This project was initiated on July 1, 1984 under the BPA contract and allows for initial landowner contacts, agreement development, project design, budgeting, and implementation for anadromous fish habitat improvement on privately owned lands within the John Day Basin.  

The purpose of the John Day Fish Habitat Enhancement Program is to enhance production of indigenous wild stocks of spring chinook and summer steelhead within the sub basin through habitat protection, enhancement and fish passage improvements.

In work period 3-1-2009 thru 2-29-2010 the fish habitat program will accomplish approximately 25.5 miles of riparian fence, 1532 acres and 25.45 miles of creeks protected, two planting projects and a M & E process on a few selected projects, coordination with 11 landowners (Kinzua Golf course, USFS, Darlene Moss, Ragsdale, Les Zaitz, Tom Norton, Bob Collins, Mark Simmons, Rod Johnson, John Habberstad, Jackie Johns, and George Meredith).  The 25.85 miles of stream protected is correct, because a few of the projects (Fields Peak Allotment, Squaw Creek and the Wall Creek/Simmons project) take in a large areas with other tributaries that are to be protected in addition to the main projects.  The actual number of stream miles protected is probably higher and ground truthing this summer will correct any missed judgments.   There will be constructed approximately 3.00 miles of riparian fence on 30 mile Creek/ Kinzua Golf property tributary to the Lower John Day River, 7.00 miles riparian fence on Fields Peak Allotment (Murderer's, Tex,  Lime, Lemon, Grapefruit, Dan and Orange Creek's) tributaries to the South fork John Day River, 0.50 miles on Darlene Moss's property on the South fork John Day River, 1.00 mile on Wall Creek/Ragsdale property tributary of the North Fork John Day River, 1.50 miles on Big Boulder Creek/ Les Zaitz property tributary of the Middle fork John Day River,  1.0 mile on Bear Creek/Norton property tributary of the Lower John Day River, 1.0 mile on Willow Creek/Collins property tributary of the Lower John Day River, 3.0 miles on Wall Creek/Simmons property tributary of the North Fork John Day River,  7.0 miles on Squaw Creek/Johnson property tributary of the North Fork John Day River, and 0.50 miles of fence on Cottonwood Creek/ Habberstad property.   There will be 2 planting projects on Fox Creek/Johns property and Beech Creek/Meredith property.  There will be approximately 45 gates and 20 watergaps constructed on the Ten project sites.  

Cost share money has been awarded to the fish habitat program through OWEB,  and distributed by the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District to help  put additional project money to "on the ground projects".  Cost share money has also been acquired in the past (Oregon Trout) and will be again when the chance is given. Also the cost share of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon and ISEMP and all the other entities within the M and E section of this contract description help to stretch funds in order to complete more projects. This acquiring of additional funds/cost share is how the program is able to protect many additional miles of salmonid stream habitat.

The monitoring and Evaluation part of the fish habitat program has been going through changes.  The current changes taking place are that the program is now working with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon (CTWSRO), NOAA personnel,  John Day/Lagrande fish research, Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Project (ISEMP) personnel, USFS, Grant Soil and Water Conservation District (GSWCD), and ODFW District personnel on specific M & E issues to better address Independent Scientific Review Panel (ISRP) concerns.  The current monitoring techniques are photopoints, habitat transects, flow measurements, water quality, vegetative plots, bank stability, macro invertebrate study, habitat/fish comparison, Pacific Inland Biological Opinion (PIBO) protocol, Environmental Monitoring Assessment Protocol (EMAP) mark recapture of juvenile salmonids, redd density within and outside enclosure fence projects.  There is money allocated for a crew to start collecting data this 2009 summer on yet to be determined site locations.  Another meeting is scheduled February 5, 2009 to select sites. The habitat data collection is on five sites that have been pre selected by starting with sites that are in the early stages (within a year) of riparian fence completion, four are to be completed in 2009  and one completed in 2008 work period.  A detailed outline of the Monitoring and Evaluation plan will be attached /distributed shortly after the February 5th meeting.  

Program personnel will talk with landowners where the projects have expired and see if they would like to resign a Cooperative Agreement for an additional 10-15 years.  On these renewal projects, which three have completed in the last two years total 17.6 miles of fence enrolled back into the fish habitat program.  In all three of these renewals the fence (90%) has been relocated to better improve the riparian area function, which also cuts down on maintenance costs (original fences were built close to the ordinary high water line) in the future.  To also cut down on maintenance costs in the future the program has rebuilt watergaps and gates (metal structures), to better withstand the pressures of livestock and high water.