Contract History:  
The Lolo Creek Watershed Restoration project (1996-07-02) has been an on-going project of the Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Watershed Program and BPA since 1996.  The ultimate goal of the project is to restore the physical and biological characteristics of the watershed to provide quality habitat for anadromous and resident fish species that support the historical, cultural and economic practices of the Nez Perce Tribe.  The Lolo Creek watershed contains proposed critical habitat for listed species steelhead trout and potential critical habitat for bull trout; it has moderate habitat potential for spring Chinook salmon.  Restoration in this watershed focuses on restoring riparian processes by addressing increased water temperatures, increased sedimentation, cattle grazing affects, fish passage issues, and noxious weed infestations.  The project addresses passage problems, primarily at road/stream crossings, on both private and federal land, and addresses riparian planting and riparian protection program management. Completed contract work includes culvert prioritization and assessment, installation of an off-site watering site, 16 culvert replacements, 8 culvert removals, 1100 ft. of stream bank stabilization, 62 miles of road decommissioning, 16 miles of fence installation, over 12,000 riparian trees planted, and continued monitoring and evaluation.
    
Summary of 2007-2008 Contract Work:
This project is a part of the Clearwater National Forest-Nez Perce Tribe Watershed Restoration Partnership with in kind contributions from the Clearwater National Forest.  Potlatch Corporation is also a partner on portions of this project.  Their funding contribution is typically $5,000 to $10,000.  Additionally, Potlatch Corporation has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Idaho Office of Species Conservation for the replacement of 12 barrier culverts in the Jim Brown Creek drainage of Lolo Creek.  This work is scheduled to be completed in 2007 in partnership with the restoration projects proposed by this contract for implementation in 2007.

A) Technical review for replacement of 2 barrier culverts-
The Rat Creek culvert has been identified as a high priority for replacement as it is undersized and does not pass all life stages of fish.  This culvert will be replaced by the Forest Service (Clearwater National Forest) under a separate contract with BPA, and the Nez Perce Tribe will assist in bid package preparation, contractor selection, technical oversight and final inspection. The existing culvert will be replaced, located at T33N/R6E/Sec.33, with a new culvert that is designed for streambank simulation and to endure the 100 year flood event.  This replacement will return fish passage to 4.3 miles of stream for all life stages of aquatic species including juvenile spring Chinook and steelhead.
The Snowshoe Creek culvert has been identified as a high priority for replacement as it is undersized and does not pass all life stages of fish.  This culvert will be replaced by the Forest Service (Clearwater National Forest) under a separate contract with BPA, and the Nez Perce Tribe will assist in bid package preparation, contractor selection, technical oversight and final inspection. The existing culvert will be replaced, located at T34N/R6E/Sec.8, with a new culvert that is designed for streambank simulation and to endure the 100 year flood event.  This replacement will return fish passage to 0.9 miles of stream for all life stages of aquatic species including juvenile spring Chinook and steelhead.

B) Riparian planting-
Re-vegetation efforts have been going on in the Jim Brown Creek tributary of Lolo Creek since 2002 and have been successful.  However, Jim Brown Creek and its tributaries consist of over four miles of stream length, which was practically devoid of vegetation in the 1990s.  Additional plantings are warranted to provide a healthy, functioning riparian zone that provides shade to the stream, which will reduce lethal stream temperatures.  In FY 07 we will plant an estimated 1,800 native riparian trees within the Jim Brown Creek area.  Species of trees to be planted include drummond willow, thinleaf alder, aspen, and red osier dogwood.

C) Fence maintenance-
Nineteen miles of fence have been previously constructed in the Lolo Creek watershed.  The fences consist of wooden posts and a combination of rails and four-strand barbed wire to isolate and protect riparian areas.  Due to heavy snow loads, annual maintenance is required to maintain a properly functioning fence that protects riparian and stream habitat.

E) Bioengineering-
Four sites have been selected in Jim Brown Creek meadow area for bio-engineering treatment.  Severe bank erosion and failure exists at these sites which will be treated with engineering structures made from native plants (brush mattresses, willow bundles, and root wads) to stabilize the banks and protect them from future erosion.

F) Noxious weed inventory-
Data on noxious weeds infestations within the Lolo Creek drainage, and in particular the Musselshell Meadows area, will be completed in 2007.  This data will be entered into a database, and will then be prioritized for treatment areas in future contracts.

G) Continued monitoring and evaluation-
Project effectiveness monitoring:  A monitoring protocol for culvert replacements will track the status of habitat within and around the culvert, as well as the stream channel's reaction to the newly installed culvert.  Monitoring for culvert replacements includes fish surveys above and below culverts, channel grade, in-culvert substrate, and profile measurements. A report on the success of previously and newly installed culverts will be completed.  Culvert replacement monitoring has been ongoing for several years.  Per the protocol, culvert replacement monitoring in Lolo Creek is scheduled for the Rat Creek, Snowshoe Creek, Weaver Creek #1, Lolo Creek, Belle Creek, Gold Creek and the Musselshell Tributary Creek culverts for FY 07.

Project effectiveness monitoring:  The Clearwater National Forest and the Nez Perce Tribe have developed a monitoring plan for decommissioned roads.  Data is used to monitor success and for suggesting improvements that could be made.  The annual monitoring plan has established numerous monitoring sites for all roads that have been obliterated, and establishes a timetable for subsequent monitoring.  Specifically in Lolo Creek, evaluation of approximately 59 miles of obliterated roads will be accomplished by collecting monitoring data at numerous different sample sites as shown in the WE location.  Data collected for Road Obliteration Monitoring and Evaluation includes the following: locate and evaluate new mass failures, record and evaluate points of surface erosion, evaluate re-vegetation coverage and succession to native plants, measure stream channel restoration and adjustment, and, evaluate whether the treatment applied was appropriate for the land type.  Annual monitoring has been done at these sites since FY 2004.

Status and Trend Monitoring: A monitoring protocol for selected stream habitat reaches will track the status and trend of Lolo Creek. Information will be collected on fish abundance and distribution, macro-invertebrates, flow, temperature, sediment composition, and habitat parameters to include channel morphology, valley width index, Wolman Pebble counts, cobble embeddedness, large woody debris, bank stability, and riparian condition and density.  This data will be summarized into a monitoring report, showing trends of conditions as a result of watershed restoration activities.  Six stream reaches on Jim Brown Creek, Musselshell Creek, Lolo Creek, and Yoosa Creek are scheduled for monitoring in FY 07.  Monitoring for some of the parameters at these reaches began in FY 1997 and periodic monitoring has occurred annually since 2000.