1Does not include
funds expended through partner contracts (i.e. PC Public Works Prop. 204
construction contracts)
2Collaborative
Grants/Participating Agreements (Prop.50, CalTrans, Water Forum, etc.)
3Direct partner project match contributions (funds, in-kind).
Coordination funding was secured in 2005 to pursue
out-year projects for landowners seeking assistance. This funding was made available through the CalFed Watershed
Restoration Program (Proposition 13) for the Red Clover Creek/McReynolds Creek
Restoration Project and from Plumas County Water Forum Monterey Agreement funds
allowing landowners requesting project assistance to be assisted at an adequate
level through 2006. Additional
coordination and project management funding is being sought for 2007 and beyond;
with the potential of hiring a new staff project manager in 2007 if funding is
secured.
Summary of Projects Completed in 2005:
Dooley
Creek/Downing Meadow Restoration Project- Downing Meadow is an 80 acre, 1+
mile-long, meadow system on the Dooley Creek tributary to Last Chance Creek.
The project is predominately on private lands belonging to Alan Nichols. The channel had moderate to severe
entrenchment resulting in gully formation, gully wall erosion and lowered
meadow water table. A road/culvert crossing at the lower end exacerbated the
entrenchment locally.
Pre-project October 2005
Post-project November 2005
The
Downing Meadow Project utilized pond and plug (a technique used to obliterate
the gully) and some rock to restore the base level of the stream channel. Fencing, cattle guards, and off-site water
improvements were additional components of the project to facilitate livestock
management on both public and private land. The main access road across the
meadow had the culvert removed and replaced with a rock low-water
crossing. Revegetation work was done by
FR-CRM staff and high school students from Jim Beckwourth High School in
Portola, seeding plugs with locally collected native grass and Pyracoma (a
rare perennial forb) seeds.
Rock low-water
xing, above
PL 106-393, Secure Schools, Title II funds, with
contributions from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Range Program and the
landowner, funded the project. The
construction contract was awarded to Hat Creek Construction & Materials
Inc. of Burney and was completed in October of 2005. Major partners: Plumas National Forest (PNF) and Alan Nichols,
landowner. Total project budget was
$55,000.
Lower meadow channel, 2/23/06, at
right
Jordan
Flat Supplemental Project- This
project was on lands managed by the USFS-PNF and is the second phase of
a project that eliminated approximately 1,200 feet of entrenched channel using
the pond and plug technique on both Last Chance Creek and critical gullied
areas on the Jordan Creek fan. This
supplemental project obliterated an additional 1,000 feet of gully on Last
Chance Creek and 800 feet at the mouth of Jordan Creek using the same
technique. Two and a half miles of
fence was re-constructed by Dave Heard of Susanville to improve livestock
management and allow vegetative re-growth.
FR-CRM staff completed revegetation with locally collected native grass
seed. The construction contract was
awarded to Hat Creek Construction & Materials Inc. of Burney. Construction began late September and was
completed in October of 2005. Project
budget was $64,000, funded by the Plumas Watershed Forum. Major partners: PNF and Plumas County. This project is also part of a larger
project that encompassed both private and public land. The public land phase of the 9-mile long Last Chance Creek project
entailed obliteration of 20,255 feet of gully with pond and plug, directly
including 800 acres of meadow and remnant channel. The Jordan Flat project
performed well during the 12/31/05 flood event (see photo at right), spreading
water across the meadow, re-establishing the floodplain function and
attenuating flows.
A small nick developed in one of the plugs and needs to be
repaired. FR-CRM staff will be working
with PNF to get this done this year.
Pre-project September 2005 During construction September 2005
Jamison Creek Restoration in Plumas-Eureka State Park –
Cyndi Walck, State Park Geologist and Plumas Pines Golf who owned the
diversion dam and was considering replacing it initiated this project. The project encompassed the removal of the
failed diversion dam, replacing the dam with a fish-passable series of
step-pools that raised the elevation of the streambed to the intake of the
existing Lundy irrigation ditch.
Raising the bed with step-pools also addressed a head-cutting problem
that had caused channel degradation.
CRM staff at Plumas Corporation assisted on the initial CEQA
preparation, survey contract administration, and design and construction
consultations. Wilburn Construction
completed construction in September of 2005.
Feather River CRM project budget was $39,000.
