HB2496 NATIVE SALMONID HABITAT RECOVERY 

PEND OREILLE SALMONID RECOVERY TEAM

How to Submit A Project Proposal and be A Project Sponsor

Native Salmonid Habitat Improvement
Strategy Documents

Second Round Funding Results

Links to other web sites

Third Round Funding Results

Salmon Recovery Funding Board Policy

Fourth Round of Funding

Bull Trout Photos
Fifth Round of Funding  
Sixth Round of Funding  
Seventh Round of Funding  
Eighth Round of Funding  

In 1998, Governor Locke introduced his plan for salmon recovery in Washington State .    Those Watershed Resource Inventory Areas (WRIA's) whose surface waters did not support salmon were not affected. In 1999, Bull Trout were included in this plan.

  • Description of Lead Entity Process:

As part of the major statewide effort to recover declining salmonid stocks, the Pend Oreille Lead Entity (POLE) was created in June 2000 under the Salmon Recovery Act. The Pend Oreille Conservation District (POCD) was appointed Lead Entity Coordinating body for WRIA 62 through the joint support of the Kalispel Tribe, Pend Oreille County , and the City of Newport to provide the forum and administrative support to begin Bull Trout recovery in Pend Oreille County . WRIA 62 consists of the Pend Oreille River Watershed and those portions of the Priest River Drainage located in Pend Oreille County .  

Funding obtained by POCD to be Lead Entity Coordinator is monitored by the POCD Board of Supervisors. POCD developed and submitted to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (the directing state agency) a work plan for this process including expenditures. A Citizens Advisory Group and Technical Advisory Group were also formed through a public process to review and rank potential projects for funding that could improve and protect salmonid species native to our area.

  • Technical (TAG) panel make-up:  

Members of the Technical Advisory Group include fisheries biologists, hydrologists, watershed and forestry stewards representing the Colville National Forest, Idaho Panhandle National Forest, Kalispel Tribe, Pend Oreille PUD, Seattle City Light, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Conservation Commission, and Washington Departments of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife, and Natural Resources.

  • Citizen Committee (CAG) make-up: 

Members of the Citizens Advisory Group include representatives from the Kalispel Tribe, Pend Oreille County, Pend Oreille Public Utility District, Stimson Lumber Company, a Pend Oreille County Commissioner, as well as Citizens not affiliated with an agency or other entity. The Citizens Advisory Group (CAG) is always seeking to increase its level of public involvement. Interested citizens are welcome to attend the monthly CAG meetings held the 4th Wednesday of each month at the Cusick Community Center , and with regular attendance can become voting members. If you would like to become a CAG member, please phone  509-447-4217. or e-mail Kathleen Werr @ kathleen@pocd.org

  • Pend Oreille Salmonid Recovery Team:

In 2004 the CAG and TAG together officially became the Pend Oreille Salmonid Recovery Team and developed the Pend Oreille Salmonid Habitat Recovery Strategy in 2005. The Habitat Recovery Strategy focuses on habitat protection and improvement, as well as public education and involvement. The members of the Recovery Team use an inclusive approach that fosters public participation and strives to incorporate the diverse perspectives and opinions of the community.

  • Description of project scoring & ranking system:  

Projects are first looked at by the TAG, to identify technically sound projects. The TAG will then pass the projects to the CAG. The CAG members look at these projects and then factor in the feasibility, cost effectiveness, and community support into the final approval and ranking criteria. The Citizen Advisory Group makes the final decision to recommend a project for funding.

 How to Submit A Project Proposal and be A Project Sponsor

Anyone interested in submitting a project application should contact the Pend Oreille Conservation District and speak with Kathleen Werr, the Lead Entity Coordinator. She will discuss requirements, conduct a site assessment, and help you fill out the application packet. Currently, the timeline for applications is being refined by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.

Application packets for the eighth round funding cycle should be available in Spring of 2007. Application workshops will be held throughout the summer. Time, dates and locations of the workshops will be posted on this web site.

