WORKING TOGETHER, WHAT HAS FRIENDS OF THE EAST FORK DONE SINCE 1998 FOR RIVER & LAND CONSERVATION/STEWARDSHIP ON THE EAST FORK LEWIS RIVER?
SUMMARY OF PROJECTS DONE BY OR IN COLLABORATION WITH OTHERS:
Over a period of 18 years Friends of the East Fork & Fish First have collaborated with the Lower Columbia Fish Recover Board, Clark County, WA Dept. F&W, NOAA Fisheries, Bonneville Power, Dave Brown Wild Fish Rescue, Healing Waters Veterans/Salmon Creek Chapter, Boy Scouts, Sierra Club, US Forest Service and citizen volunteers as well as others, to do 36 fish habitat & stream/watershed restoration projects on the East Fork of the Lewis River. In addition, we worked with Fish First to do over 6 miles of stream restoration on Cedar Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Lewis River. Also, in 2016 we received the American Fisheries Society Presidents Award for outstanding long-term work to improve streams & fisheries.
We have been very fortunate in that we were able to draw additional highly experienced scientific/technical assistance from regionally & nationally known stream & watershed scientists such as Drs. Frank Reckendorf, Barry Southerland, Luna Leopold of US Geological Service international fame, and many others.
With the apparent downturn in salmon & steelhead populations in the Pacific NW, it is all the more important that everyone improves the level, timing, & amount of communication & coordination with Friends of the East Fork regarding proposed land conservation & fish habitat restoration work on the East Fork L. R. This is urgently needed with some departments in Clark County Government and particularly with Legacy Lands & Parks/Recreation. And, we can always use more volunteers to contact us to help out on weekends, or just come out and see what we are doing.
LISTING OF PROJECTS SINCE 1998:
• Lockwood Creek Culvert replacement
• Programmatic Blanket Fisheries Restoration National Permit from NOAAO Fisheries-Lewis River System
• Lower East Fork L. R. Stream Condition Assessment & Plan
• East Fork Lewis River – Swanson & WD F&W Chum Spawning Channel
• Swanson Air Strip Side-channel
• Lockwood Creek Check Dam Series Improvement
• East Fork Lewis River – Swanson & WA Dept. F&W Chum Channel
• Manly Road Creek Upper Pond & Channel Rebuilt
• Nutrient Enhancement – Lower East Fork L. R. Ongoing Since 1999
• Mason Creek Pool & Heightman Creek Development
• Gren Fels Drive East Fork L. R. Tributary Steelhead Habitat Restoration
• North Rock Creek Side Channel Installation
• Mason Creek Middle Channel Reach Restoration
• Bonneville Power – Swanson East Fork Bend Restoration
• Bonneville Power – Swanson Chum Channel Expansion
• Bonneville Power & WA Dept. F&W – Chum Fry Release Cooperative Program Swanson Chum Channel
• Chum Channel Oxygen-Aeriation System Installation
• Mason Creek Pool Cross-Log Habitat Upgrade
• Manly Road Creek Lower Pool Christmas Tree Fish Habitat Installation
• Mason Creek Tractor Bridge Channel & Fish Habitat Improvement
• Manly Road Creek Upper Pool Christmas Tree Fish Habitat Installation
• Swanson – Lower Chum Channel Christmas Tree Installation & Tree/Shrub Planting
• Mason Creek Pool Christmas Tree Fish Habitat Installation
• Manly Road Creek – Clark County America Corp. Beaver Deceiver Installations
• Lewis River Ridge – Clark County Maintenance Yards Side Channel
• Upper East Fork Steelhead Habitat Enhancement – US Forest Service & Friends of the East Fork
• PHASE-1 Swanson-Powerline Bend Fish Habitat Restoration
• West Daybreak & Clark County Side Channel WD Phase-1
NON-HABITAT PROJECTS OR ACTIONS COMPLETED:
• Upper Dean Creek Conservation Easement Agreement
• Sunset Campground-Upper East Fork Conservation Easement
• Dean Creek-Storedahl Federal Clean Water Act Consent Decree
• Yacolt Mountain Quarry Storedahl Federal Clean Water Act Consent Decree
• Ridgefield Pits Habitat Conservation Plan (HPA) Revision
• East Fork Main Channel & Side-channel Continuous Recorder Temperature Monitoring June-Oct. each year.
NEW PROJECTS – 2017:
• PHASE-2 of Swanson-Powerline Bend Fish Habitat Restoration
• MONITORING of PAST PROJECTS – GoPro Underwater Camera & Drone Monitoring by Air
CONTACT US IF YOU WISH TO HELP OUT ON A PROJECT OR SEEK CERTAIN TYPES OF VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES.
Richard Dyrland, Project Design & Construction Hydrologist, Board of Directors Fish First & Friends of the East Fork L. R.
27511 NE 29th Ave., Ridgefield WA 98642
Toppacific2@msn.com
360-887-0866