Reconnect Kootenai River with Historic Floodplain (2002-008-00)
Contract Period: 5/1/2013 – 4/30/2014

Natural resources, including flora and fauna, have shaped the culture of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (Tribe) for thousands and thousands of years. The aboriginal territories of the Kootenai Tribal peoples (Ktunaxa) were far reaching with traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering activities extending into British Columbia, Western Montana, and all of North Idaho.

Many of the areas and resources traditionally used by the Tribe have been lost; anadromous salmonids no longer journey up the Upper Columbia River and its tributaries, and wapato no longer blooms on the drained wetlands. Even today, the Kootenai white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and burbot (Lota lota) struggle to exist in the Kootenai River.

It is the goal of the Tribe to promote full mitigation of the impacts suffered by the people of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and the fish, water, wildlife, and plant resources which they depended, as a direct and indirect result of the development and operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS). The Reconnect project is but one component of a suite of projects that are conserving, restoring, and managing various aspects of the lower Kootenai River ecosystem. No single activity is sufficient to recover and rebuild fish and wildlife species in the lower Kootenai River subbasin.

This project is tied strongly to the scientific principles of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program (NPPC 2009); ecosystem function and ecological management are keys to the directed project objectives. Moreover, this project framework aims to assess, characterize and address many of the limiting factors and objectives identified in the Kootenai Subbasin Plan (KTOI and MFWP 2004).

The primary goal of the Reconnect Project is to investigate and implement actions that enhance biological, terrestrial and aquatic habitats by reconnecting the Kootenai River with its historic floodplain. The Tribe addresses the loss of floodplain habitats, wetlands, stream channels, and riparian habitat, where restoration actions are currently associated with wildlife mitigation projects that focus on avian and terrestrial populations as well as aquatic species. The Reconnect Project is one component of a complex matrix of projects that are designed to assess, conserve, restore, and manage various aspects of the Kootenai River ecosystem, including the fundamental processes that are necessary for the production of all other ecological systems.

To date, the Reconnect Project has examined the feasibility of reconnecting floodplain habitats with the mainstem Kootenai River and determined it to be feasible and beneficial for the health of the ecosystem. Major project components completed include: the identification and initial feasibility of reconnecting six tributaries to the mainstem Kootenai River; collection and analysis of baseline productivity data in existing floodplain water bodies; the examination of several restoration alternatives for the Ball Creek Ranch site; the completion of Ball Creek reconnection design plans; and the identification of restoration areas for sturgeon refugia. Since 2002, the Project has distributed data to other Bonneville Power Administration (BPA)-funded projects within the Kootenai Subbasin and has provided a variety of data-sharing benefits. For example, the Tribe collected LiDAR data that was later utilized in other BPA-funded projects. In addition, various aspects of hydraulic and hydrologic models were co-created with other projects to simulate water surface elevations, velocities and hydraulic parameters to estimate the extent of floodplain inundation.

The Reconnect project plays a critical role in the assessment and restoration of ecosystem services and ecological functions within the subbasin. The Reconnect project also acts as the feasibility and restoration arm of the Kootenai River Operational Mitigation and Evaluation (BPA# 200201100), and Albeni Falls Wildlife Mitigation Projects (BPA# 199206105).

The proposed biological objectives for 2013 – 2014 include the following:
- Alternatives analysis assessment of Nimz Ranch floodplain restoration;
- Invasive species control treatments;
- Facilitate Reconnect Technical Review Team (TRT);
- Produce GIS-based prioritization tool framework ;
- Initial designs and specifications of Nimz Ranch floodplain restoration based on development of a project prioritization tool;
- Remove Channel Blockage (Earthen Plug) to Enhance Nimz Ranch Wetlands