Portland, Ore. -- The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Services National Fish Passage Program, and its many partners, are scheduled to remove or bypass 150 fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.
Learn more about fish passage barriers in 19 states at a combined cost of approximately $7.4 million. Click here for more details
A total of nine barriers will be removed in the states of Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho opening 39.3 miles of upstream habitat important to salmon, steelhead, and trout.
"This national program is partnership-based. Partnerships are an integral part of the cooperative management approach practiced in the Pacific Northwest by local, state, tribal, and federal governments and private landowners to address problems," said Dave Allen, Director of the Services Pacific Region. "We look forward to working with our partners to re-open several miles of important fish producing habitat."
"The needs for salmon and steelhead are great," said Steve Thompson, California-Nevada Operations Office Manager. "These projects make a strategically focused contribution toward meeting those needs, and could not be accomplished without substantial support from ranchers and local and State governments."
The following are fish passage projects taking place this year in the Pacific Region:
California:
Little Browns Creek -- One stream crossing containing three undersized culverts will be removed and replaced with a natural bottom arch culvert. This project will restore migratory access for coho salmon and steelhead to 2.8 miles of Little Browns Creek, tributary to Weaver Creek in the Trinity watershed. The 5 Counties Salmonid Conservation Program received a national EPA and Governors award for their exemplary fish passage work.Aruja Dam Removal -- The temporary flashboard, Aruja dam, will be replaced with 5 individual pumped diversions. This Shasta River sub-basin project was identified as a priority by the Klamath River Basin Fisheries Task Force. Five ranchers that currently share maintenance and operational responsibility at Aruja Dam have expressed the desire to embark on steps to eliminate the fish barrier and address water quality concerns.
Idaho:
Roaring River Fish Passage -- The removal of this fish passage barrier will open 18 miles of habitat to bull trout and provide access to 35 miles of perennial steam for other fish and aquatic organisms. The Boise National Forest Land Resource Management Plan and USFWS Bull Trout Recovery Plan identified the Roaring River subwatershed as important to the recovery of bull trout. This project will replace a 15-foot culvert with a bottomless arch culvert on Forest Road 255.
Washington:
Dewatto River Culvert -- A 6-foot-diameter culvert will be replaced with a 40-foot span bridge reopening 3.6 miles of high quality instream and riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian habitat to steelhead and rainbow trout, coho and chum salmon.
Creswell Creek Culvert -- Two fish blocking culverts will be replaced with appropriately sized culverts reopening 1.5 miles of stream and wetland habitat to coho salmon and cutthroat trout.
Glover Creek Culvert -- A 100-foot-long fish-blocking culvert will be replaced with a concrete slab bridge reopening 1 mile and 21 acres of stream and wetland habitat to coho salmon, bull and cutthroat trout. Large woody debris will be placed instream and a 35-foot riparian buffer will be planted.
Peterson Creek Culvert #2 -- One fish-blocking culvert will be replaced with an appropriately sized and placed 18-foot diameter culvert, reopening .2 miles of stream to coho and chum salmon and cutthroat trout. Streambed gravels and cobbles will be placed within the culvert to meet fish passage needs.
Peterson Creek Culvert #3 -- Two side-by-side, fish-blocking culverts will be replaced with one 16-foot-diameter culvert reopening 3.3 miles of stream to coho salmon and cutthroat trout. Streambed gravels and cobbles will be placed inside the culvert for fish passage needs.
Wivell road Culvert -- One fish-blocking culvert will be replaced with a 10-foot-diameter culvert reopening approximately 1 mile of stream to coho salmon and steelhead and cutthroat trout. Streambed gravel and cobbles will be placed in the culvert to meet fish passage needs.
To learn more about the Pacific Regions Fish Passage Program, please visit the following website: http://pacific.fws.gov/Fisheries/fishpassage/.
To learn more about the Pacific Regions Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Program, please visit this website: http://pacific.fws.gov/fisheries/FRIMA/
