Primary deliverables in this contract include the maintenance of past riparian fencing projects, installation of four new fencing projects, vegetation planting at Mac Creek, Tex Creek, and Murderers Creek, and BDA design development and implementation along Tinker Creek. Project staff will also oversee and assist with implementation of floodplain reconnection projects within protected areas along Murders Creek and Tex Creek. Details are provided in the specific work elements.

Background:
This project was initiated on July 1, 1984 and allows for initial landowner contacts, agreement development, project design, budgeting, and implementation for anadromous fish habitat improvement on privately owned lands within the John Day Basin. The purpose of the John Day Fish Habitat Enhancement Program is to enhance production of indigenous wild stocks of spring chinook and summer steelhead within the subbasin through habitat protection, enhancement, and fish passage improvements. The project has historically accomplished enhancement through the development of riparian enclosures and in more recent years has moved to also incorporate floodplain restoration projects into protected riparian areas to further enhance restorative processes. The Fish Habitat Program coordinates with many different agencies. The projects in Gilliam county partner with Gilliam Soil and Water Conservation District, projects in Wheeler are associated with Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District, and the John Day Fish Habitat Program also works with the Tribal entities of both Umatilla and Warm Springs Tribes.

Project Prioritization:
The John Day Fish Habitat Enhancement Program is continually keeping in mind the prioritization of upcoming projects.  Prioritization efforts have included: using the Atlas framework, still in development, in the John Day Basin to identify priority areas and projects; working closely with the District Fish Biologist to obtain guidance when selecting projects; and working to adjoin projects in focus areas to create large contiguous habitat protections.

Riparian Protection Fence Development:
Initial Riparian Fence Cooperative Agreements are for a term of 15 years and are intended to give the riparian vegetation time to get established and stable in the event that domestic livestock are allowed back into the riparian areas.  During the initial agreement period ODFW commits to maintaining the riparian fence and in some cases off site cattle watering facilities as described below.  From observations landowners have kept up the maintenance on the original riparian fences on approximately 90% of the expired Cooperative Agreements.  In high priority areas the program has renewed/rebuilt and/or maintained riparian protection fences for an additional 10 years.  The riparian buffer widths vary, but the averaged minimum is approximately 35 feet above the ordinary high water line. The Fish Habitat Program goals are to improve as much riparian vegetation in the 15 year Cooperative Agreement that is signed by each landowner.  

Considerable time is spent coordinating with landowners on the Cooperative Agreement, fence alignment, gates, and water gap locations. Fish habitat staff stake structure locations and GPS the locations prior to landowner approval. The GPS coordinates are then given to Grant Soil and Water Conservation District (GSWCD) to map the riparian fence layout. GSWCD advertises the opportunity to bid on the project in the local newspaper, sets up the bid packets, and determine whether each contractor is qualified and has the proper licensing, bonding and insurance requirements for the project. Cultural surveys are arranged with BPA environmental compliance personnel. A pre-bid tour of the project area is given to the contractors so they can view the terrain, fence layout, and design. Sealed bids are submitted to GSWCD by interested contractors and the project is awarded to the lowest qualified bidder. The project time frame is established depending on the length of the project, (typically we allow 3 weeks for each mile of fence to be constructed). ODFW fish habitat personnel oversee the progress and quality of the work. In some cases materials will also be delivered by ODFW personnel for financial efficiency. At the end of the project the Fish Habitat personnel will complete a final walk through of the project and problem areas will be flagged and corrected by the contractor before final payment is requested and paid by GSWCD through a sub contract. Because the fish habitat program has to maintain the project for 15 years, the specifications to the riparian fence construction are closely monitored. Photopoints are established at the beginning of each project and then retaken every three years.

Riparian Protection Fence Maintenance:
The John Day Fish Habitat Enhancement Program staff maintain new riparian projects for the term of 15 years. Currently there are approximately 218.56 miles of riparian fence associated landowners in 11 different counties,  Gilliam, Grant, Wheeler, Crook, Harney, Jefferson, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, and Wasco. For example, We currently have 9 projects in Gilliam county that we maintain from our main headquarters in John Day, Oregon. Just to get from John Day to Condon takes approximately three hours, then to get to half of the project sites is another hour. On these days it takes two maybe three program personnel, and ATV's to cover as much ground as possible to get a single project area maintained and put back into workable order. These are usually long days depending on wildlife, Spring run-off damage and numbers of trees that have fallen during wind storms or fire damaged areas during the summer months. There are typically trees/rocks that have fallen on project fences and structures that need fixing. In the summer months there are occasionally flash floods that go through an area which requires attention to the watergaps and mainline fences as well. Program personnel have learned to cover more ground by dropping one person off and have them walk through sections that are only accessible by foot and then drive down a mile or so leave the ATV and leap frog to the lower end. This saves time so personnel can work in one direction and not have to back track. The program keeps track of where each day maintenance has been completed and if additional materials is need on the next visit it is written down. The program has two full time positions, one 6 month (half 6 months fish Habitat and half 6 months Screens and Passage), and a 4 month secretarial position.

To facilitate reduced maintenance the John Day Fish Habitat Program has begun using steel pipe instead of wooden posts. Utilizing steel should cut down the maintenance costs significantly over the 15 year Cooperative Agreement with private landowners, which states that ODFW Fish Habitat Program will maintain for the term of the agreement.

The John Day Fish Habitat Program also contracts the Grant County Weed Department. Fish habitat personnel when on riparian project sites keep an eye out for noxious weeds on the counties top ten weed list. A small budget has been set aside to spray approximately 70 acres on projects currently under cooperative agreements. This has been a great benefit to our program to be able to spray weeds within the riparian area, if nothing else to show landowners that weeds can be maintained even in high dispersal areas.

Floodplain Enhancement:
In recent years the John Day Fish Habitat Enhancement Program has began incorporating floodplain restoration components into the fencing program to enhance areas that have already had a riparian fence installed.  Currently the John Day Fish Habitat Program is working on two instream projects within the John Day Basin.

One project is on Tex Creek a tributary of the South Fork John Day River.  This project will entail removing and hauling trees on adjacent ODFW property and install 34 LWD structures and reconnecting 419 feet on two side channels.

A second project is on the Mainstem of Murderers Creek.  This project has been in the works for many years with BOR, District Fish personnel, BPA, permitting and cultural entities.  Cultural significances within this area is high.  Cultural clearance was completed by 2020. LWD will be subsequently harvested under this contract and installation of the instream structures should be constructed in July 15 - August 31, 2021.