Project  Overview

The Limber Jim Creek Restoration Project is located on Limber Jim and South Fork Limber Jim Creek, tributaries to the Grande Ronde River. The project is located on approximately 3.1 miles of Limber Jim Creek (approximately RM .5 – 3.6), and within the first river mile of South Fork Limber Jim Creek.  Limber Jim Creek is spawning and rearing habitat for Snake River Basin chinook salmon, summer steelhead, bull trout and redband trout. Historic timber harvest and grazing, roading and mining reduced the future recruitment of large wood and the amount/types of riparian vegetation.  These combined impacts also changed pool/riffle ratios, residual pool depth, habitat complexity, and floodplain function.

The stream within the project area, no longer has livestock grazing within the project area.  There are existing mining claims with little activity and dispersed recreation camping areas.  Three culverts on South Fork, North Fork and mainstem Limber Jim Creeks do not adequately pass fish at all life stages (two of these culverts will be replaced under a different project and one will removed to meet fish passage needs).  Sill logs were placed in the late 1980s/early 1990s to improve pool habitat.  There are three big game exclosures on mainstem Limber Jim Creek that are partially down.  Closed stream bottom roads exist on mainstem Limber Jim and tributaries.  Riparian vegetation primarily consists of sedges, rushes, lodgepole pine and alder.

Project Description

*   Fish Structure construction:  A total of 1044 pieces of large woody debris will be used for 116 structures within the 28 sites, with 5 different structure types.  
*   Fish passage:  Culvert removal
*   Three dispersed recreation sites:  Boulder placement  
*   Road Recontour:  Approximately .82 miles of closed stream bottom road will be recontoured
*   Fencing:  Big Game exclosures
*   Planting and seeding of project area

Project Objectives

Increased fish cover, improved quality and quantity of pools, increased habitat complexity, increased spawning gravel recruitment, increased numbers of large wood, improved floodplain function.

Chicken Creek Restoration

The Chicken Creek Restoration Project is located on Chicken and West Chicken Creeks, tributaries to Sheep Creek.  The project is located on 2 miles of Chicken and West Fork Chicken Creeks (starting at approximate RM 3).  The project is located within Upper Grande Ronde River (1706010401); Chicken Creek (170601040104) watersheds. Chicken Creek is spawning and rearing habitat for Snake River Basin summer steelhead, Snake River Basin spring chinook salmon, bull trout and redband trout.  Historic beaver trapping, grazing, and roading created a laterally confined channel, with limited floodplain interaction and diminished deciduous vegetation.  The project would prioritize LWD placement to add roughness, increase floodplain interaction and habitat complexity, and promote out of channel flooding. It is expected that the project will promote longer periods of hydrologic production, decreased stream temperatures, and increased riparian deciduous vegetation.  The project would place wood within 2 miles of Chicken and West Chicken Creeks, limit access to the stream at one dispersed recreation site, and plant 5,000 deciduous seedlings and 10,000 cuttings.  Project partners include: Grande Ronde Model Watershed, Bonneville Power Administration, and the US Forest Service.

Goals of Chicken Creek Restoration

Restore Hydrologic Function:  In the meadow reach (Rosgen channel type C and E), increase hydration of laterally confined channel to improve groundwater retention.  Use Large Woody Debris (LWD) to restore stream grade, reduce hydraulic efficiencies, and increase floodplain meadow inundation time. LWD structures will be placed in locations to increase roughness and back up water.  Restoring hydraulic form and function will facilitate an increase in floodplain water storage, flow attenuation, and spring and seep connection.  Longer periods of floodplain inundation will moderate extreme high and low seasonal temperatures. Instream LWD structure types designed to meet these goals include channel spanning structures and floodplain wood.  

Improve Fish Habitat:  Restore channel habitat complexity.  Existing LWD fish habitat structures constructed in 2014 will be modified, and additional whole trees will be placed.  These structures will enhance scour pool habitat, cover, and floodplain connection.  The structures will increase hydraulic complexity and zero velocity refugia on active channel margins.  This will facilitate water retention, gravel deposition and sorting, and LWD recruitment. LWD structure types designed to meet fish habitat goals include: adding large wood to existing habitat structures; channel spanning structures to back water into pool habitat, and whole tree placements to provide fish cover.