Within Our Reach December 8, 2010 River Conservation and Recovery Plan for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead
Jan 12, 2016
Within Our Reach
December 8, 2010
draft Upper Willamette River Conservation and Recovery Plan for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead
ESU Listing Units (Threatened 1999)
• Spring Chinook ESU• Winter Steelhead DPS
Contents of Draft Plan
• Current and recovery goal status for populations• Overall strategies/priorities to meet recovery goals
Relation to a healthier Willamette River
• Limiting Factors and threats in mainstem• Juvenile Chinook rearing/migration diversity• Freshwater habitat strategies and actions
Questions/Comments
Today’s Presentation
Where to find Plan Information
• ODFW Native Fish Conservation and Recovery• http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/CRP/upper_willamette_river_plan.asp
• Executive Summary (~ 30 pages)
• Main Body (> 450 pages)
• Appendices (~200 pages)
• Willamette Basin Explorer• http://www.oregonexplorer.info/willamette/WillametteRecoveryPlanning
• NOAA WLC Technical Recovery Team• http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/trt/wlc.cfm
Public review period ends Dec 21, 2010
ESA Plan: conservation road map to remove species units (ESU’s) from the ESA T/E list
Biological / listing factor criteria: ESU delisting
Population goals: extinction risk (VSP criteria) Specific actions: population goals/listing factors
achieve recovery
Cost estimates/implementation schedules
Rely on• plans with regulatory rules/actions (BiOp’s, TMDL’s, etc.)• voluntary implementation of other actions
Plan Features
Salmonid Biological Criteria
VSP parameters• Abundance• Productivity• Spatial Structure• Diversity
Extinction RiskVery High
High
Moderate
Low
Very Low
Current Status Desired Status
ClackamasMolalla
N. Santiam
S. SantiamCalapooia
McKenzie
MF Willamette
restore use of historic habitat• (reconnect upper subbasins)
below dams • temperature control• riparian/floodplain function• restoring/protecting instream flow
Emphasis of Spring Chinook Actions
Extinction RiskVery High
High
Moderate
Low
Very Low
Current Status Desired Status
Molalla
N. Santiam
S. SantiamCalapooia
habitat protection and restoration• especially water quality and instream flow• lower subbasin riparian reaches
Emphasis of Winter Steelhead Actions
Assessment also indicated
Need improvements in most threat sectors
Improve HABITAT conditions in freshwater and estuary
Reduce impacts of• FLOOD CONTROL / HYDROPOWER• HATCHERY• COMPETITION and PREDATION
Improvements needed to maintain current status• Given limited resources prioritize actions• Adopt a long-term perspective
Major Strategies and Actions
Flood Control/Hydropower Actions
• Willamette Project BiOp actions, FERC agreements• upstream and downstream passage • temperature control and flow modification• revetments and other physical habitat (mainstem projects)
• FCRPS BiOp actions for estuary impacts
Freshwater Habitat Actions
• ODEQ TMDL Water Quality actions • Best Management Practices, State/Federal guidelines• Voluntary protective and restoration actions
Estuarine Habitat Actions
• NMFS Estuary Recovery Plan
Major Strategies and Actions (continued)
Hatchery Actions • Reduce hatchery fish on spawning grounds• Examine/reduce predation/competition on juveniles• As conditions improve, re-introduce above barriers• Manage as “wild fish emphasis areas”
Harvest Actions
• Manage current regimes in existing Fishery plans
Other Species Actions
• NMFS Estuary Recovery Plan• Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation for predation impact
in Willamette and subbasins
Willamette Juvenile Habitat Use
Schroeder et al.
Juveniles of both species
habitat complexity/diversity from land-use practicesstream cleaning straightening and channelizationriparian area degradation, revetments
large wood recruitmentfloodplain connectivity/access to off-channel habitat
occurrence of peak flowschannel complexity and habitat diversity
Adult Steelhead
mainstem flows during spring reservoir fillingwater temperature disease vulnerability
Mainstem Willamette RiverLimiting Factors and Threats
Adults and juveniles of both species
Water QualityInput of toxins treatment of point and non-point sources non-point sourcing of agricultural toxins
Water temperature subbasin sourcing hyporheic function
Mainstem Willamette RiverLimiting Factors and Threats
Mainstem Willamette River Land Use Management
Strategy: Implement Willamette basin TMDL actions, rural and urban BMP’s, and other land-use actions to address multiple Limiting Factors
Actions include:• Temperature TMDL WQMP actions: increase riparian
vegetation/shade function
• Strengthen/implement BMP’s: reduce inputs/runoff of non-point source of chemicals
• Pesticide/nutrient TMDL WQMP actions: reduce sourcing of runoff from urban, industrial, rural, and agricultural practices
• Promote incentives to private landowners: protect/restore riparian areas and high-quality off-channel habitats not covered by actions in other plans
Strategy: Implement the suite of Willamette Project BiOp flow and habitat actions to address multiple Limiting Factors
Actions include Willamette Project BiOp: • Revetment modification/reduction and restoration
actions:• improve the amount, complexity, diversity, and connectivity of
riparian, confluence, and off-channel habitats
• Flow actions:• increase occurrence of peak flows to maintain and create
habitat, increased channel complexity and habitat diversity
• meet salmon and steelhead rearing and migration flow targets
Mainstem Willamette River Flood Control/Hydropower Management
Habitat Principals and PrioritiesProtect/enhance viability of multiple listed populations
Protect habitat with these traits • natural production areas (subbasins) (PRODUCTIVITY)• supports major life history strategies (DIVERSITY)• contributes to other viability traits (SPATIAL STRUCTURE)
Enhance/restore habitat and natural processes
• increase life-stage survival (ABUNDANCE), reproductive success, and connectivity
Fix specific habitat limiting factors
• large pay-off to closing viability gaps between current and desired future status
Mainstem Willamette Habitat Projects Considerations and Discussion
A comprehensive and workable shared vision and strategy?
What to protect and restore?• “Ecosystem Services” the conceptual umbrella for goals?
• What level of functional ecosystem process does this imply?
• Are we all on the same page for priorities and time scales?
A structured framework to accomplish this?
A metric to measure progress accomplishment?• Can projects be scoped large enough to elicit a measurable
response?
Balance of willing opportunities (easements/ acquisitions) and regulations?
Questions/Comments