Project Title: Preserve and Restore Estuary Islands to Enhance Juvenile Salmonid and Columbian White

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Project Title Preserve and Restore
Estuary Islands to Enhance Juvenile Salmonid and
Columbian White-tailed Deer Habitat
Thomas Kollasch US Fish and Wildlife
Service Willapa National Wildlife Refuge
Complex Illwaco, WA
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Project Partners

• Columbia Land Trust
• USGS Columbia River Research Laboratory
• USFWS Columbia River Fisheries Program
• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Pacific University
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership

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Columbia River Estuary
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Island Complex Crims, Lord, Walker, Fisher
Longview
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Island Complex Crims, Lord, Walker, Fisher
Longview
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Local Listed Salmon Stocks

• Lower Columbia Steelhead (Threatened)
• Abernathy Creek
• Germany Creek
• Cowlitz River Winter
• Mill Creek
• Kalama River
• Lewis River Winter and Summer

• Lower Columbia Chinook (Threatened)
• Likely to use restored habitat
• Lower Columbia Chum (Threatened)
• May use restored habitat

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Project Goals

• Preserve 626 acres of estuary habitat
• Restore function of tidal habitat for salmon
• Recover endangered deer
• Monitor response of juvenile salmonids to tidal
  restoration

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Present range of the Columbian white-tailed deer
Longview
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Deer Restoration

• Releases on Crims
• 1999 30 Deer
• 2000 30 Deer
• Relocation Technique Successful
• Established Resident Deer on Island and Mainland
• Survival Rates High

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Significance of CWTD to Program

• Basin Level Biological Objectives
• Coordinate wildlife mitigation activities with
  fish mitigation and restoration efforts
• Subbasin Summary
• Supports refuge goals to manage for balanced
  populations of CWTD
• Supports the goals of the CWTD Recovery Plan

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Crims Island Land Ownerships
Oregon DSL
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Restoration Overview
Existing Swamp
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Restoration Funding

• Corps Section 1135 Funds
• Preliminary Restoration Plan initiated with CLT
• Use purchase as 25 match
• Corps will
• Cover cost of feasibility study
• Provide engineering plans
• Implement construction

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Restoration Benefits

• Restore function of degraded wetland habitats
• Replace exotic weeds with native wetland species
• Remove effects of historic dikes and drainage
• Increase connectivity to river
• Establish high flow refugia
• Reestablish riparian forest habitats
• Supply detrital material to river system
• Improve habitat for deer and other wildlife

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Significance to Program

• Habitat Protection and Restoration
• RPA 160 - Protect and enhance 10,000 acres of
  tidal wetlands
• RPA 157 Restore mainstem habitat for chum
  salmon in the lower river
• Research, Monitoring Estuary Habitat Use
• RPA 158 Inventory estuarine habitat and develop
  criteria for estuarine habitat restoration
• RPA 159 Develop a plan addressing habitat needs
  of salmon and steelhead in the estuary
• RPA 196 Develop an understanding of juvenile
  use of the estuary

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Juvenile Salmonid Monitoring

• USGS Columbia River Research Laboratory
• Research Design
• Coordinate Field Sampling
• Data Analysis
• USFWS Columbia River Fisheries Program
• Conduct Field Sampling

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Monitoring Design

• Sample both Pre- and Post-Restoration
• Measure appropriate indicators for
• Habitat Use
• Predation Levels
• Invertebrate Community
• Habitat Structure
• Compare to Nearby Reference Sites

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Project Summary

• Preserve important island habitats
• Opportunity to combine fish and wildlife recovery
• Chance to recover endangered deer
• Restore important tidal habitat to benefit salmon
• Gain valuable knowledge about juvenile salmonid
  use of upper estuary habitats

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Thank You!