Our project goal is to restore healthy and harvestable salmonid populations through rehabilitation of stream habitat and restoration of ecological function in the riparian corridors of streams within the boundaries of the Colville Confederated Tribes (CCT) Reservation and Traditional Territories. Land use practices including residential and agricultural development, road building and logging have degraded habitat conditions and blocked upstream passage throughout many of the watersheds where historic tribal fishing once occurred. In order to identify and prioritize the appropriate fixes, we inventoried approximately 70 miles of stream habitat in the Upper Columbia River Subbasin and over 80 miles in the Sanpoil River Subbasin to help understand the magnitude of causes of that degradation. With that assessment in hand, we plan to treat the root cause of the habitat degradation, rather than react to the symptoms which are observed at any one site. It is our intention to implement a restoration strategy that will restore and be consistent with the ecological processes described in the Upper Columbia Recovery Technical Team Biological Strategy and the process-based principles outlined in Beechie et al. (2010). To accomplish this, our implementation strategy will follow the basic hierarchical strategy outlined in Roni et al. (2002). This approach begins with an assessment and inventory of the habitat conditions and degradations. Where habitat is degraded, we will seek first to reconnect isolated habitats then restore processes such as riparian condition and floodplain function before implementing actions that build temporary habitat.  We have developed a habitat protection and restoration strategy using empirical observations of habitat conditions and the Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment model that includes a multi-criteria prioritization strategy. We will begin working toward implementation of actions identified in the plan, as well as complete and maintain restoration identified in previous years.

Habitat restoration actions implemented in 2019 will include the status, inventory, and maintenance of approximately 17.1 miles of existing riparian fence, maintenance of riparian plantings/rehabilitation, and restoring fish passage through barrier replacement and removal.

Passage Barriers:
Locations of culverts and other stream crossings reservation wide were initially inventoried by Duck Creek Associates, Inc. under contract with the CCT Environmental Trust Department. The stream crossings identified in this dataset that fell within the stream network used in the Ecosystem Diagnosis and Treatment model were prioritized for further data collection in order to attribute assessment criteria provided in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Fish Passage Barrier and Surface Water Diversion Screening Assessment and Prioritization Manual (WDFW 2009) and by the FishXing (Version 3) software program distributed by the United States Forest Service Aquatic Organism Passage program. Assessments of passage potential from these methods, in conjunction with the anticipated amount of habitat upstream of each crossing, were used to calculate an index of linear stream habitat lost due to impassible barrier conditions. Index scores were binned into five priority groups. Stream crossings within each priority group were then qualitatively assessed for feasibility, immediate benefit to the target resource and location in relationship to natural barriers. The stream crossings selected for replacement during FY2019 were selected from a candidate pool as having the greatest habitat gain, while occurring below natural barriers without anthropogenic barriers downstream that may require multiple years for partnership development and project planning.

We will replace four fish passage barriers in the Sanpoil River Subbasin (Iron Creek #2 and #3 on BIA Road 84, and Louie Creek #1 and #2 on BIA Road 83) in 2019 to provide access to a total of 7.15 miles of habitat. Designs for bridges at each site were completed in 2017. We will subcontract culvert removal and bridge installation at each site in 2019.

Fencing:
Over the last decade, fencing projects have been implemented to protect and restore riparian habitat along numerous streams in the Sanpoil River Subbasin. Successful protection and restoration of riparian habitat by fencing will only be successful if the fencing is regularly monitored and maintained. The project staff will monitor and maintain (repair) approximately 17.4 miles of existing riparian fencing along the following streams within the boundaries of the CCT Reservation:  Loony Creek (0.31 miles), Lost Creek (3.65 miles), Moses Creek (2.21 miles), Twentythreemile Creek (4.53 miles), North Nanamkin Creek (2.20 miles), Bridge Creek (0.52 miles), South Nanamkin Creek (0.93 miles), and Capoose Creek (3.04 miles). They will systematically inspect the entire length of fence; repairing it as they encounter damage. They will also revisit sections following storms.

Planting Maintenance:
Existing fencing units were also evaluated for response of the riparian community in 2017 and 2018. Fencing units containing areas which have not responded to livestock exclusion were planted with riparian vegetation in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. These areas include sections of the existing fencing units on North Nanamkin (13.0 acres), South Nanamkin (8.0 acres), Lost (5.0 acres), and Twentythreemile creeks (8.0 acres). In 2019, CCT staff will continue to maintain the plantings at these sites by controlling (mowing and spraying) non-native vegetation and watering plantings during dry months.