The Middle Fork John Day Vinegar to Vincent Habitat Project is located on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (CTWS) Forrest Conservation Area between river miles (RM) 66.7 (adjacent to Davis Creek) and 65.5 (adjacent to Vincent Creek). Host to both summer steelhead and spring Chinook, the Middle Fork John Day River is considered critical habitat for juvenile and adult anadromous salmonids. However, over the past several decades both species have experienced notable declines in population abundance within this region. Mid-Columbia steelhead were listed as threatened in 2006, and Middle Fork Chinook salmon are expected to experience significantly low returns in in 2021, as a result of low outmigrants in 2017.

Throughout much of its recent history, the Middle Fork has been heavily impacted by anthropogenic activities. Situated in a valley bottom, this project area that extends from Vinegar Creek to Vincent Creek of the Middle Fork John Day was relocated to accommodate cattle grazing and haying, resulting in an immediate loss of sinuosity and fish habitat complexity. Over time, the channel became incised and over-widened, disconnecting the river from its surrounding floodplain and causing the water table to lower. Grazing has also resulted in the reduction and at times total loss of riparian vegetation. Less shading leaves the river exposed to high solar inputs causing water temperatures to rise and pushing salmon and trout to their upper thermal tolerances. Additionally, much of the Middle Fork was also developed for mining and timber transport. A historic railroad grade runs adjacent to the river for the entire length of this project area, intercepting flow between the river and its floodplain. In addition to former land management practices, predation by introduced sport fish has also contributed to the decline in salmonid numbers in the John Day River. While smallmouth bass have not been documented in this project reach, they have been observed just seven miles downstream. Their range is expected to expand with rising water temperatures as smallmouth are well-adapted to warm water environments.

Beginning in 2017, the John Day Partnership collaboratively analyzed the most current biological and physical habitat data in order to prioritize areas and actions for habitat restoration at the watershed level. Through these analyses the John Day Atlas Prioritization Framework was developed. This Atlas determined restoration priority areas as tier I, II, and III (I being the highest priority) and prioritized hundreds of restoration projects to implement within these areas during a period of twenty or more years.

The Vincent to Vinegar reach is located within the Middle Fork John Day Subwatershed which is the highest ranking Tier I Subwatershed in the John Day Watershed.  This project is one of the highest ranking restoration opportunities that was scoped and mapped within the Middle Fork John Day Subwatershed.  This project will address the highest priority limiting habitat factors, including temperature, flow, in-stream complexity, riparian condition, and floodplain connection to benefit the highest priority limiting life stages which include Chinook holding and summer rearing, and steelhead summer rearing.  

The Vinegar to Vincent Fish Habitat Improvement project aims to address the persistent legacy effects that have impacted the Middle Fork John Day River. Through the removal of the railroad grade, rerouting the channel, and reactivating historic side channels, the river will be reconnected to its historic floodplain. Groundwater storage will increase and provide cold-water inputs throughout the year. The introduction of large wood will create slow water refuge for both juvenile and adult Chinook and steelhead, and the installation of riffles will provide quality spawning habitat. An extensive planting effort, coupled with fencing to exclude both cattle and wildlife, will allow the riparian corridor to recover, shading the river and lowering water temperatures. By restoring this reach to a more natural condition, we will be improving habitat for not only all anadromous salmonids and life stages, but for lamprey, resident rainbow trout, bull trout, other native fish species, and freshwater mussels.

The long-term rehabilitation vision of CTWS for the Vinegar to Vincent reach of the Middle Fork of the John Day is to improve riverine related physical and ecological processes to achieve immediate and long-term benefits for salmonids at all life stages. The goal being to create a lotic ecosystem in balance with the natural episodic disturbance regime and capable of maintaining a diverse spatial mosaic of aquatic and terrestrial habitats within a healthy riverine corridor.

Project goals include:
1. Improve long term water temperature conditions for salmonids within the project reach;
2. Improve channel complexity including features that benefit all salmonid life stages;
3. Improve riparian corridor and floodplain vegetative diversity and health within project area;
4. Reconnect the MFJD river with its floodplain and expand quality floodplain habitat availability for salmonids within the project boundaries.

Specific objectives of these goals include:

GOAL 1 - Improve long term water temperature conditions for salmonids within the Vinegar to Vincent project reach
a. Thermal Loading –
i. No net increase in as-built base-flow main channel wetted surface area through decreasing width-to-depth (W/D).
ii. Provide long term decrease in base-flow water surface exposed to solar radiation through increased shading from native riparian plants.
b. Thermal Diversity –
i. Channel Sinuosity – Improve thermal diversity at baseflow conditions through improving hyporheic conductivity conditions and rates by increasing sinuosity of main channel alignment within site geomorphic constraints/conditions.
ii. Increased Water Table – Improve cool water supply and thermal diversity potential within project area by increasing water storage within floodplain area through increased annual and low flow water table elevation at completion of project.
iii. Bedload Sediment Retention – Improve thermal diversity at baseflow conditions by reducing average main channel shear stress resulting in reduction of bed armor, improved bedload sediment retention, channel bed diversity, and sediment storage to create dynamic depositional features with improved hyporheic conductivity.
iv. Connection to Cold Water Sources – Improve thermal diversity during base flow conditions by identifying and connecting main channel to cold water sources of hyporheic and/or groundwater sources including historic relic channels.

