The UPA Wenatchee Subbasin Riparian Enhancement Programmatic projects will be located in the Wenatchee subbasin and will benefit Upper Columbia steelhead, spring Chinook and bull trout.  The Chelan County Natural Resource Department (CCNRD) is proposing riparian enhancement projects to recover watershed processes and functions associated with native plant communities.

The ISRP comments for the proposal include:
This project will construct up to 1,000 feet of livestock exclusion fence and plant up to 2.14 acres of native riparian vegetation in the Wenatchee subbasin. Two sites have been selected: a farm on the lower reaches of Icicle Creek, and the Wenatchee River at the Leavenworth golf course. Other potential sites are identified, but landowner agreements have not yet been finalized. The technical background describes the need to restore damaged streambanks and riparian zones in the subbasin. It is not clear whether the sites selected represent high priority areas based on an analysis of riparian condition, or were selected because the landowner was willing to cooperate with a restoration project. A general list of species that might occur at the sites is given, but no site-specific fish data were presented nor were there any statements of what life history stages would benefit from riparian fencing and planting at the areas in question, or how long it might take to realize the benefits of the riparian plantings. The fencing objective is well grounded in concept and is not very expensive. The riparian restoration part of the proposal was not adequately justified at the sites in question; specific benefits to fish populations in those areas were not described. The option of passive restoration – allowing riparian vegetation to re-grow naturally – was not considered as a lower cost option. Actively managing the riparian plant communities through planting, watering, and weeding is expensive and time-consuming, and this activity commands a major part of the budget proposal. It might be possible to achieve similar benefits without much of the expense by allowing for natural vegetation recovery. At the very least, it ought to be possible to actively manage part of the area and allow the other part to recover naturally - this would create an interesting management experiment. The ISRP believes funding to complete the landowner agreements is warranted, and further funding can be justified for planning the projects once agreements are finalized. The sponsors note that additional projects will be pursued in the future using a proposal for each project.

To address the ISRP comments: the specific projects that were identified in the proposal were completed with other funding sources. Those projects were identified by an analysis of high priority areas and landowner willingness. A different riparian project, the Irwin Riparian project, was identified on the lower Wenatchee River and is scheduled for construction in 2008. Other riparian projects will be identified for implementation in 2009. The Irwin Riparian project was identified as a high priority area based on a Riparian Assessment of riparian conditions in the Wenatchee subbasin. Landowner willingness was secondary, but an essential component of the project. A landowner willingness form has been signed by Shirley Irwin for the Irwin Riparian project. Fencing is not needed at the Irwin Riparian site since there are no livestock, however beaver protection and deer protection will be used. Specific fish species and life history stages at the Irwin Riparian site in the lower Wenatchee River include: Upper Columbia steelhead, spring Chinook and bull trout. Steelhead adults migrate, overwinter and spawn in the area. Juvenile steelhead reside and outmigrate through the area. Spring Chinook adults migrate and juveniles outmigrate through the area. Bull trout adults migrate through the area.  Most riparian planting projects take at least 5 to 10 years to realize the benefits of riparian plantings, including bank stabilization, shading and leaf input into the stream. Passive restoration was considered but not pursued at this site for several reasons. In North Central Washington, summer temperatures can reach over 100 degrees F for weeks on end with little or no precipitation. Active plantings with irrigation are the best way to establish and maintain a functioning riparian zone.  

The list below indicates the approximate amount of river miles that could be restored through riparian enhancement projects along the lower Wenatchee River as well as Icicle, Nason and Peshastin creeks (from proposal).

Icicle Creek
RM RM Feet Restored Miles Restored
0.00 2.86 3500’ 0.66
3.67 3.85 1000’ 0.19
4500’ 0.85

Lower Wenatchee River
RM RM Feet Restored Miles Restored
25.26 26.5 500’ 0.09
500’ 0.09

Nason Creek
RM RM Feet Restored Miles Restored
0.00 0.25 1320’ 0.25
1.62 1.86 80’ 0.01
2.11 2.36 1320’ 0.25
2720’ 0.51

Peshastin Creek
RM RM Feet Restored Miles Restored
0.00 0.93 2640’ 0.5
1.12 1.31 1003’ 0.19
3643 0.69