NEWPORT — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in
cooperation with the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Department of
Forestry, Confederated Tribes of the Siletz, Green Diamond Resources and
Lincoln County will use a helicopter for placing large wood in Steer
Creek to provide spawning and off channel rearing habitats for salmon.
The project will also replace two stream crossings for fish passage.
ODFW is coordinating and implementing the project that will add 101
trees to Steer Creek in October. A heavy lift helicopter will place and
arrange 24 inch to 36 inch diameter trees to simulate natural debris
jams and develop spawning and off channel rearing habitats necessary to
improve survival of coastal coho. Steer Creek is a tributary to Rock
Creek in the Siletz Basin. Trees for the large wood placement will be
provided by Green Diamond Resource Company and the Department of
Forestry.
In August, Lincoln County replaced a culvert on Beaver Creek a
tributary to Steer Creek to provide unimpeded fish passage. Green
Diamond Resource Company is preparing to remove a culvert crossing and
install a bridge for unimpeded fish passage on Little Steer Creek, a
tributary to Steer Creek. One hundred riparian trees will be planted
along a portion of Green Diamond property for future shade and wood
recruitment to the stream channel. The Confederated Tribes of the Siletz
are providing pre and post project monitoring data to document changes
in the stream habitats.
“This is a cooperative watershed restoration project on private and
public lands designed to benefit salmon, trout, and overall watershed
health,” said Jason Kirchner ODFW Stream Habitat Restoration Biologist.
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board is providing $178,515 for the
project. Oregon Department of Forestry is contributing $25,200,
Confederated Tribes of the Siletz $9,800, Green Diamond Resource
$60,620, and Lincoln County $24,600. The total project cost is $298,735.
This project is another milestone for the Oregon Plan for Salmon and
Watersheds as it approaches its 10-year anniversary in 2007. The Oregon
Plan, a volunteer-driven initiative, is committed to restoring native
fish populations and developing healthy watersheds. Since 1997, state
agencies, businesses and individual Oregonians have worked together to
restore salmon runs, improve water quality and achieve healthy
watersheds. This statewide conservation initiative also aims to provide
environmental, cultural and economic benefits to communities throughout
the state.