This contract supports and is part of the Wind River Watershed Project, initiated in 1998.  The project's focus is on restoration of Wind River steelhead.  In 1998, the National Marine Fisheries Service listed the steelhead of the lower Columbia river as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.  In 1997, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife rated the status of the Wind River summer run steelhead as critical.  Due to the status of this stock, the Wind River summer steelhead have the highest priority for recovery/restoration in the state of Washington's Lower Columbia Steelhead Conservation Initiative.  Project participants are the Underwood Conservation District, US Geological Survey, US Forest Service, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.  

This contract continues UCD support and participation in the project.  Underwood Conservation District will provide habitat restoration work in support of the recovery of the Wind River summer steelhead stock in 2012 and 2013.  The primary component of this project is the implementation of the Little Wind River Community Habitat Restoration Project. UCD will utilize BPA dollars to match other grant funds for this project, to be constructed in the summer of 2012.  This contract will include finalizing the environmental compliance and permitting for this project, finalizing the subcontract for construction, engineer oversight and inspection of the construction work, installation of large wood structures, excavation of pools, construction of riffles, glides and side channels, as well as pre- and post-construction monitoring.  This work will utilize our entire budget for FY12.  

Other work such as producing periodic (quarterly) status reports, the annual progress report, weeding, planting, stream temperature and vegetation monitoring, as well as managing and administering the project will be funded at the earliest date possible with FY13 funding (likely October 2012).