Our goal is to restore healthy and harvestable salmonid populations through rehabilitation of stream habitat and restoration of ecological function in the riparian corridors of streams upstream of Grand Coulee Dam within the boundaries of the Colville Confederated Tribes reservation. Land use practices including residential and agricultural development, road building and logging have degraded habitat conditions and blocked upstream passage throughout many of the watersheds where historic tribal fishing once occurred. In order to identify and prioritize the appropriate fixes, we inventoried approximately 70 miles of stream habitat in the Upper Columbia Subbasin and over 80 miles in the Sanpoil Subbasin to help understand the magnitude of causes of that degradation. With that assessment in hand, we can form a plan to treat the root cause of the habitat degradation, rather than reacting to the symptoms which are observed at any one site. It is our intention to implement a restoration strategy that will restore and be consistent with the ecological processes described in the Upper Columbia Recovery Technical Team (UCRTT) Biological Strategy and the process-based principles outlined in Beechie et al. (2010). To accomplish this, our implementation strategy will follow the basic hierarchical strategy outlined in Roni et al. (2002). This approach begins with an assessment and inventory of the habitat conditions and degradations. Where habitat is degraded, we will seek first to reconnect isolated habitats then restore processes such as riparian condition and floodplain function before implementing actions that build temporary habitat.  We will develop a habitat protection and restoration strategy using empirical observations of habitat conditions and current fish use from our inventory efforts and the Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment (EDT) model to help us evaluate where the highest priority areas are for habitat restoration and protection. EDT is an analytical model relating habitat features and biological performance to support conservation and recovery planning for salmonids (Lichatowich et al. 1995; Lestelle et al. 1996; Mobrand et al. 1997; Mobrand et al. 1998). It acts as an analytical framework that brings together information from empirical observation, local experts, and other models and analyses to determine which reaches and habitat attributes are likely to have the most benefit for improving fish performance.

EDT Model:
Utilizing the inventory data collected from 2012 to 2014, we will work with a subcontractor to complete an EDT model for the Sanpoil Subbasin streams in 2015. As previously described, EDT modeling is used to predict how fish populations might respond to habitat actions (Lestelle et al. 2004). It is the results of these models that are used to identify and prioritize habitat protection and restoration actions. The model will allow us to assess current production of rainbow trout, estimate what the natural intrinsic population production potential is, and identify and prioritize habitat actions to increase production in streams in the Sanpoil subbasin.

We will work with a subcontractor to develop EDT Level II ratings for the Sanpoil Subbasin streams using empirical habitat data collected by the this project from 2012 to 2014 The subcontractor will develop and run the EDT model for the Sanpoil Subbasin streams, which will include: 1) assigning Level II attribute ratings for the template and current conditions scenarios to all reaches in the EDT reach network for this study area in the EDT3 Attribute Editor; 2) direct internal and client QA/QC review of Level II attribute ratings; 3) building the redband trout species-habitat rule set in the EDT3 Species-Habitat Rules Editor; 4) building the redband trout life history model in the EDT3 Population Editor, generate test trajectories for client review (i.e. confirmation that trajectory movement patterns are representative of the observed and potential range of life history expression); and, 5) running the EDT model, generating estimates of habitat potential at the subbasin and diagnostic unit levels, survival (habitat limiting) factors at the diagnostic unit and reach level, and population and life stage-specific habitat protection and restoration priorities.

Restoration Projects:
In 2015, we will also implement habitat restoration actions. These actions include the status inventory and maintenance of approximately 11.5 miles of existing riparian fence, riparian plantings/rehabilitation, road decommissioning, and restoring fish passage. Over the last decade, fencing projects have been implemented to protect and restore riparian habitat along numerous streams in the Sanpoil River drainage. Successful protection and restoration of riparian habitat by fencing will only be successful if the fencing is regularly monitored and maintained. The project staff will monitor and maintain (repair) approximately 11.5 miles of existing riparian fencing along the following streams within the boundaries of the Colville Confederated Tribes reservation:  Lost Creek (1.62 miles), Moses Creek (0.86 miles), Twentythreemile Creek (4.53 miles), North Nanamkin Creek (1.45 miles), Bridge Creek (0.52 miles), South Nanamkin Creek (0.93 miles), and Capoose Creek (1.54 miles). They will systematically inspect the entire length of fence repairing it as they encounter damage. They will also revisit sections following storms. Approximately 3.9 miles of new fence will be constructed along Capoose Creek (2.09 miles), Lost Creek (1.00 miles), and North Nanamkin Creek (0.75 miles) in order to initiate rehabilitation of the riparian corridor in these areas. Existing fencing units were also evaluated for response of the riparian community in 2014. Fencing units containing areas which have not responded to livestock exclusion will be planted and rehabilitated to reach a state of natural ecological functions. These areas include sections of the existing North Nanamkin (13 acres), South Nanamkin (8 acres) and Twentythreemile Creek (8 acres) fencing units.

