PLCI BPA CRB Umbrella Project FY21 Project Selection

The overarching goal of this project is to restore adult Pacific Lamprey upstream access to blocked high-quality habitats in the Lower Columbia region. This will be accomplished by inventorying and assessing potential barriers to lamprey, prioritizing sites for providing passage, and recommending passage solutions for high priority sites. These tasks will follow existing passage guidance documents and be conducted in collaboration with a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of restoration practitioners, regional habitat restoration programs, State and Federal biologists, and the Lamprey Technical Workgroup (LTW). The Lower Columbia River Watershed Council (LCRWC) will convene the TAC and coordinate with the LTW and local restoration groups. Key project outcomes will include (1) a comprehensive spatial database of potential barriers to lamprey in the region that will be shared with the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative (PLCI) and other stakeholders; (2) lists of identified barriers and sites that require further assessment, prioritized by upstream habitat potential; and (3) conceptual approaches for providing passage at high priority barriers that have been vetted for project feasibility by LCRWC in coordination with the TAC and local restoration organizations. An additional benefit is increased awareness of Pacific Lamprey passage and habitat requirements in the region that will encourage multi-species restoration.

The inventory will undergo initial screening to omit sites outside Pacific Lamprey predicted historical distribution, as well sites that are clearly not barriers. Remaining sites will be prioritized for evaluation based on upstream habitat potential, access constraints, and stakeholder input. The PLCI Regional Implementation Plan (Poirier 2019) will also inform prioritization.

The lack of habitat connectivity and access to lamprey habitat is a threat consistently documented across multiple HUCs in the Lower Columbia RMU. Several watershed areas have been highlighted in the Regional Implementation Plan (RIP) offering insight into sub-areas to focus on within the RMU. Road crossings that block lamprey passage are present throughout the RMU. These artificial barriers limit natural migration patterns for adult lamprey. Many of these structures also impact sediment and wood transport, impacting habitat quality for both larval and adult lamprey. Guidance documents completed offer a platform for field investigations to better understand not only condition of these barriers, but their constraints on broader stream and floodplain habitat forming processes. Project addresses these threats through the evaluation of structures blocking the greatest amount of lamprey habitat and developing passage solutions at high priority sites. A list of prioritized structures for modification and/or removal will be major outcome of this project. The list can be adopted by regional entities and local organization for future proposal development, design, and implementation.

Data can be accessed: https://databasin.org/maps/new/#datasets=a243fb1346ca4258b6388c5f7a90aee4