gee creek watershed restoration - WSU Clark County Extension ...

the non-profit Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge) has continued restorationefforts, with an emphasis on: 26• Tree planting on private lands along mid-lower Gee Creek• Water quality monitoring at Abrams Park station and in response to the ArwanaFarms 2001 manure spill and more recent sediment events.• Production and distribution of a landowner outreach information packet• Monitoring general watershed condition and alerting agencies to water qualityevents and impacts.In 2002, a long-term site index monitoring site was established on Gee Creek in themiddle of the watershed “several hundred feet downstream of Royle Road” by the ClarkCounty Public Works Water Resources Program (CCWRP). 13From 2002 to 2005, USFWS CRFPO conducted surveys and PIT tagging of cutthroattrout in Gee Creek as one of 3 study sites on the Lower Columbia, the other sites beingAbernathy Creek and the Chinook River. A Gee Creek fish poster, summary table, andpending (summer 2006) summary report are products of the study. 28In 2003, the City of Ridgefield and Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE)contracted an assessment of Gee Creek with StreamFix for the reach from Main St. toRoyle Road. 10 enhancement recommendations with 21 recommended projects areidentified. 47In 2004, the City received a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant and beganinvasive plant removal, debris removal, and tree planting using crews and holdingvolunteer work events which will be continued into 2006. In 2004, some trees werebucked into the creek between Royle Road and SR 501 (Pioneer St) to create largewoody debris, under contract to StreamFix. 41,42In 2004, The USFWS investigated potential restoration options for fish enhancement ofGee Creek on the Carty Unit, RNWR. 50 A project to dredge and maintain a channel andremove a sediment barrier was developed. Action was postponed due to concernsregarding appropriate restoration strategies and potential secondary fisheries impacts. 32a,50In December, 2004, Gee Creek is not listed as a priority area for salmon and steelheadrecovery in the Lower Columbia Salmon Recovery Plan. 34In 2005, the Whipple Creek Stream Assessment by CCWRP generated specific siteinformation for stormwater planning. The project identified watershed conditions,confirmed degradation by past and current human activities, assessed 9 categories ofwatershed features and potential improvement projects, creates immediate referrals, andidentifies potential areas for preservation. One of the sister “West Slope Watersheds”similar to Gee Creek, the Whipple Creek Assessment presents a potential model forextrapolation, future assessments, and planning regarding Gee Creek. 1531