The US Forest Service (USFS) Tonasket Ranger District will work with the Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT) to restore hydrologic processes within Sanpoil River watershed with the goal of improving habitat for migratory redband trout. The recently completed West Fork Sanpoil Watershed Action Plan prioritizes aquatic restoration projects on National Forest System Land (NFSL) for the improvement and recovery of water quality, fish habitat, and riparian forest conditions. Priority actions in this plan include removing barrier culverts and reducing sediment related impacts from roads. Watershed processes in the West Fork Sanpoil have been altered by past management practices. Watershed processes most altered on NFSL are flow regimes, sediment production, connectivity, stream channel instability, and channel complexity. Forest Service management activities that continue to degrade aquatic habitat are forest roads and livestock grazing.  There are about 1,255 km of roads within the West Fork Sanpoil River watershed, which results in a road density of approximately 4.8 km per square km. A road density this high is often associated with at risk stream habitat conditions and poor fish production. Field reviews, stream surveys, and sediment monitoring identified fine sediment levels well above suitable conditions for trout habitat. Habitat conditions for redband trout are rated as "functioning - at risk to non-functioning" and the extensive road network in the West Fork Sanpoil River watershed is a major contributor to these conditions. In order to provide migratory redband trout access to approximately 5.1 km (3.2 miles) of habitat for spawning and rearing, the USFS and CCT will replace two existing impassable culverts in Aeneas Creek with culverts that will allow for complete (100%) fish passage.

Additionally, we will replace four fish passages barriers in the Sanpoil Subbasin in 2015 to provide access toa total of 17.3 miles of habitat. These projects include replacing culverts in Thirtymile (5.8 miles of habitat), North Nanamkin (4.3 miles of habitat), Gold (4.4 miles of habitat), and Strawberry (2.8 miles of habitat) creeks.

Engineering for FY2016 Culvert Replacements:
Initial stages of developing engineered design plans include a site visit during the Request-For-Proposal (RFP) process in addition to topographic and geomorphic site surveys during plan development. However, sites must not be frozen or under snow during this process. In order to meet seasonal site survey needs during the process of producing engineered design plans for stream crossing barrier replacements and to allow time for the permitting and contracting process to occur before on-the-ground work begins in FY2016, we propose to develop and advertise an RFP in FY2015. A single RFP will be issued combining the plans for a total of five barrier replacement projects and have design plans in-hand before weather restricts engineering surveys in FY2015. Each of the sites will be specified as a deliverable of the RFP.

These five projects are the next highest rated barriers scheduled for replacement and consist of three barrier replacements on Iron Creek restoring access to 7.4 km (4.6 mi) of habitat and two barrier replacement projects on Louie Creek restoring access to 5.1 km (3.2 mi) of habitat. Locations of culverts and other stream crossings reservation wide were initially inventoried by Duck Creek Associates, Inc. under contract with the Confederated Colville Tribes (CCT) Environmental Trust Department. The stream crossings identified in this dataset that fell within the stream network used in the Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment (EDT) model were prioritized for further data collection in order to attribute assessment criteria provided in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Fish Passage Barrier and Surface Water Diversion Screening Assessment and Prioritization Manual (WDFW 2009) and by  the FishXing (Version 3) software program distributed by the United States Forest Service (USFS) Aquatic Organism Passage program. Assessments of passage potential from these methods, in conjunction with the anticipated amount of habitat upstream of each crossing,  were used to calculate an index of linear stream habitat lost due to impassible barrier conditions. Index scores were binned into five priority groups. Stream crossings within each priority group were then qualitatively assessed for feasibility, immediate benefit to the target resource and location in relationship to natural barriers. Stream crossings selected for replacement during FY2016 were selected from a candidate pool as having the greatest habitat gain while occurring below natural barriers in the stream network without anthropogenic barriers downstream that require multiple years for partnership development and project planning.