This Hangman Initiative continues Hangman Watershed restoration actions focused on reestablishing watershed functions that support a robust redband trout fishery as an interim to achieving Hangman’s potential to support the anadromous runs of steelhead and chinook salmon as is evidenced by Tribal history and the February 2019 UCUT report on reintroducing salmon into the Blocked Area. This Scope of Work organizes implementation according to a tiered prioritization process, which recognizes that issues affecting in-stream habitats are watershed wide and restoring in-stream habitats depends on a watershed scale restoration approach if improvements to in-stream habitats are to last for any substantive duration. The tiered process identifies 4 Priority Areas, all of which are important, however a decreasing level of attention and effort is needed to ensure long term increases in salmonid habitats. Priority 1 Areas include the upper elevational stream reaches and associated landscapes that support current redband populations. These reaches encompass the best salmonid habitats in the Hangman Watershed and work in this highest priority is intended to secure and expand extant redband populations by maximizing in-stream salmonid habitats and adjacent stream supporting habitats. Given the small numbers of fish in these isolated populations and the increasing threat of climate change, extirpation of any or all of these groups is a continued threat and saving and expanding these populations is of highest priority. Priority 2 Areas are the stream reaches and the associated valley bottom habitats that, when restored, will allow the isolated, headwater, redband populations to merge into a single, more pervasive, stable population. Priority Area 3 habitats are valley bottom habitats downstream of Priority 2 Areas and Hangman Tributaries that supported salmonid populations prior to the landscape disturbances of the 20th century. Work in Priority 3 Areas is intended to expand the redband habitats to beyond the confines of Priority 1 and 2 Areas. Priority 4 Areas are the uplands within the Hangman Watershed that can potentially capture precipitation and hold it as soil and subsoil moisture until it’s release as summer/fall low flows. This Scope of Work does not include any restoration actions in Priority Area 4 habitats, however, coordination with managers of these uplands is included to provide technical advice and support for watershed restoration efforts that reestablished the annual cycle of capturing wet season precipitation and releasing that captured moisture as dry season stream flows.
Project Management work elements include reporting, coordination, and ensuring the completion of assessments that are critical in defining future restoration strategies with Work Elements A: 119 through F: 115). The coordination work elements listed in this portion of the Scope of Work double as the work elements for improving habitats in the Priority 4 uplands.

Priority 1 Area work elements are focused on completing stream assessments in areas where data is needed, ensuring full redband access to suitable habitats through culvert replacement, installing woody material in select locations to ensure a diversity of stream habitats such as pools and riffles, providing spawning gravels where needed, improving overstory and stream side vegetation, examining road densities and working with upland managers to maximize the contributions to salmonid habitats from upland habitats. This work in encompassed in Work Elements G: 115 through Work Element O: 47.

Priority 2 Area work elements are focused on continuing the restoration of the Hangman Mainstem from the lower reaches of reaches restored over the last 10 years. That previous restoration ends as Hangman flows around the north side of Nehchen Butte and through properties T1030 and A342. This Scope of Work includes completing the majority of the restoration of Hangman for the 1.5-mile reach through T1030 and A342 with Work Elements P: 100 through Work Element R: 30. Priority 2 Work Elements include producing a conceptual design for the Hangman Creek and Valley Bottom through and beyond the extent of the currently identified Priority 2 Area of the Hangman Mainstem (Work Elements T: 175 and U: 175). Work Elements include work to expand floodplain restoration through native vegetation establishment and maintenance, completion of the Upland for Floodplain easement exchange, completing additional acquisitions, producing plans for specific Project Sites, and conducting water temperature monitoring to inform stream restoration strategies (WE V: 47 through WE AC: 162).

Project expansion further into Priority 3 Areas include continuing the search for new project sites and completing plantings on specific Priority Area 3 Project Sites, producing a management plan for a Project Site, searching for willing partners, and possibly acquiring properties critical to Project expansion. (WE AD: 174 through WE AG: 172).

This tiered process recognizes that salmonid habitats form as a result of watershed processes that are influenced by regional climate and management actions. Work Elements were chosen to improve rates of native habitat restoration and salmonid expansion in the Hangman Watershed.