Asotin Creek Instream Habitat Alteration Projects: 1998 Habitat Evaluation Surveys.
The Asotin Creek Model Watershed Master Plan was completed 1994. The plan was developed by a landowner steering committee for the Asotin County Conservation District (ACCD), with technical support from the various Federal, State and local entities. Actions identified within the plan to improve the Asotin Creek ecosystem fall into four main categories, (1) Stream and Riparian, (2) Forestland, (3) Rangeland, and (4) Cropland. Specific actions to be carried out within the stream and in the riparian area to improve fish habitat were, (a) create more pools, (b) increase the amount of large organic debris (LOD), (c) increase the riparian buffer zone through tree planting, and (d) increase fencing to limit livestock access; additionally, the actions are intended to stabilize the river channel, reduce sediment input, and protect private property. Fish species of main concern in Asotin Creek are summer steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), spring chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus). Spring chinook in Asotin Creek are considered extinct (Bumgarner et al. 1998); bull trout and summer steelhead are below historical levels and are currently as ''threatened'' under the ESA. In 1998, 16 instream habitat projects were planned by ACCD along with local landowners. The ACCD identified the need for a more detailed analysis of these instream projects to fully evaluate their effectiveness at improving fish habitat. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) Snake River Lab (SRL) was contracted by the ACCD to take pre-construction measurements of the existing habitat (pools, LOD, width, depth, etc.) within each identified site, and to eventually evaluate fish use within these sites. All pre-construction habitat measurements were completed between 6 and 14 July, 1998. 1998 was the first year that this sort of evaluation has occurred. Post construction measurements of habitat structures installed in 1998, and fish usage evaluation, will be conducted in 1999. As such, this report is confined to 1998 habitat data summaries for each site, with no analytical evaluation.
- Research Organization:
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Bonneville Power Administration
- DOE Contract Number:
- 00006230
- OSTI ID:
- 834379
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/BP-00006230-2; TRN: US200432%%293
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Mar 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
BPA Instream Habitat Projects Completed within Asotin Creek Watershed, 1999-2001 Final Report.
Riparian Planting Projects Completed within Asotin Creek Watershed : 2000-2002 Asotin Creek Riparian Final Report of Accomplishments.