The focus of this contract is to support the Wenatchee portion of the Wenatchee-Enitat Beaver-Powered Restoration project. Work will involve the identification of sites in key reaches of priority Assessment Units in the Upper Wenatchee subbasin for the installation of beaver dam analogs (BDAs) / small wood to improve instream habitat complexity. Many reaches within the Upper Wenatchee subbasin are within high priority AUs as they support important habitat for multiple life stages of both priority species spring chinook and steelhead. We propose, over the course of a one-year period, to install 30-40 BDAs within a priority Upper Wenatchee AU. TU along with BPA and UCSRB will work in coordination to identify and select a BDA site that takes into consideration the sophisticated prioritization framework developed by the UC RTT. This framework, outlined in the UC RTT Biological Strategy, will guide the identification and selection of the BDA site to address high priority limiting factors/ecological concerns within a high priority assessment unit.

Proposed project activities will occur at a multi-reach scale and address several high priority limiting factors and life stages for the priority focal species. Survival at all life stages will be enhanced through habitat creation, water quantity/quality improvement, and increased habitat access. Through this technique we will restore and conserve important natural stream and habitat processes, such as pool quality and quantity, floodplain reconnection, late season flow and wildfire resiliency.

By increasing habitat complexity along a 0.5 mile of stream the construction of BDAs will establish 5-10 pools, increase wetted width by 50% and further address limiting factors/ecological concerns such as summer base flow through the retention surface water, storage of ground water, and elevation of water tables (Naiman, Johnston and Kelley, 1988).  By enhancing base flows the project will improve rearing and migratory conditions for juvenile and adult Spring Chinook, Summer Chinook, Bull Trout, Steelhead, and other salmonids.

Supplemental Information on BDAs:

BDA/ small wood installation will address the limiting factors of off-channel- floodplain and off-channel- side-channels by increasing the stage to aggrade incised streams, reconnection of streams with floodplains, and create critical off-channel habitat (Bouwes, et al., 2016). This off-channel refugia is used by rearing juveniles of many species and provides protection to juveniles and developing eggs from large peak flow events that historically occurred during the spring snowmelt but are occurring with greater frequency during the winter as more precipitation falls as rain instead of snow. Beavers and BDAs will recruit woody debris to the stream system, therefore addressing the cover-wood and habitat complexity limiting factor and providing cover for rearing juveniles and migrating adults (Orr, et al., 2020).  Beaver ponds support habitat for salmonids and other aquatic/terrestrial species including macroinvertebrates that serve as an important food source for juveniles (and adults of some species) (Pollock et al., 2004). These ponds also support important rearing habitat for salmonids (Pollock et al., 2004).