 Second Round Funding:

The first POLE project applications were submitted in 2000, for the Second Round funding cycle of the State Salmonid Recovery Program. In  2001 the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) funded two projects in WRIA 62 ( Pend Oreille County ). The total amount awarded for both projects was $332,713. Both projects were located in the LeClerc Watershed, including the Middle Branch, and the East Branch of LeClerc Creek.

The first project, located on the East Branch LeClerc, was sponsored by the Kalispel Tribe, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The project involved abandonment of a section of road that was contributing high sediment load into the stream. In addition to the road abandonment, bank stabilization and riparian zone rehabilitation were done to decrease erosion.

The second project was sponsored by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The project also involved the Kalispel Tribe, USFS, Pend Oreille County Roads Dept., Stimson Lumber Co. and Jere Dennis (permittee). Fencing overgrazed riparian areas and planting the riparian zone was planned and designed to minimize erosion and sediment load in the stream. The project was ultimately set aside and funding was returned due to substantial community objections to plans by the Department of Fish and Wildlife to use antimycin to remove invasive brook trout populations. back to top

Third Round Funding: 

The POLE submitted five project applications in November, 2001. Of these, two projects were approved for funding by the SRFB in 2002.

The first project was an aquatic restoration project for the Willow Creek area. The project was sponsored by the Kalispel Indian Tribe and involved removing a barrier to fish passage that opened up over six miles of suitable habitat for fish. The second project approved for funding is sponsored by the Conservation District and involves barrier assessment on private lands. The barrier assessment identified barriers in existence and fish populations above and below the barriers. The information gathered from this study will help determine whether some barriers may be preserving isolated populations of native fish. back to top

   Fourth Round of Funding:

The Cedar Creek Dam Removal was the only technically sound project sponsored for SRFB funding during the fourth round in 2003. Due to miscommunication between the local Technical Advisory Group, the project sponsor (the Town of Ione ) and the SRFB's State Technical Review Panel the project was denied funding.  The project sponsor and project partner (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) worked with the SRFB to correct the problem throughout the Fourth round and into the implementation window with no success. The Town of Ione and the Pend Oreille Salmonid Recovery Team plan to submit this project again on the fifth round Habitat Project List.

Fifth Round of Funding:

A total of 3 projects were submitted in 2004 and funded by the SRFB in 2005.  The Pend Oreille Conservation District submitted two projects that included: 1) Priest Basin Barrier Assessment and 2) Indian Creek Diversion Screening are ongoing. These projects are due for completion sometime in 2007.

The third project, Cedar Creek Dam removal, sponsored by the Town of Ione was granted funding after it met heavy resistance during the fourth round of funding. This project was completed last year (2005) and restored approximately 12 miles of proposed bull trout Critical Habitat. 

       

           Cedar Ck. Dam 10-3-05                         Cedar Dam Removal 10-11-05 

     

       Channel Reconstruction  10-13-05          Project was completed in April of 2006

Sixth Round of Funding: 

Five projects were submitted and approved for funding in 2005 sponsored by the Kalispel Indian Tribe (4) and Pend Oreille Conservation District (1).  Project Awards totaled $774,603 and implementation activities began in 2006. These recovery projects include:  

      Kalispel Indian Tribe  

Indian Creek Yates ( Walker ) Restoration Project

To address impacts caused by overgrazing and an impassable culvert, the following actions will be made: the replacement of undersized culverts with a small bridge, dredging the upstream channel and stabilizing silt deposit by seeding, constructing riparian fence\ing to promote bank stabilization, and constructing hardened crossings. 

South Fork Tacoma Creek Fish Passage

This project will replace a culvert with a bottomless arch thereby restoring fish passage for bull trout.  

Tacoma Creek Passage Project

This project will replace a culvert with a bridge or bottomless arch thereby restoring fish passage for bull trout. 

