Catherine Creek State Park is located at RM 48.5-49.2 on Catherine Creek, tributary to the Grande Ronde River in Union County Oregon, within Catherine Creek Atlas Tier 1 BSR CCC3B1. The project reach supports all freshwater life stages of ESA listed spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead.  It is also a migration corridor for ESA listed bull trout.  Spawning and rearing of spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead annually occur in the project reach.

Habitat for all life stages of spring Chinook and summer steelhead is rated fair.  Riffles are prevalent and the substrate is gravel with few fines, but little cobble. The project reach lacks suitable pool area, undercut banks, large wood, and cobble substrate.  The historic channel has been blocked off by gravel upstream of the Park’s day use area.  The width to depth ratio is 22.8 and Catherine Creek is channelized throughout the reach. Limiting factors for salmon and steelhead in the project reach include a low abundance of pool habitat, a lack of LWD, floodplain condition, and water temperature.

Restoration funding will be used to increase habitat diversity and address limiting factors. A side channel and swale will be excavated to provide low velocity habitat, cover, and channel complexity.  Both will intersect an existing spring complex enhancing cool-water thermal refuge.  Large wood placements will occur to increase planform complexity, create and maintain scour pools, provide cover, increase deposition, rack wood, and form gravel bars.  Wood will also be used to activate side channels and reconnect floodplains.  Large boulders will be used to provide hydraulic complexity, encourage local scour, and brace large wood. Two gravel bars will be created to narrow the channel, provide planform complexity, facilitate lateral channel migration, and increase sinuosity.  Willows will be planted and interpretive signs will be developed.

Project partners include OPRD, GRMW and BPA.

Objectives:

*  Narrow mainstem Catherine Creek by 40% between RM 49 and 49.2
*  Increase low velocity rearing areas
*  Improve available spawning habitat by increasing gravel and cobble and decreasing fine sediments
*  Increase available pool habitat greater than 1 m deep
*  Increase off-channel salmonid rearing habitat
*  Decrease riffle habitat
*  Improve public education of the purpose and benefits of salmon habitat protection and restoration