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 "Lapwai Creek Ecological Restoration Strategy" document (2009) to direct efforts and resources toward the highest priority restoration projects and areas of the Lapwai Creek watershed. This restoration strategy is attached to this project in CBFish under contract 46784.

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.

Presence of steelhead within the Lapwai Creek watershed has been documented through the following work that has been conducted to various degrees since 2003: 1) the 2003-2006 BPA funded project to collect juvenile steelhead fish distribution and abundance data (this data set was the basis of the watershed restoration plan), 2) juvenile steelhead density monitoring conducted in 2010-2019 by University of Idaho, and 3) an adult PIT tag study conducted by the Nez Perce Tribe from 2010-2019. Based upon the adult data indicating that Mission Creek and Sweetwater Creek have similar numbers of adult fish, these tributaries will continue to be a priority for restoration. Instream habitat in mainstem Lapwai Creek will also be addressed.

SUMMARY OF FY25-26 CONTRACT:

The "Lapwai Creek Ecological Restoration Strategy" was the main reference for prioritizing implementation and developing the FY25-26 SOW.  Within this document the three highest priority reaches within the Lapwai Creek drainage were Upper Lapwai Creek, Lower Sweetwater Creek, and Lower Lapwai Creek.  

Implementation projects planned for the 2025-2026 SOW include the following:

2025 and 2026 work includes the continued expansion of inventory and treatment of invasive and noxious weeds for Lower Lapwai Creek, Lower and Upper Sweetwater Creek.  This includes inventory and treatment on up to 50 acres of riparian and 50 acres of upland in an effort to promote native species.  This effort looks to improve protective riparian plant cover and reduce sedimentation runoff due to poor soil holding conditions of invasive upland and riparian plant species.  This program will also target high priority Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) species in an effort to prevent expansion, thereby reducing treatment costs in the long run.
    
Instream Complexity -

Augmentation of Post Assisted Log Structure (PALS) project on Lapwai Creek - Tribal Allotment 3125.  This project falls within the Lapwai Creek reach identified in the Strategy for Ecological Restoration of Lapwai Creek Watershed document.  This area ranked third in priority. The PALS project is intended to improve instream habitat complexity and will provide additional benefits in a portion of Lapwai Creek that has experienced an increase in base water flows (an additional 4.5 cfs at 50 degrees) due to the 2017 Lewiston Orchards Water and Land Title Exchange Project. Using an adaptive management plan developed in 2023, the Protect and Restore Lapwai Creek will continue augmentation of PALS structures after fall and spring runoff events to further enhance effects gained from structures installed in 2022 and 2023.

Instream Complexity and Floodplain Restoration -

The Nez Perce Tribe DFRM Watershed Division, Lapwai Creek Watershed Project, in conjunction with the United States Army Corps of Engineers will produce designs and begin implementation on Lower Sweetwater Creek that will re-meander approximately 1.5 miles of stream with the goal of improving floodplain access, stream complexity, spawning and rearing habitat, riparian condition, and native plant species.  This project was identified and refined through the Sweetwater Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study that was finalized in April of 2024 under the USACE Tribal Partnership Program and authorized under Section 203 of the Water Resources Development Act.

Fish Passage-

The Nez Perce Tribe has partnered with a local private landowner to remove an agricultural ford, an aging and undersized bridge, and two sediment producing roads while installing a single AOP bridge that will pass all life stages of ESA listed Steelhead, reintroduced Spring Chinook and Coho Salmon, and all other resident aquatic organisms.  In addition, the ford will be restored to proper grade and substrate, and supplemental riparian planting will occur through the project reach.

Outreach and Education-

Education and outreach will continue to the general public, landowners within the watershed, fellow professionals, high school and college students, and especially elementary school students, e.g. the  "Steelhead in the Classroom" program for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. Potential Partners include the Cottonwood School District, Lewiston School District, Lapwai School District, United States Forest Service, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game.