The Lower Clearwater and Potlatch Watersheds Habitat Improvement project is intended to implement habitat restoration activities in the Potlatch River Basin as identified in The Accord. The 377,776-acre Potlatch River watershed is located in north-central Idaho and is the largest tributary in the lower Clearwater River. The Potlatch River is critical to wild Snake River steelhead. This project seeks to restore wild Snake River Steelhead to a robust, self-sustaining population within the Potlatch River through coordinated implementation of best management practices on private and public timberlands, agricultural and range lands, coordination of interagency watershed planning efforts, and continuation of watershed monitoring and evaluation. This proposal is consistent with the NWPCC Fish and Wildlife Program’s goal to develop habitat-based programs designed to rebuild healthy, naturally producing fish and wildlife populations by protecting, mitigating, and restoring habitats. This project is consistent with the objectives and strategies of the Clearwater Subbasin Management Plan.

The ESA Recovery Plan for Snake River Idaho Spring/Summer Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Populations delineates factors limiting steelhead production in the Potlatch River watershed including water temperature, instream flow, flow timing, sediment supply, floodplain connectivity, riparian vegetation, habitat complexity, and migration barriers (NMFS 2017, Ch 6, pg. 46).  Guidance to address these limiting factors includes restoring hydrologic and channel-forming processes to retain surface flow and reconnect floodplains, addressing channel incision, reestablishing riparian vegetation, improving large woody debris recruitment, and eliminating artificial fish migration barriers (NMFS 2017).  

This project is intended to implement the Potlatch River Watershed Management Plan - 2019 Amendment (Potlatch Plan). The Potlatch Plan has identified and prioritized limiting factors and restoration strategies critical to steelhead spawning and rearing within each subwatershed. Tier 1 priority tributaries for restoration work include: East Fork Potlatch River, Big Bear Creek (including Little Bear Creek), and Corral Creek. Projects will address limiting factors including migration barriers, instream habitat complexity, stream temperature, sediment loads, low summer base flows, and high spring runoff conditions. Implementation efforts to address these limiting factors will include but are not limited to repair, removal or replacement of old culverts and bridges, reconnecting streams with their floodplain, installation of large woody debris and other instream habitat structures, installation of erosion/sediment control structures, riparian planting, livestock exclusion fencing, off-site water development, and protection of riparian and floodplain areas through easements or direct purchase.

Consistent with the ecological goal as stated in the NWPCC Columbia River Basin 2020 Addendum, “Contribute to providing environmental conditions and processes that support the ecosystem functions necessary to restore healthy, self-sustaining, and harvestable populations of native anadromous and resident fish” (pg. 23), the Latah Soil and Water Conservation District’ (Latah SWCD) long-term approach to habitat restoration on private, state and federal lands focuses on process-based restoration strategies to build resilient natural systems. These strategies may require 5-10 years of annual monitoring to diminish potential threats (e.g., open range livestock) to the investments made by landowners, public land managers, Latah SWCD and affected funding agencies. The level of “protective maintenance” to protect these restoration investments will take place over a minimum of 10 years at diminishing maintenance levels as the restoration sites mature and the annual maintenance reviews and related actions increase site resilience and minimize the on-going threats. Within the 2017 Potlatch River Watershed Assessment and Total Maximum Daily Loads/Temperature TMDL, the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality "believes 10 -20 years may be a reasonable amount of time for achieving water quality standards" related to temperature.  

The Latah SWCD’s approach to large-scale restoration projects is to remain active with the affected landowners and public land managers until such time all parties believe the restoration sites have stabilized.  This approach increases the chance of long-term success with respect to landscape-scale habitat investments but does not lend itself to definitive short-term timelines often associated with year-to-year grant funding.  This will remain a challenge for all parties as implementation entities seek to alter the landscape in a way that creates long-term benefits related to steelhead recovery and broader watershed health throughout the Potlatch River system.

This current contract covers 2025-2026 actions by Latah Soil and Water Conservation District (Latah SWCD) for the Lower Clearwater and Potlatch Watersheds Habitat Improvement project.  

Latah SWCD planning and restoration actions in this contract include the following elements:

•    On-going effort to maintain the infrastructure required of Latah SWCD to directly implement conservation practices throughout the Potlatch River watershed. These on-going expenses include, but are not limited to, employment of administrative and planning staff, employment of seasonal field crews, purchase/maintenance of field supplies/equipment, lease of storage facilities, and vehicle expenses needed to transport ~ 12 – 15 individuals that work at varying degrees on steelhead habitat restoration efforts throughout the Potlatch River.  This effort is summarized within WE 119.

•    Continue developing engineering designs for two culvert replacement projects within the Little Bear watershed.  One project is on a public road and the other is a private roadway. These efforts are summarized within WEs 175 (Felton Creek Culvert Design, Big Meadow Creek Culvert Design).

•    Provide construction oversight to replace two undersized and deteriorating side by side culverts with a bridge on Big Meadow Creek to improve fish passage. This effort is summarized in WE 184.

•    Revegetate disturbed areas following culvert removal and new bridge construction on Big Meadow Creek (summarized in WE 47).

•    Continue riparian plantings and vegetation maintenance along the East Fork Potlatch River downstream of Jackson Creek (IDL managed lands), at the Corral Creek West Meadow Extension restoration project (private and IDL managed lands), and Fry Creek Meadow restoration project (IDL managed lands). These effort is summarized under WEs 198.

•    Inspect and repair exclusion fencing at multiple sites to protect previously installed meadow restoration projects throughout the Potlatch River system from damage due to open range livestock to the degree funding allows. This effort is summarized in WE 186.

•   Produce restoration designs for a habitat restoration project on Little Boulder Creek. This efforts is summarized under WE 175 Little Boulder Creek Low-Tech Process Based Restoration Design.

•  Continue the contract relationship with USGS to operate the stream gage at the mouth of the Potlatch River. This effort is summarized in WE 157.