Contract History:

Beginning in 2000, this project evolved from the 1996 Newsome Creek Haysfork Gloryhole Project (one of the original Clearwater Early Action projects).  This comprehensive restoration effort focuses on mitigating and restoring limiting factors to fisheries production.  The primary limiting factors are excessive sedimentation into the spawning and rearing areas of streams, and the lack of available habitat and habitat connectivity.  These limiting factors result from forest management activities, specifically road building (watershed has very high road densities), and mining.  

Completed contract work includes the completion of the Newsome Creek Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed Scale (EAWS), road condition surveys completed for the entire watershed (approximately 220 miles), 23 miles of road decommissioning, 19.5 miles of road improvement, culvert/stream crossing inventories completed for all high priority sites, replacement of the Mare Creek & Mule Creek culverts, Newsome Creek Channel Restoration Feasibility Study, the completed NEPA process for the Newsome Creek Watershed Restoration Project, and completion of the final design for the Newsome Creek channel reconstruction and restoration.  Implementation of the floodplain and channel restoration began in 2011 with Reaches 5 & 4 being completed.

This project has been, and is still currently a part of the Nez Perce National Forest - Nez Perce Tribe Watershed Restoration Partnership.  Since the project’s inception, we have shared project planning, costs, and implementation responsibilities.  


Summary of FY 2012 & FY 2013 Contract Implementation:
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
FY 2012 & FY 2013 contract implementation will include the implementation of the Newsome Creek Stream Restoration, Stream Reaches 3 & 2, respectively, as well as improving the structure and function of the Haysfork Gloryhole sediment pond.  A new NEPA effort focused on additional road decommissioning & improvement will occur in FY 2012, with subsequent implementation scheduled for FY 2014.  The associated project implementation/effectiveness monitoring and evaluation of the stream restoration and overall stream habitat, road decommissioning & improvement, and previously replaced culverts will be completed in order to determine the success of the ongoing watershed restoration efforts.