The Wind River Watershed project is a collaborative effort to restore wild steelhead in the Wind River.  The four agencies working in this partnership include the US Forest Service (FS), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), U.S. Geological Survey Columbia River Research Lab (CRRL), and Underwood Conservation District (UCD).  The partnership was established in the early 1990's and with support from BPA, has continued to conduct important habitat, research, monitoring and coordination activities across the watershed.  The project works at multiple levels to identify and characterize key limiting habitat factors in the Wind River, to restore degraded habitats and watershed processes, to measure, track and document fish populations, life histories, and interactions, and to share information with all interested parties.

In 2023 the FS and Yakama Nation developed an agreement where the FS Wind River funding would be managed by the Yakama Southern Territories Habitat project staff (1997-056-00) from FY24-FY28 to maximize implementing work on the ground. Per the agreement the Yakama Nation will be the project lead for several phases of work in the Dry Creek watershed while FS employees will continue leading project efforts within the Upper Wind River, both FS priority watersheds. This partnership is vital, as FS has limited capacity to complete all the work but has obtained 5 million dollars in cost share funding to complete work in these priority watersheds. The BPA Wind River funding will provide for development of the design plans and cover some implementation costs and be administer by the Yakama Nation to provide the needed project management capacity. Cost share funding obtained by the USFS will be provided to the Yakama Nation under a USFS/YN agreement.

Summer steelhead are distributed throughout the basin, in the mainstem and tributaries.  Rearing habitat is thought to be the primary limiting factor in the middle Wind River due to: simplification of habitat, lack of large woody debris, floodplain disconnection, lack of sinuosity, little or no cover pool habitat, little or no off-channel habitat, such as side-channels, oxbows or wetlands (Wind River Habitat Strategy, 2017).  Dry Creek reach 1 is identified in the Wind River Habitat Strategy as needing either constructed margin jams or large key pieces that can rack smaller wood over time.  Additionally, placement of jams strategically to erode bank for wood recruitment, and activation of floodplains, side channels and alcove habitat is suggested.  It is noted that seasonal subsurface flow warrants further investigation.  Dry Creek reach 1 is the highest ranked reach within the Dry Creek subwatershed in the Strategy.  The USFS subsequently developed a Restoration Action Plan for Dry Creek and the mining reach due to: high % of National Forest system ownership, cost share funds obtained for aquatic restoration, identification in DNR's strategic plan as focus area, Yakama tribal interest, wild steelhead gene bank, and identification as a cold water refuge by the EPA. (https://www.cbfish.org/Document.mvc/Viewer/P204633).

The intent of the work outlined in this contract is to investigate the geomorphic setting of lower Dry Creek and evaluate whether there are physical processes and conditions that would limit the effectiveness of stream restoration actions proposed to improve fish habitat and natural production.

Actions to be implemented during the agreement performance period include:
- Contract management, administration, environmental compliance documentation, annual reporting and status reporting. (WE 119, 165, 132, & 185).
- Watershed coordination with Wind River partners (WE 191).
- Dry Creek Reach 1 Geomorphic Assessment
- Dry Creek Reach 1 Aquatic and Floodplain Complexity Design
- Dry Creek Reach 2 and 3 Aquatic and Floodplain Complexity Design