Nehalem Watershed
Restoration Tour 2007
10 years of watershed restoration
and native salmon recovery…
Welcome…
Sponsored by: Upper and Lower Nehalem Watershed Councils
Funded by: Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
Photo by Don Best
Who:
a diverse representation of the stakeholders groups
who have interest in the health and productivity of the
Nehalem watershed…
 The Upper Nehalem Watershed Council
– Established in January of 1996
 Recognized by Columbia County - Board of Commissioners in July 1996
 Recognized by Clatsop County - Local Government Group in August 1997
 The Lower Nehalem Watershed Council
– Established in 1997
 Recognized by Tillamook County - Board of Commissioners 1997
Where:
 The Nehalem Basin
North Pacific Coast of Oregon
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Temperate rainforest ecosystem
4th field - 17100202 - HUC
855 square miles, 599,660 acres
1,258+ miles of salmon bearing streams
37% public forest land
50% private forest land
13% agriculture and rural residential,
Towns/cities = Timber, Vernonia, Mist,
Birkenfeld, Jewell, Elsie, Hamlet, Nehalem,
and Wheeler
Why:
 UNWC mission:
The Upper Nehalem Watershed Council
is a dedicated and dependable grassroots organization with a proven
track record of success and measurable results. We value productive
forests; cool, clean, clear water; sustainable ecosystems; and healthy
communities full of informed citizens. We are working diligently to
reforest our waterways and improve salmon habitat in respectful
cooperation with local stakeholders.
 LNWC mission: The Lower Nehalem Watershed Council
is dedicated to the protection, preservation and enhancement of the
Nehalem watershed through leadership, cooperation and education.
The Councils strive to meet the goals of the
Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds
What we do:
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Public Outreach and Education
Partnership Building
Watershed Assessment/issue ID
Action Plan Development
Water Quality/Quantity/Biological Monitoring
Riparian Restoration
Salmon Habitat/Passage Improvement
Project Effectiveness Monitoring
Noxious Weed Control
Organizational Development
Fundraising
Accountability
Watershed Outreach
reaching out to the watershed community…
Vernonia Salmon Festival
Forestry and project tours
Council sponsored:
Hands-on
Volunteer tree plants
Public forums
Landowner workshops
Council presentations
Displays at public events
Project tours
Newspaper articles
Publications
River exploration
Hands-on Education
Oregon Youth Conservation Corp…
Learning
as they
go…
Involving local youth in hands on
watershed restoration since 1997
Watershed Assessment
conditions of the the past vs the present…
present forest cover
present view
field
verification
Riparian Conditions Analysis
understanding the present, planning for the future…
Upper Nehalem River
Conifer Regen Sparse
0%
Mixed Small Sparse
1%
Hardwood Medium Dense
9%
Water
2%
Hardwood Small Sparse
0%
Conifer Medium Sparse
0%
Conifer Medium Dense
29%
Hardwood Small Dense
6%
Mixed Small Dense
3%
Mixed Medium Sparse
0%
Grass
7%
Shrub
1%
Conifer Small Sparse
0%
Mixed Medium Dense
16%
Conifer Small Dense
7%
Road
3%
Conifer Regen Dense
14%
Conifer Medium Dense
Mixed Medium Dense
Conifer Regen Dense
Road
Conifer Small Dense
Conifer Small Sparse
Shrub
Grass
Mixed Medium Sparse
Mixed Small Dense
Hardwood Small Dense
Conifer Medium Sparse
Hardwood Medium Dense
Mixed Small Sparse
Conifer Regen Sparse
Water
Hardwood Small Sparse
Watershed Health Monitoring
from the headwaters to the bay, and all points in between…
 Volunteer monitoring - 10+ years
All data collected
using state protocols
Volunteers trained by DEQ staff
Partners:
U and L NWC volunteers,
landowners, DEQ, EPA,
ODFW, Xerces Society,
Contractors and the City
of Vernonia, Nehalem and
Manzanita
DEQ assisted councils in developing a
Quality Assurance Project Plan
Water Quantity
from draught to flood…
Rock Cr Gauge
UNWC installed RC gauge
for City of Vernonia`s
Water Curtailment Plan
Low flows limit salmon rearing potential
Nehalem
USGS Gauge
Volunteer flow monitoring
High flows accelerate soil erosion, cause property damage and disturb salmon redds
1996 precipitation
1996 storm approaches
Average rainfall
Partners in flow monitoring:
OWRD, USGS, ODFW, City of Vernonia, City of Nehalem, Water Watch, and volunteers
Water Quality
cool clean clear water, good for all…
 Beneficial uses
Water Quality – Temperature
finding the heat sources…
Cooler
water
benefits
all life…
humans,
salmon,
insects,
amphibians
Partners: Nehalem Valley Chapter Izaak Walton League, DEQ, BLM,
volunteers and landowners
Sites: 80+ basin wide
Duration: 15 yrs of data collection
Forward Looking Infra-red
North Coast - Temperature
Total Maximum Daily Load
Established 2002
302.9 stream miles impaired
Water Quality – Temperature
The Nehalem is water quality limited from the headwaters to the bay…
More temperature…
Water Quality – Turbidity
finding the source of sediment…
Partners: UNWC and LNWC
Volunteers, DEQ staff
Sites: 100+
Duration: 7yrs
WQ – Bacteria
protecting beneficial uses…
DEQ TMDL data
10 miles of
fecal coliform
impairment
Dedicated volunteers collected bacteria samples from 15 lower Nehalem sites: 1/mth for 6 yrs
Biological - Aquatic Habitat
assessing quality of habitat…
locating and prioritizing project reaches…
Partners:
Boswell associates, OWEB,
ODFW, council volunteers
Biological - Salmon Presence
native salmon populations persist in the Nehalem…
a precious resource…
Biological - Macro invertebrate
macros “tell all” about water quality… all we need to do is listen…
Oregon Plan Macroinvertebrate Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity for
Fish Hawk Creek Above and Below Reservoir 1998 - 2002
50
Impairment Level
None
40
Slight
30
Moderate
20
Severe
10
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Year Sampled
Above Lake
Below Lake
ODF Restoration Site
Lab: sort and ID
Bugs do not lie…
Field collection
Watershed Restoration
understanding the watershed is the first step…
Riparian Fencing
Landowner cooperation is key to water resource protection…
Happy “Free to Grow” Cows
15 miles of riparian
fence installed in
cooperation with
local Landowners
Riparian Reforestation
growing strong…
Partners:
OWEB, DEQ, BLM,
NRCS, ODF, FSA,
ODFW, VCLC, VHS,
Landowners.
