The Wind River Watershed project is a collaborative effort to restore wild steelhead in the Wind River.  The four agencies working in this partnership include the US Forest Service (FS), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), U.S. Geological Survey Columbia River Research Lab (CRRL), and Underwood Conservation District (UCD).  The partnership was established in the early 1990's and with support from BPA, has continued to conduct important habitat, research, monitoring and coordination activities across the watershed.  The project works at multiple levels to identify and characterize key limiting habitat factors in the Wind River, to restore degraded habitats and watershed processes, to measure, track and document fish populations, life histories, and interactions, and to share information with all interested parties.

This FY2018 contract funds continued habitat restoration in Trout Creek, an important tributary to the Wind River. Work under this contract includes additional log and rock placement in the reach immediately upstream of the Hemlock Restoration site, and in a side channel that flows into the Hemlock reach. The intent of work under this contract is to add habitat complexity to the stream reach and side channels in the treated reach.  In 2016-17 we placed over 150 logs and trees in Lower Trout Creek and at the inlets to two side channels in that reach as part of the effort to re-activate side channels and restore floodplain function.  The work resulted in rewatering and enhancing flow to nearly one mile of side channel habitat on both sides of Trout Creek.  Under this contract we would continue with the same type of work, this time in the reach immediately downstream of the reach treated in 2016-17.  An abandoned side channel approximately 0.4 miles long will be re-established and watered by excavation of the channel inlet and alignment, and strategic placement of wood and rock in Trout Creek and the side channel.  In addition to the side channel work and large wood placement in and along the mainstem, this contract proposes replanting the riparian areas that were disturbed by previous restoration activities.  The USFS contract for FY2018 also includes continued operation of the Wind River Gage to support all of the habitat and monitoring efforts underway across the watershed.