The Middle Upper Grande Ronde River Canyon Fish Habitat Enhancement Project is located in the Upper Grande Ronde Subbasin along the Grande Ronde River between RM 156 and RM 158. The Project reach is located on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest within the Upper Grande Ronde River Atlas Biological Significant Reach UGR15. The Project area presents a large-scale and significant opportunity to expand, create, and enhance core spawning and rearing habitat for ESA listed spring-summer Chinook salmon and summer steelhead.

The Project is a continuation of habitat restoration actions previously conducted by the US Forest Service (primarily large wood additions). Strategies include: 1) identifying and prioritizing response reaches within project area for improved floodplain connection and side channel habitat creation; 2) Utilizing apex Engineered Log Jams (ELJs) to force split channel flow and increase habitat complexity and diversity, particularly in areas identified under strategy #1; and 3) Installation of channel spanning wood structures to increase depth and pool habitat  and decrease velocity to mimic onsite examples exhibiting these key habitat conditions (e.g, ELJ’s, natural wood, and beaver dams). Proposed large wood additions include previous and existing large wood sites as well as locations with potential for achieving depth, velocity, and floodplain/peripheral habitat connectivity objectives. Additionally, boulders will be placed within ELJs as ballast and structural support. Gravel augmentation and additional large wood installation will be evaluated in conjunction with future project phases (phases II-III) along an 8 mile planning reach.

Phase 1 of the project was constructed during summer 2019.  Due to an issue associated with Section 106 permitting, the project was constructed by helicopter only, limiting sponsors ability to key in structures and install boulder ballast for structural stability as designed using ground based construction equipment.  Following construction in July 2019, project sponsors installed pins and rope selected Type A wood structures to increase and maintain structural stability.  Installation of boulder ballast under this proposal will help increase structural stability contributes towards meeting core project objectives and minimizing the risk of downstream migration of large wood material.

Approximately 270-300 boulders will be placed by helicopter as structural ballast within previously constructed Phase I engineered log jams (ELJ). An average of 5 boulders will be placed within each of the 54 ELJ at strategic locations to decrease the opportunity that logs will become buoyant or shift from original placed location, and increase the structural integrity of the ELJ to withstand river forces during high water spring runoff. Additional details of boulder placement design are included in Uploaded Documents.

Subcontractor(s) will be responsible for transporting boulders to Dry Beaver staging area/ helicopter landing zone, drilling holes through boulders for cable choker attachments, and traffic control along FS 51 road during the week of boulder placement by helicopter.