      Granite Creek Watershed Assessment

This assessment will be used to assess limiting factors and watershed processes in order to focus recovery efforts on bull trout. 

      Pend Oreille Conservation District            

            Cedar Creek Culvert Replacement

         This project will improve fish passage to 3.75 miles of bull trout and westslope cutthroat       trout habitat by replacing two culverts and a ford.

Seventh Round of Funding:

Three projects were submitted and funded in 2006 by the SRFB, for a total of $329, 472. These projects are sponsored by WDFW, will begin in 2007 and are scheduled to be completed by 2009.

Whiteman Creek Passage  

This project in the West Branch LeClerc Creek Watershed will replace impassable twin culverts with a bottomless arch to create new access for bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout and other native species to 2 miles of spawning and rearing habitat. Additional benefit of this project will be the restoration of stream channel form and function to a 150 foot section of Whiteman Creek above the present culvert that is presently a depositional area for waters backed up by culverts of insufficient size for high flow periods.  

Mineral Creek Passage  

This West Branch Le Clerc Creek Watershed project will replace an impassable culvert with a bottomless arch and will create new access for bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout and other native species to 2 miles of spawning and rearing habitat. Another benefit of the project is the restoration of stream channel form and function to a 100 foot section of Mineral Creek above the present culvert that is presently smaller than the bankful width of the stream.  

Hungry Deer Watershed Restoration  

This project will improve salmonid habitat in two headwater tributaries to Kalispel Creek: Hungry and Deerhorn Creeks. The project will: 1) Remove unstable, abandoned roads currently gated for Grizzly Bear protection that are delivering sediment to the streams; 2) Enhance existing fish habitat in the channels near or crossing these roads; and 3) Restore over 200 acres within the basins by replanting with native trees and shrubs. Direct benefits include protection and enhancement of existing spawning and rearing habitat, restoration of habitat connectivity, and improving overall health and function of the 8,000 acre drainage.  

Eighth Round of Funding:

Eighth Round solicitations for projects are now beginning.  We encourage local citizens and landowners to attend Salmonid Recovery Team meetings for general questions, sponsorship of projects and having a say in the recovery efforts.  If you would like more details on any of the project applications mentioned or are interested in participating on our local Salmonid Recovery Team contact Kathleen Werr at 447-4217 or via e-mail at kathleen@pocd.org

See the Calendar of Events for upcoming SRFB, LEAG, AND CAG meetings.

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BULL TROUT PHOTOS

Male bull trout are easily distinguished from females by their strongly hooked lower jaw. (Photo is courtesy of Prof. Ernest Keeley, University of British Columbia, Canada. Visit his site at  www.zoology.ubc.ca/~keeley/)

 

Male bull trout also have bright orange bellies during spawning. (Photo is courtesy of Professor Ernest Keeley, University of British Columbia, Canada. Visit his web site at www.zoology.ubc.ca/~keeley/)

Links to Other Web Sites

www.idahotu.org : Idaho Trout unlimited, educational resources.

www.ucrfeg.org : Upper Columbia Regional Fisheries Enhancement Group, regional projects, Fisheries information, links to other agencies.

www2.state.id.us.fishgameinfo/info.htm : Idaho Fish and Game, information on fish and wildlife, educational information, links to other agencies.

www.wa.gov/iac : Inter-Agency Committee, information on the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, also contains information on other grant programs. Contains links to other agencies.

www.fwp.state.mt.us : Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Information on fish and wildlife, educational information, links to other agencies.

www.wa.gov/wdfw : Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, information on fish and wildlife, educational information, links to other agencies.

www.noaa.gov : National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, information on weather, marine fisheries, grant programs, educational resources, and links to other agencies.

www.usgs.gov : U.S. Geologic Survey, information on earthquakes, water quality, research, educational information, maps, and links to other resources.

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The POCD sends the ranked projects to the Salmon Recovery Board for consideration. We can help you in requesting possible funding for projects meeting the above requirements. For more information, please CONTACT US.