gee creek watershed restoration - WSU Clark County Extension ...
gee creek watershed restoration - WSU Clark County Extension ...
gee creek watershed restoration - WSU Clark County Extension ...
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2005 - Whipple Creek Stream Assessment (A model for similar Gee Creek conditionsand improvement needs):• Comprehensive field inventory conducted - identified and GPS-mapped 544<strong>watershed</strong> features over 25 stream miles or roughly the upper <strong>watershed</strong> - forstormwater planning and identifying stream habitat improvement projects.• >300 <strong>watershed</strong> improvement projects identified, including 23 projects needingimmediate referral and 12 priority areas for preservation• 8 types of features assessed:o Stormwater outfallso Severe erosion areaso Impacted stream bufferso Trash and debriso Utilitieso Stream crossingso Channel modificationso Miscellaneous features – culvert removal, wildlife, freshwater mussels,fish, invasive plant presence, etc.• General stream corridor conditions summarized2006 – USFWS, CRFPO, Jeff Hogle, Cutthroat Survey Biologist: 28• Creek has some good stretches• Consider reducing the warmwater fish species who are predators on juvenilesalmon and trout2006 – USFWS CRFPO, Sam Lohr, Fisheries Biologist: 32a• Cutthroat trout still occur in Gee Creek• Although habitat conditions may not be conducive to support salmon, acomprehensive assessment of habitat conditions is needed to evaluate and guide<strong>restoration</strong> efforts.Recent Events and Future ConsiderationsAlthough impacts to Gee Creek and <strong>watershed</strong> health have been ongoing since the firstEuro-American settlements, recent documented events illustrate the nature of <strong>watershed</strong>impacts from past and future land uses. File notes and recent news records haveselectively documented the following events within the past 11 years:• 1995 Sediment event from Heron Ridge area logging and stream crossing. 24• 1995? Sediment event from winter logging w/o permit - Cloverhill Farms, RoyleRd. 24• 1996 Slide on south side of Ck in Abrams Park. 24• 1997 Slide into <strong>creek</strong> below Hillhurst Rd. 59• 2001 Arwana manure spill (125,000 gal.). 26,47,57• 2004 Sediment runoff into Tee Creek tributary. 4439