Project background: Roaring Creek is a right-bank tributary to the lower entiat river, entering at rm 6.1 near the town of Farris, Washington. Restoration actions will be focused within river miles 1.4 – 2.8 of the creek. The project area lies entirely with united states forest service (USFS) land and is accessed by USFS road 110. The historical floodplain, which ranges from 40 to 300 feet, generally defines the lateral extents of the project area.
Implementation partners include the USFS (landowner, design and implementation funder), the WA Recreation and Conservation Office (implementation funder), and rock island habitat conservation plan tributary committee (implementation funder), and design funding and partial monitoring funding provided by the WA Department of Ecology Streamflow Restoration Grant Program.

[describe watershed geography/characterization: The treatment reach has been divided into three sub-reaches (“upstream”, “middle”, and “downstream”) to account for the geomorphic differences within the project area. The upstream and downstream sub-reaches have wider valley bottoms whereas the middle reach is more naturally confined by hillslopes and related deposits. The upper and lower sub-reaches have historical floodplains averaging 180 feet in width and greater than 10 times the bankfull width. Floodplains in the middle reach are generally less than 80 feet except for localized pocket floodplain areas that expand out to 150 feet.
The project vision is to restore a 1.4 mile reach of Roaring Creek through full floodplain reconnection for targeted fish species benefits, sustained ecological uplift, benefit to streamflow, and implementation of the most cost-effective methods to achieve these objectives.
Project prioritization: [provide summary of prioritization efforts and project ranking - outline assessments and planning documents utilized to identify and select project, basin wide limiting life stages and factors, how this project was determined to be a priority, and the target species life stages and limiting factors to be addressed. Link restoration actions to goals and objectives and target species limiting factors.] Roaring Creek is identified as a priority for steelhead restoration and protection by the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery (UCSRB, 2021). The reach has a documented spawning use in USFS and WDFW redd surveys and is categorized as a high priority assessment unit (AU) for adult migration, spawning, fry colonization, and summer rearing. The project area spans Roaring Creek entiat reaches 02 & 03. Low summer base flows are listed as an unacceptable limiting factor. Channel modification, instream enhancement, and upland management are identified as action categories. During review of the prioritization, it was noted that the reach designation did not fully capture the large degree of unconfinement that exists on the site. Based on review of published fish use timing in nearby tributaries (Inter-Fluve and Yakama Nation, 2018), adult migration of steelhead primarily occurs from December – February with spawning following in the later winter-early summer and fry emergence within the summer. Potential rearing use is distributed throughout the year. Redd surveys were completed around 2010 (wdfw) and in 2025 by Hinchinbrook Inc. These surveys confirms sustained steelhead adult presence below, within and upstream of the treatment reaches.
Figure 2: project overview map.


In 2024-2025 the USFS, Cascadia Conservation District, and the UCSRB & Regional Technical Team collaboratively analyzed the most current biological and physical habitat data to prioritize areas and actions for habitat enhancement at the watershed level. The UCSRB prioritization framework determined Tier I, II, and III priority areas and prioritized potential restoration projects within the Upper Columbia Basin, Entiat Watershed sub-basin (including Roaring Creek). The prioritization framework and results can be found at https://prioritization.ucsrb.org/. The Roaring Creek treatment reaches 02 and 03 are located within the Roaring Creek assessment unit (AU) subwatershed which is “medium” ranking Tier II ranking for steelhead restoration. The Roaring Creek floodplain reconnection project ranked as the [relative opportunity ranking] ranking restoration opportunity within the [subwatershed] subwatershed.  The Roaring Creek floodplain reconnection project will address high priority limiting habitat factors as defined by the prioritization framework, including steelhead to benefit the limiting life stages for adult migration, spawning, fry colonization, and summer rearing by implementing floodplain reconnection actions. Implementation will result in treatment of approximately 1.4 miles of stream treated and at least 10 acres of floodplain reconnected (full design metrics still be finalized).

Project design:
[design criteria and other relevant findings from the feasibility stage: The conceptual design stage identified the need to significantly increase floodplain connectivity and address stream bed incision with respect to the surrounding floodplain elevation. To accomplish this goal three alternatives were proposed: 1. Low tech process based restoration only, 2. Wood enhancement and targeted floodplain grading, and 3. Stage 0 & targeted landslide simulation. The design is being funded is WA Department of Ecology WRSRP-2022-casccd-00188 and USFS contract 23-PA-11061700-022.

The summary environmental compliance status efforts to date include: The USFS has assumed lead federal agency role for cultural resources, Section 106, and have issued Cascadia CD an inventory permit to conduct the archeological field survey. The cultural resources survey is nearly complete and will be submitted winter 2025-26 for USFS consultation requirements, final review, and registry. The USFS has requested Cascadia CD to review of the completed NEPA Mad Roaring Mills Landscape Restoration Project (July 2023), to confirm that the recent Lower Sugarloaf Fire of 2025, has not created any significant departure in purpose or need for this subject project that is named in the NEPA decision. The Section 7 permitting process has not begun. The NEPA document references the BiOps/ARBO II and others, USFS RGP-8, USFS-WDFW MOU 2012, and USFS BMPs 2012.

Project construction: [summarize construction schedule and project phasing]
- Phase I design through 30% (completing fall 2025)
- Phase II design 30-80%, begin fall 2025
-  80% design (permit-ready): October 2026
- Did for implementation: Fall 2026
- Final design: January 2026
- Project implementation: summer 2027
- Project monitoring, maintenance, and AM begin fall 2027

Cascadia CD contracted with Lichen Land & Water to complete the Phase I and Phase II design process. Phase I design is nearing completion and the design team is collecting final review and feedback as it begins Phase II design. Upon completion of the permit-ready design in the fall of 2026, Cascadia CD will begin the bidding process for the implementation/construction phase of the project. The implementation phase will include engineering and project management oversight responsibilities for the project’s construction phases with direct involvement of Cascadia CD staff at all phases and aspects of the project. Cascadia CD and the USFS are researching opportunities for cost-effective (ideally combining available in-situ/local/regional) material sourcing of woody materials for the project’s implementation (inclusive of recent 2025 fire’s salvage timber). The project parcel has ample areas for staging and these staging areas are being refined with each consequent iteration of the design.