riparian with priority given to older stands.  This is applicable to lands that do not have current protection such as those outside of current forest practice regulations.

H – Continue enforcement and revision of current regulations that preserve and enhance riparian regeneration.

H - Assess and prioritize recovery and protection for riparian conditions in the reaches downstream of the EF and WF confluence.

Water Quality

Poor. Known problems: warm water temperatures (likely due to poor riparian conditions).

H - Actions need to address sediment and riparian problems. 

H - Reduce livestock access to streams, especially to the mainstem Humptulips River and Deep Creek.

H - Increase activities that lead to natural recharge of the aquifers and maintain or improve hydrological maturity. 

H - Restore wetlands and off-channel habitat.

H - Decrease activities that interfere with the natural recharge of aquifers or degrade hydrological maturity.

H – Monitor water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and turbidity.

Water Quantity

Good in most areas.  Concern about peak flows.

M - Increase activities that lead to natural recharge of the aquifers and maintain or improve hydrologic maturity. 

H -Restore wetlands and off-channel habitat.

H - Decrease activities that interfere with the natural recharge of aquifers or degrade hydrological maturity.

M - Reinstate the flow monitoring gage in the Humptulips River and monitor stream flows.

Biological Processes

Poor

L - Increase contribution of marine –derived nutrients through increased use of carcasses. 

H - Increase field surveys regarding salmonid distribution, escapement, and habitat use by life history stage.

L - Assess marine-derived nutrient processes.