Brief History of Project:

The BPA, IDFG, Trout Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation collectively purchased one of the four properties in the Lower Red River Meadow. This property was deeded to IDFG in an Interagency MOA (BPA and IDFG, 1994) to manage for habitat restoration and fish and wildlife benefits as the Red River Wildlife Management Area (RRWMA).  

Over the last decade, through the Lower Red River Meadow Restoration Project (LRRMRP), over 2.4 miles of Red River were restored on the RRWMA. Specifically, restoration work was designed to increase channel sinuosity, reconnect floodplain function, reduce streambed and bank erosion rates, improve substrate quality, reestablish the disturbance frequency of bed features and substrate, maintain deep pools and clean spawning gravels, and create diverse instream and off-channel habitats. Native woody and herbaceous vegetation were planted to expedite the return of riparian vegetative communities that were expected in time to stabilize streambanks, provide overhanging vegetation, develop undercut banks, and help lower summer water temperatures.

Project Accomplishments of the LLRMRP from 1996 - 2004.

1. # of stream miles treated, including off-channels, after realignment (0.1 mi.)

Restoration of 2.4 miles of stream. Reconnecting historic meanders and constructing new meanders increased channel length by 5,045 feet, increased sinuosity by 60 percent, and decreased channel slope by 40 percent.

The Lower Red River Meadow Restoration Project began implementation activities in 1996, under the sponsorship of the Idaho County Soil and Water Conservation District. The overall project goal was to restore the physical and biological processes and functions of the Lower Red River Meadow ecosystem to provide high quality habitat for Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), and other fish and wildlife species. Restoration of 1.5 miles of stream on the property was divided into four phases, and included reconnecting historic meanders, constructing new meanders, reshaping channel cross sections, and installing rock grade control structures.  

2. # of riparian miles treated (0.01 mi.; count each bank separately)

Planted over 114,000 native riparian and wetland plants, including a variety of woody shrubs and herbaceous seedlings, enhancing approximately 1.5 miles of stream. Of this total, 63,500 (55%) were herbaceous seedlings, 26,700 (24%) were shrub seedlings, and 24,600 (21%) were vegetative cuttings, mostly 4 species of willow.

Native riparian shrubs were planted to accelerate the establishment of riparian shrub communities, provide bank stabilization, and improve fish (overhanging vegetation, undercut banks, reduced water temperatures, and sources of nutrients and in-stream woody debris) and wildlife habitat. Restoration activities increased channel length by 5,045 feet (from 1.5 miles to 2.4 miles) increased sinuosity by 60 percent, and decreased channel slope by 40 percent. Resulting decreases in water velocities and increases in water depth significantly increased habitat for fish and other aquatic organisms.

As vegetation establishes, riparian corridor will provide overhanging vegetation, undercut banks, stream bank stability, reduced summer water temperatures, cover and shade for fish, and foraging and nesting habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife.

The revegetation portion of the original project was successful in establishing herbaceous plant cover in the form of grasses, sedges and rush. However, the establishment of a riparian shrub community has not been as successful. Many factors including vegetative competition, big game browsing, short growing season, rodent damage, and drought have slowed the establishment. Past plantings on the restored phases of the Red River have had lower than expected survival rates and slow establishment rates. Restoration of riparian shrub communities will take considerable time and effort to establish.

Current Contract Activity:

As of February 2005, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (Department) successfully assumed the sponsorship role in continuing this ongoing riparian restoration project on the Department's Red River Wildlife Management Area. This ongoing activity is now under Red River Operations and Maintenance project activities.  

The Department's goal is to restore the stream channel to a functioning system by establishing riparian shrub community. The need for higher planting densities and proper planting locations is necessary to assure successful establishment.

Utilizing a combination of new techniques, and retaining the most successful original techniques, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game proposes to annually plant a minimum of 10,000-20,000 native trees and shrub seedlings and maintain past successful riparian plantings. This project implementation will help protect the initial stream restoration effort and investment, increase the quality, quantity, and diversity of instream habitat, and increase fish and wildlife species diversity. Bioengineering features previously installed to stabilize highly erodible streambank areas require successful native riparian vegetation establishment to provide the long-term stabilizing force. Restoration of the meadow and riparian plant communities will enhance fish and wildlife habitat, stabilize streambanks, and reduce water temperatures. New sites will include vegetative plantings along small perennial streams entering Red River on the RRWMA property. The goal is to provide habitat connectivity and travel corridors from initial plantings into the adjacent forested areas.

The Department wants to protect the investments made on this project since 1993. Efforts have focused on reestablishing natural stream channel function and hydraulics to a stream reach with substantial historical human disturbance impact.  Work during 1994-2005 was structured to recover the stream reach sufficiently to fully withstand 100 year high water events and adequately withstand a 500-year event.  This is necessary in order to substantiate the bio-engineering and re-channelization work, and prevent the dissolution of the extensive project efforts to date.

A strong vegetative base will help fully anchor the reconnected and newly constructed stream channel on the project and providing a reduced risk of erosional and mass wasting failure. Technically, the original project is not complete until the vegetation component is successful based on the long-term survival of shrub plantings and measurable reduction in stream channel instability. The withdrawal of the original sponsor has provided an opportunity to reduce the general costs of this project and move it into O&M status.

The Department will manage and/or replant vegetation as necessary. Future plantings will be installed at locations and densities predetermined by the revegetation specifications, soil erosion potential of various stream reaches, and hydrologic requirements of individual plant species.

Browse abatement techniques were implemented in the last 2 planting seasons on the previous project. At that time the project manager for revegetation practices coordinated with current Sponsor (IDFG Biologist) to test several new browse abatement techniques including wire cages, electric fence and 5 ft. tree tubes.

Vegetation management options will include chemical scalping to reduce competitive vegetation around seedlings, along with noxious weed control to reduce competition for desirable vegetative establishment.

Irrigation will be applied during the 2nd planting season to improve survival of planted seedlings to ensure vigorous, healthy root systems that are able to provide some protection to constructed streambanks against spring flood flows.

This contract constitutes the last BPA funded year for this project.