Native salmon will find rearing, refuge and spawning habitat conditions improved with-in salmon
bearing streams in the Jewell Meadows Wildlife Management Area of Clatsop County.
According to Maggie Peyton Executive Director for the Upper Nehalem Watershed Council “a mile of
native salmon habitat has been reconstructed in Beneke and Gilmore Creeks this summer through the
dedicated efforts of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the Watershed Council”.
The project, a collaborative effort between ODFW’s Tillamook District and Jewell Meadows Wildlife
Area, is designed to enhance salmon habitat in Beneke and Gilmore Creeks, both native salmon bearing
tributaries of the mid-Nehalem watershed.
The project involved the placement of 107 logs (some with root wads attached) into 19 log jam
assemblages, removal of one small culvert and the placement of 10 boulders, at designated sites with-in
the active stream channels.
The project required the services of an experienced and qualified contractor – Aquatic Contracting, LLC
who through a public bidding process was awarded the contract proceeded to put their best foot forward
to complete the salmon habitat improvement project on task, on time and on budget. The log sizes
ranged from 40-60’ long and 30” diameter and required a large excavator and self-loading log truck to
transport logs to stream sites and aid in placement. Aquatic Contracting heavy equipment operator Tim
Hill maneuvered the logs with skill and precision and made the intricate placement look easy as he laced
the logs into the existing streamside forest building log assemblages in the active stream channels.
Dave Plawman – Assistant District Fish Biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, with
15 years’ experience doing habitat restoration, provided day to day oversight of the habitat construction
process.
Bryan Swearingen – Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area Manager stated, “the improvement of salmon habitat
on the refuge is good for fish and doesn’t detract from the main focus of the Beneke Tract to provide
winter forage for Roosevelt Elk and Black Tail Deer”.
The restoration work occurred on both public land managed by the Oregon Department of Fish and
Wildlife and Oregon Department of Forestry, and on adjoining private industrial forest land owned by
Weyerhaeuser and Hampton Affiliates.
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board is the primary funder with cost share provided by the US
Fish and Wildlife Service – Partners for Wildlife Program. In-kind donations of time and expertise from
ODFW and Weyerhaeuser helped give the project continuity. The logs used in the project were
purchased with grant funds from Weyerhaeuser at the current market rate and staged onsite by C&C
Logging.
The Upper Nehalem Watershed Council, established in 1996, is a non-profit dedicated to fostering
stewardship and understanding of the natural resources of the Upper Nehalem Watershed among the
stakeholders of the watershed communities in order to protect, conserve, restore and sustain the health
and functions of the watershed. Additional information about the council and it’s projects can be found
at www. nehalem.org