Fish Passage

DG. Road density is fair (2.7 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 (DG). Rip-rap, channel incision due to logging and roads.

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. 

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

Sediment

Fair (DG) in Rock Creek; Poor (DG) in Williams Creek. Fair road density, livestock access in lower reaches. Bank erosion in Williams.

M – Correct high impact road sediment delivery problems via push-outs, cross-drains, and sediment traps etc.

H - Reduce livestock access to both Rock Creek and Williams Creek.

L - Provide education regarding the impacts of livestock.

H - Inventory roads and bank erosion, and assess causes and impacts to salmonids and prioritize restoration actions accordingly. 

LWD

DG (Suspect Poor). Limited numbers and type of LWD.

H – Priority depends on results in assessment.  Actions are needed to increase LWD, or similarly functioning natural structures, in appropriate places.  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. 

M - 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).

H - Assess habitat conditions including LWD, riparian, and sediment.

Riparian

Poor (DG)

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 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.

H - Assess road density and riparian road impacts.

Water Quality

DG. Poor riparian, livestock access, roads.

H - Actions need to address riparian and flow problems. 

H - Reduce livestock access to both Rock Creek and Williams 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

Poor (DG). Poor hydrologic maturity, low summer flows. “closed” to further appropriations.

H - Reduce water withdrawals from surface sources.   

H - 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.

H – Install stream flow gage, and monitor stream flow.

Biological Processes

DG

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.