OKANOGAN RIVER AQUATIC, RIPARIAN AND SHRUBSTEPPE HABITAT ACQUISITION

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OKANOGAN RIVER AQUATIC, RIPARIAN AND SHRUB-STEPPE
HABITAT ACQUISITION

• Proposed by
• Stewardship Partners and
• Central Washington University

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Shrub-steppe, Riparian and Aquatic Habitat
Acquisition
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PROJECT PURPOSE
To protect and restore existing high quality
riparian, floodplain, and adjacent upland
shrub-steppe, and preserve important spawning,
rearing and holding habitat in the Okanogan River
through property acquisition and development of
long term research partnerships
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PROJECT OBJECTIVES

• Acquire 1,671 Acres Along 6.2 Miles of the
  Okanogan River
  
• Inventory and Monitor Water Quality, Biota and
  Habitat to Characterize Habitat Values and
  Linkages
• Preserve Priority Habitats and Restore Where
  Needed in Short Term
• Enhance Functions of Existing Habitat in Long
  Term
• Develop Field Research and Education Center
• Guide with Local Support and Advisory Council

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The Sub-Basin
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Project Area within Sub-basin
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MAJOR BENEFITS

• Spawning and Rearing Habitat
• Intact Riparian Corridor
• Restoration Opportunities
• Enhancement Opportunities

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Major Benefits (continued)

• Wildlife Values
• Educational Research
• Unique, Watershed-Limited Channel Features
• Archaeological and Cultural Significance

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WDFW PRIORITY HABITATS

• Caves
• Cliffs
• Freshwater Wetlands
• Fresh Deep Water
• Instream

Old Growth/Mature Forest Riparian Rural
Natural Open Space Shrub Steppe Snags and
Logs
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AQUATIC HABITAT BENEFITS
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Unique and Limited Channel Features(Janis Rapids
and McLoughlin Falls)

• This Reach Contains the Only Rapids in the
  Okanogan River Mainstem

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McLoughlin Falls
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Janis Rapids
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SIGNIFICANCE OF FALLS RAPIDS

• Pools Below Falls Provide Holding Habitat During
  Migration and Spawning
• Pools Provide Productive Juvenile Rearing Habitat
• Rapids Provide High Invertebrate Food Production
• Rapids Provide for Mixing to Improve Water
  Quality (dissolved oxygen, temperature)

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Oxbows and Islands
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Ponderosa Pine along Riparian Corridor
Recruits Large Woody Debris (highly limited
habitat component in Okanogan)
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Riparian Diversity
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IslandRiparian Vegetation--Source of Organic
Enrichment Shade
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Target Aquatic Species

• Carson Stock Spring Chinook
• Upper Columbia Steelhead ESU
• Summer Okanogan Chinook ESU
• Okanagan Sockeye

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Stock Status of Target Species
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Spawning Habitat
In 2000 202 of 549 redds In 2001 413 of 1,108
redds
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Productive Rearing Habitat

• Braided Channel Network
• Off-Channel Rearing
• Floodplain Connectivity

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ISLANDS WITHIN BRAIDED STREAM NETWORK

• Islands Improve Water Quality and Aquatic
  Production

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Off-Channel Rearing Habitat
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Protects the Intact Riparian Corridor
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WILDLIFE BENEFITS
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WDFW Priority Species (Observed and/or Expected
on Site)

• Big Horn Sheep
• Northwest White-Tailed Deer
• Mink
• Big Brown Bat
• Myotis Bat
• Pallid Bat
• White-Tailed Jack Rabbit
• Ruffed Grouse
• Chuckar
• Ring-Necked Pheasant

• Sharp-Tailed Grouse
• Wild Turkey
• Sandhill Crane
• Bald Eagle
• Golden Eagle
• Cavity Nesting Ducks
• Columbia Spotted Frog
• Western Toad
• Sharptail Snake

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WDFW Priority Species (con.)

• Lewis Woodpecker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• White-Headed
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Phalaropes
• Stilts
• Avocets
• Peregrine Falcon
• Sage Thrasher

• Mule Deer
• River Lamprey
• Leopard Dace
• Western Gray Squirrel
• Townsends Big-Eared Bat
• Yellow-Billed Cuckoo
• Burrowing Owl
• Flammulated Owl
• Vauxs Swift

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Shrub Steppe Habitat
Sharp-Tailed Grouse
Habitat Linkages Provided May Be Particularly
Important for Sharp-tailed Grouse, Complementing
Efforts Already Funded by BPA
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Sharp-Tailed Grouse Distribution

• Current Population Is Isolated
• Acquiring Habitat Would Secure Habitat Linkage

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Wetland Habitats
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Waterfowl Habitat
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Pasture (Looking West)
Provides Valuable Food Sources
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
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the site is probably the best preserved
pictograph site in the Okanogan Area... (WSU
Researchers)
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HABITAT RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES

• Riparian Restoration
• Shrub Steppe Restoration

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HABITAT RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES
Horseshoe Lake Reconnection ?
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EDUCATION AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

• Monitoring
• Water Quality
• Invasive Plant and Animal Species Control
• Fish and Wildlife Use
• Basic Research
• Training

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RELATIONSHIP POTENTIAL INTEGRATION WITH OTHER
PROJECTS

• Re-connection of Oxbows and Adjacent Riparian
  Areas
• Potential Summer/Fall Chinook Acclimation Sites
• Supplementation Program for Late Arriving
  Summer/Fall Chinook Stock
• Noxious Weed Control

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INTEGRATION (CONTINUED)... (Proposed Research
Foci)

• Assessment of Waterfowl Habitat Suitability in
  the Potholes Area of the CCT Reservation
• Priority Habitat Assessment for Endangered
  Species Act (ESA) Wildlife Species
• Reconnaissance Review to Identify Possible
  Rehabilitation of Okanogan Basin Riparian Habitat

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Broad Based Support
Bureau of Land Management Central Washington
University Chelan Douglas Land
Trust Confederated Tribes of the Colville
Reservation Methow Conservancy The Nature
Conservancy Okanogan Valley Land Council South
Okanogan Similkameen Conservation
Program Washington State Parks Trust for Public
Lands Upper Columbia Fisheries Enhancement
Group Washington Department of Fish Wildlife
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RISKS TO LAND

• Regional Growth
• Residential Development
• Hunting Clubs
• Riparian Grazing
• Water Quality (Grazing or Development)
• Loss of Cultural and Archaeological Preservation
  Opportunities

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Limiting Factors and Action Items Addressed by
Project

• Secures Functional Riparian Habitats
• Identifies Specific Areas in Need of Restoration
• Addresses Impacts of Non-native Fishes on
  Salmonid Survival through Research Opportunities
• Could Reduce Mainstem Temperatures through
  Riparian Plantings and Refugia Restoration

As Identified in the Final Draft Limiting
Factors Analysis for the Okanogan River (ENTRIX
Inc. Golder Associates, October 2001)
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The Grand Tour...