Project/Contract History:

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT) Department of Fisheries Resource Management (DFRM)- Watershed Division and the Nez Perce National Forest (NPNF) have been working cooperatively in the area of watershed restoration since 1997.  In 2007, the first year of this project, the NPT and NPNF worked collaboratively to complete stream crossing assessments and the associated culvert replacement prioritization in the Little Slate Creek Subwatershed.  In 2008, the NPT and NPNF will work collaboratively to complete stream crossing assessments and the associated culvert replacement prioritization in the Mainstem Slate Creek Watershed.

FY 08 Implementation Summary:

Fish passage and habitat connectivity have been identified as one of the prime limiting factors within the Salmon River Subbasin (Salmon Subbasin Management Plan, Ecovista 2004b).  This contract will enhance habitat connectivity and fish passage by completing the following tasks:

1)  Survey stream crossings in the Mainstem Slate Creek Watershed.  There are approximately  86 culverts in the Mainstem Slate Creek, excluding those 68 culverts identified in the Little Slate Subwatershed report of FY 07.  Of these, all 2nd order and greater streams, and low-gradient (i.e., <10%) 1st order streams as time allows, will be surveyed.  Culverts will be inventoried using the National Inventory and Assessment Procedure For Identifying Barriers to Aquatic Organism Passage at Road-Stream Crossings (USFS 2005).  This protocol takes into account several variables associated with the culverts, including stream crossing type, culvert skew angle, diversion potential, flood prone channel width, fill slope length and height, calculated 100-year flows, drainage area, and risk of failures up and down stream.  

2)  Produce a document, the Mainstem Slate Creek Fish Passage Assessment, to report findings from the Mainstem Slate Creek culvert survey and include prioritization of culverts/stream crossings based on FY 08 field work.

3)  Using the FY 07 Little Slate Subwatershed and the FY 08 Mainstem Slate Creek Fish Passage Assessment reports, a combined prioritization of all fish barrier culvert replacements in the watershed project area will be completed.  This prioritization will be used to determine initial culvert replacement projects to be designed in FY 08, FY 09, and consecutive years as future funding permits.  On-the-ground implementation for culvert upgrade/removal is scheduled beginning in FY 2009.