The Sheep Creek Restoration Project is located on Sheep Creek, a tributary of the upper Grande Ronde River. The project area includes 4.5 miles of the creek (RM 7.5 - 12.5)

Sheep Creek (Rosgen channel C and E), and its meadow habitats are not in proper functioning ecological condition (hydrologic, geomorphic, vegetative composition), due to historical anthropogenic influences including beaver trapping, overgrazing of sheep and cattle, logging, road building, and an altered fire regime resulting in dense and mid-story fir/pine conifer encroachment  on the edges of the meadows and streambank increasing competition for large tree regeneration and water loss through evaportranspiration.

Floodplain form and function:   The Sheep Creek floodplain has limited water capture and retention capacities due to past anthropogenic influences. These deficiencies have lowered ground water tables. This has resulted in lower riparian vegetation survival and vigor, a decreased ability for the floodplain to store water and buffer water temperature, less connection to the floodplain to moderate in-channel velocity, and lower quality salmon habitat.  Lack of floodplain form and function has resulted in a:

* decrease in groundwater storage and meadow/wetland habitats, resulting in drier site and mesic-site species encroachment. Drier habitats are less conducive to riparian deciduous woody vegetation species (Populus and Salix) that are important food and habitat for beaver populations

* potential increase of in-stream water temperatures from decrease in groundwater recharge, which can be problematic for salmonids

* increase of in-channel velocity where the channel has downcut, and doesn't spread water out onto the floodplain during high flows. The process of downcutting causes vertical erosion, which increases fine sediment levels and decreases habitat complexity

* decrease in the amount of of zero velocity habitat, which provide juvenile salmonids protection, temperature buffering, food sources and feeding areas, and resting areas.

Fish habitat complexity:   Sheep Creek's fish habitat complexity (cover, pool quality/quantity, zero velocity habitat, and spawning gravel recruitment) is limited.

* Channel incision and lack of instream woody material has affected the quantity and quality of spawning, rearing, and overwintering habitat in Sheep Creek.

The United States Forest Service in partnership with Trout Unlimited will design and implement the project. The overall goal of this project is to achieve proper ecological form and function of Sheep Creek and its meadows, and thereby restore spawning and rearing habitat for Snake River Basin Spring/Summer Chinook, Snake River Basin steelhead, and resident redband trout. The creek also includes bull trout critical habitat although they are not currently known to be in the creek.

The project team's restoration strategies include the placement of wood structures, and the reconstruction/realignment of an existing cattle exclosure fence. The wood structures will be placed to restore the hydraulic grade of the system and to reestablish the hydrologic connection to the historic floodplain. Wood structures will also be built with the objective of improving quantity and quality of fish habitat (fish cover, pool quality/quantity, and spawning gravel recruitment). Instream wood structure work will be implemented on 4 miles of stream. The cattle exclosure fencing (5.25 mi) will be built to protect a greater area of floodplain and riparian habitat.

Monitoring to measure the effectiveness of strategies used to achieve project objectives will include temperature monitoring (temperature probes, FLIR flights), habitat surveys, photo points, plant survival assessments, and aerial imagery (drone flights).