GOAL 2 - Improve channel complexity including features that benefit all salmonid life stages
c. LWM – Increase large wood material density within wetted channels of project reach within confines of geomorphic and physical context of project site.
d. Pools – Increase number of complex pools within the project area to approximately 20 per mile.
e. Side Channels – Increase and promote ephemeral and perennial side channels that include complex cover and perennial alcove features within the hydrogeomorphic conditions/constraints of the project area at project completion.
f. Bedload Retention/Sorting – Improve instream channel diversity within project reach through overall reduction of average in-channel shear stress and promoting shear stress reversal between high and low flow conditions within channel units at completion of project.
g. Alcoves – increase off-channel features such as alcove habitats with preferred depth, velocity, and cover for refuge and rearing of juvenile Chinook at the completion of the project.
h. Beaver – Establish channel conditions and floodplain health that promote beaver habitat within the project area.

GOAL 3 - Improve riparian corridor and floodplain vegetative diversity and health within project area
a. Floodplain Connectivity – Increase floodplain connectivity within the geomorphic confines of the project area. Activate the floodplain on an annual basis during the spring freshet at project completion.
b. Woody riparian vegetation – Re-establish native woody vegetation including dominant cottonwood, alder, and willows within the limitations of soil structure and hydrology within the project reach to increase shade on water surfaces.
c. Suspended Sediment Retention – Improve suspended sediment retention within the project area through improved extent, frequency, and duration of floodplain inundation during spring runoff conditions at completion of project.
d. Protect site from ungulate browse with 8-foot woven-wire fence to allow vegetation to fully develop.

GOAL 4 - Reconnect MFJD river with its floodplain and expand quality floodplain habitat availability for salmonids within project
a. Remove the historic railroad grade that blocks river access to the native floodplain to increase floodplain connectivity within the project reach at the completion of the project.
b. Construct a new channel network that allows floodplain interaction with river flows at a minimum of an annual basis during spring high flow conditions.

Limiting factors are described in the John Day River Watershed Restoration Strategy (CTWS, 2014). Middle Fork John Day Limiting factors Addressed (directly or indirectly) by goals:

Degraded Floodplain, addressed by goals 2, 3
Degraded channel, addressed by goals 2, 3
Altered Hydrology, addressed by goals 2, 3, 4
Altered sediment routing, addressed by goals 2, 3
Degraded Riparian Area, addressed by goals 2, 3
Degraded Water Quality (Temperature), addressed by goals 1, 2, 3

The limiting factors (and associated project goals) that have been identified by the John Day River Watershed Restoration Strategy and addressed in this SOW have contributed to the development of the John Day Atlas. The John Day Atlas provides the most current prioritization of restoration actions in the region, was developed collaboratively with 28 contributing organizations, and was developed for long term implementation and adaptive management.  

CCR-46346 (April 2022) will allocate an additional $800,000 for the completion of the final phase of the V to V project including funding the mitigation work on the DeWitt homestead roof and information kiosks. Funds are being added based on the actual subcontract costs incurred to date and the engineers estimate for the final implementation phase (updated engineering estimates and available bids have been added to the budget spreadsheet). The requested budget changes are necessary to complete the project per its original design as concepted in 2019. Since then, multiple extenuating factors have increased the expected cost of the project, including: increased fuel prices, supply chain issues, labor shortages, and inflation. The portion of the budget allocated to plantings, in addition to these factors, has increased as Tribes personnel have gained a clearer understanding of the size and scale of the planting effort needed to realize intended ecological outcomes.

Final project costs are anticipated to be $2,648,428 from BPA funds and an additional $919,201 covered by cost share for a total cost of $3,567,692. The increase budget transfer is due to CTWS freeing up the additional funds needed to meet the total estimated in 2020 at the onset of the project. There are no changes in the scope of restoration work on the V2V project. As part of the mitigation efforts agreed to in the MOA on this project all parties agreed to updating informational kiosks (including historical references and descriptions of the ecological benefits of this project) and to repairing the roof on the DeWitt homestead (under consideration for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places). The budget estimate for the kiosks has been updated to cover anticipated bids and a new WE has been added for the construction work needed on the DeWitt homestead roof. Once these competitive bids are received the budget spreadsheet will be updated.