PROJECT/CONTRACT HISTORY:

Our mission is to work proactively within the region’s diverse landscapes to restore and protect the ecological processes of the Lapwai Creek watershed to the greatest extent possible.  We will work to rehabilitate habitat that will support healthy, self-sustaining fish populations and provide clean water for the benefit of all.  We will work within present challenges and opportunities toward achieving a balance whereby all communities can thrive for generations to come.

Hé-yey, Nez Perce for steelhead or rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), are a culturally and ecologically significant resource of the Lapwai Creek watershed and compose a portion of the federally listed Snake River Basin Steelhead distinct population segment (DPS).  The majority of the Lapwai Creek drainage is federally identified as critical habitat for this DPS while also providing habitat for the federally listed Snake River Nacó’x, or fall chinook (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), evolutionarily significant unit (ESU).  The Nez Perce Soil and Water Conservation District (District) and the Nez Perce Tribe Department of Fisheries Resources Management- Watershed (Tribe), in an effort to support the continued existence of these and other aquatic species, have developed the "Strategy for the Ecological Restoration of Lapwai Creek Watershed" document to direct efforts and resources toward the highest priority restoration projects and areas of the Lapwai Creek watershed.  The prioritization framework considered four aspects to determine the relative importance of performing restoration in a certain area: density of critical fish species, physical condition of the habitat, water quantity, and water quality.  It was established, through vigorous data analysis within these four areas, that the top three areas to pursue restoration within the Lapwai Creek watershed are Lapwai Creek from stream km 17-34, Sweetwater Creek from the mouth to km 13, and from the mouth of Lapwai Creek to km 17.

SUMMARY OF FY20 CONTRACT:

The "Strategy for the Ecological Restoration of Lapwai Creek Watershed," which was completed under the FY 07 contract, was the main reference for prioritizing implementation and developing the FY20 SOW.  Within this document the two highest priority reaches within the Lapwai Creek drainage were Upper Lapwai Creek and Lower Sweetwater Creek.  

Implementation projects planned for the 2020 SOW include the following:

A total of 7 sites, treating 23.85 acres.

o  Tribal Trust Unit 3123 Spring Creek Raceway- implementation of noxious weed control and maintenance of riparian planting on 1.0 acres.
o  Tribal Trust Unit 3123 Spring Creek Wetlands- implementation of noxious weed control on1.0 acres.
o  Tribal Trust Unit 3125 Fisheries Building -  implementation of noxious weed control and maintenance of riparian planting on 0.4 acres.
o  Tribal Allotment 365 - implementation of noxious weed control and maintenance of riparian plantings on 6.45 acres.
o  Tribal Allotment 419A - implementation of noxious weed control on 9.0 acres.
o  Lutes Wetland adjacent to Tribal Allotment 350 - implementation of noxious weed control and maintenance of plantings on 0.5 acres.
    
Instream Complexity - Implement Post Assisted Log Structure (PALS) project on Sweetwater Creek - Tribal Allotment 3125.  This project falls within the Lower Sweetwater Creek reach identified in the Strategy for Ecological Restoration of Lapwai Creek Watershed document.  This area ranked as the second highest priority for focusing restoration efforts.  That, coupled with the increase in base water flows (an additional 4.5 cfs at 50 degrees) due to the Water and Land Title Exchange Project, make this an ideal project in order to see a large return on our investment.

Floodplain Restoration - Sweetwater Creek Reach 3 - implementation of channel reconstruction, riparian/floodplain reconnection, and riparian planting in Lower Sweetwater Creek on 6.2 acres. Planning, design, and permitting for this project has been done in previous contracts. The majority of the implementation work in Reach 3 was completed in the fall 2019 construction season. Fall 2020 NPT will contract out revegetation of the site as well as creation of low flow channels that will connect two ponds to the main channel in Sweetwater Creek in order to prevent the possibility of stranding juvenile salmonids within the ponds.  This project also falls in the Lower Sweetwater reach that was identified as being the second highest priority area to focus restoration efforts in the Lapwai Creek drainage.

Planning and design for Lapwai Creek Reach 14A, implementation of a floodplain restoration project was completed in 2018 in the reach of Lapwai Creek.  Two high water events in the Spring of 2019 and Spring of 2020 have altered the newly constructed channel and a headcut and deep incision is present in much of the project area.  The is also possible seasonal fish passage issues in this reach that will be addressed with this planning and design work.  This section of Lapwai Creek has been identified as the highest priority reach in the Lapwai Creek drainage to focus restoration efforts.  This is an important reach for both steelhead spawning and juvenile rearing.

Outreach and Education-- Education and outreach will continue to the general public, fellow professionals, high school and college students, and especially elementary school students, e.g. the  "Steelhead in the Classroom" program for 6th graders. Partners include the Lapwai School District, Lewiston School District, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game.