Conservation Reserve
Enhancement Program
9 new sign-ups
400+ acres in reserve
200,000+
native trees
and shrubs
planted
95+ UNWC cooperators, to date
North Coast
Native Plant Cooperative
growing native plants from seed to riparian planting stock…
Partners: Tillamook Bureau of Land Management and Watershed Councils =
Yamhill, Tillamook Bay, Nestucca, Lower and Upper Nehalem, Scappoose Bay and
Soil and Water Conservation District`s = Tillamook, Clatsop and Columbia, and
Tillamook Estuary Partnership. Nursery meets all our riparian restoration needs!
Native Coho – Recovery
raising salmon in the wild…
Born to be Wild…
Nehalem “Native” Coho
Salmon Habitat Improvement
building habitat, increasing salmon production…
Partners:
Longview Fibre Co, Weyerhaeuser,
Forest Systems, Oregon Wildlife
Heritage Foundation, ODFW
Salmon Passage
removing barriers one crossing at a time…
Before
Examples of
Council barrier
removal projects
implemented
to date…
Before
Before
More in the works…
During
During
After
Reflection Creek
Partners:
Longview Fibre Co.,
Forest Systems, ODOT, County
Rd. Departments, USFWS
Wonderland Rain Forest
After
After
East Humbug
Cedar Creek
More on salmon habitat…
Noxious Weed Control
 Beautiful Invaders
Purple Loosestrife
Scotch Broom
Yellow Flag Iris
Beware:
Beautiful invaders
coming to a
watershed near you…
English Ivy
Nehalem Knotweed Control
eradicating Knotweed from the headwaters down to the bay…
Sea of Knotweed
Stem Injection
“Knot”
in the
Nehalem!
Partners:
North Coast Weed Management Area Group
Nehalem Knotweed Task Force
Clatsop SWCD, ODA, OSU Extension, UNWC,
LNWC, Columbia SWCD, NRCS, and Landowners
Nehalem Bay Estuary
where the river meets the sea…
 Assessment
Critical salmon habitat
Assessment partners (recent):
• DLCD - Oregon Coastal Management Program Dynamic Estuary Information System
• OWEB – Estuary Assessment
• USFWS – Estuary Assessment
Nehalem Bay Clean-up
Estuaries - the most abundant habitat in the world…
Estuary Clean-up results,
average per biennial event:
Volunteers = 120+
Solid Waste = 65 cubic yards
Scrap Metal = 400 lbs
Recyclables = 120 gallons
Hazardous Waste = 20 gallons
Volunteers
make the watershed world go round…
we could not do it with out them…
Annual value of
Volunteer
contributions
to U&L Nehalem
Watershed Council
projects
is: $60,000+
Natural Resource Advisors
only the best for the Nehalem…
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OWEB
ODFW
DEQ
NRCS
BLM
OWRD
ODA
USFWS
DSL
NOAA
ACE
Educators
it takes a village to save a watershed…
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Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: watershed health, salmon recovery, grant management
Oregon State University: Extension, Stewardship - group facilitation, watershed health seminars
Portland State University: graduate students - watershed assessment public education
University of Oregon: RARE internship program - action plan development – public outreach
Department of Environmental Quality: water quality monitoring and data analysis
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife: salmon recovery and stream restoration training
Oregon Water Resources Department: hydrology training, flow monitoring, water law
Oregon Division of State Lands: wetland ID and protection
Oregon Department of Forestry: forest health, riparian restoration, Oregon forest Practice Act
Natural Resource Conservation Service: river restoration, conservation planning
Oregon Department of Agriculture: noxious weed control, farm conservation practices
Nehalem Valley Izaak Walton League: public education on local watershed health issues
River Network: River Rally workshops - wide range of watershed health organizational training
Oregon Trout: Salmon Watch, River Keeper: citizen and youth salmon and river interaction
Xerces Society: macro invertebrate collection and ID, project development training
Technical Assistance Community Services: non-profit development training
Ford Family Foundation: Ford Institute Leadership Program
Coal Creek Education Foundation: ecosystem, botany, creativity
Vernonia Outdoor School: ecosystem, watershed and water quality classes for local students
Oregon Forest Resources Institute: forest health, salmon recovery, tours
Vernonia Community Learning Center: local outreach - hands-on restoration classes for local youth
Vernonia and Neahkanie School Districts: hands-on watershed health for students
Oregon Youth Conservation Corp: hands-on restoration training for local youth
Boy and Girl Scouts of America: hands-on local environmental learning projects for youth
Funders
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OWEB = $1,620,000.00
DEQ = $395,208.00
NRCS = $128,500.00
ODFW Restoration and Enhancement Board = $39,000.00
BLM = $239,897.00
PSMFC = $2,300.00
USFWS = $44,130.00
River Network = $8,000.00
Ford Family Foundation = $4,000.00
Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation = $6,000.00
Recipients
Thank you!!!
Thank you for joining us!
There is no place like home…