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.

This contract funds continued habitat restoration in Trout Creek, an important tributary to the Wind River. The USFS contract for FY2016 includes continued operation of the Wind River Gage to support all of the habitat and monitoring efforts underway across the watershed.  The contract will also help fund instream habitat work in Trout Creek, including log and rock placement in the reach immediately upstream of the Hemlock Restoration site.  The intent of this work is to increase roughness and hydraulic diversity to encourage deposition and retention of spawning grade substrates, provide cover and diversity of habitats, and to enhance flow in existing side channels.