Pre- and
post-construction September 2005
Overall,
this project performed well during the 2005-06 high flow events. The intake remained at grade. The fish
screen was damaged and is in the process of being replaced. The ponds filled with material and a few
boulders moved downstream, but the objective of the project was still met. The handful of boulders that moved will be
replaced this season.
12/31/05 flood event
Last Chance Creek Watershed Modeling- This project demonstrated a state-of-the-art
watershed model developed by UC Davis on a large (125 mi2) watershed. The model has shown much greater accuracy in
smaller watersheds over more commonly used model types. This grant was a collaborative submission to
CalFed by the FR-CRM and UC Davis to integrate the model application with the ongoing
Last Chance Creek Watershed Restoration Project. Total budget was $675,000.
The UC Davis team worked with FRCRM staff, which conducted field
monitoring of the watershed, collecting streamflow, groundwater, snowpack,
sediment, nutrient, and realtime precipitation data, that were used as the
hydrologic inputs for the model. The
product was a field-validated watershed model that was completed in August of
2005, and is now available for future use on project planning within the
county. Dr. Lev Kaavas, from UC Davis,
presented the model at the 2005 Non-Point Source Conference last
fall. UC Davis and the FR-CRM are
currently submitting a new proposal for funding through Proposition 40 to
expand the model to include Indian Creek watershed and a temperature component;
in addition, another proposal for modeling on the Middle Fork Feather River was
submitted for Proposition 50 funds. Photo of Leslie Mink, FR-CRM staff,
collecting streamflow data on Last Chance at the Million Dollar Bridge.
Last
Chance Evapotranspiration Study- In 2005 Stanford University
graduate student, Steven Loheide II, completed an investigative study using
remote airborne infrared thermography to assess watershed hydrology with an
emphasis on watershed restoration. The
intent of the research was to analyze the relationship between surface and
groundwater, comparing the hydroecology of restored and degraded meadows in the
Sierra Nevada of northern California.
The study area focused on meadows in the Last Chance watershed. FR-CRM staff provided support to this study,
which was funded by the National Science Foundation through Stanford
University. Comparing the
evapotranspiration (ET) regime using remote airborne infrared thermography in
two restored and two degraded meadows, the study showed that daily ET in the
restored meadows was approximately twice that of the degraded ones, indicating
the success of restoring the meadow flow regimes and raising groundwater
levels. In addition, detailed images of
ET showed impacts of land-use change and re-vegetation efforts. Temperature changes at Big Flat showed a
three degree reduction in temperature over a one mile channel reach. Publications of the study can be found in Remote
Sensing of Environment, A local-scale, high-resolution
evapotranspiration mapping algorithm (ETMA) with hydroecological applications
at riparian meadow restoration sites, July 2005; and in Loheide, S.P. and
S.M. Gorelick, Quantifying stream-aquifer interactions through analysis of
remotely sensed thermographic profiles and in-situ temperature records, Environmental
Science and Technology, 40, p.3336-3341, 2006. Both publications are available on the Feather River Coordinated
Resource Management website www.feather-river-crm.org.
Sulphur Creek Assessment and Restoration Strategy- This project was completed
in 2004 and included public and private lands in the 33 square mile Sulphur
Creek watershed. A detailed strategy
was developed with affected landowners and stakeholder consensus and is available
on our website at www.feather-river-crm.org. Other project components included a
significant citizen monitoring effort, which was continued through December
2005. The project was funded by a
Proposition 13 watershed grant. Although funding has ended, one citizen
monitoring volunteer has continued to help read stream gages in the Sulphur
Creek watershed. The project budget was $177,000.
Three
identified projects in the Restoration Strategy have been submitted for
funding. One has been approved for PL
106-393, Secure Schools, Title II funds, and the others have been sent to the
State as part of a proposal for Proposition 40 funds (see Upcoming Project
Overview-Sulphur Creek Complex).
Sulphur
Creek Citizen Monitors 2005
Projects planned
for completion in 2006:
Spanish Creek Assessment and Restoration Strategy- This
project is on both public and private lands along the reach of Spanish Creek in American
Valley. The intent of this project is to
provide landowners with the necessary information to develop a long-term
restoration strategy for Spanish Creek to address accelerated bank
erosion. Since 1997, numerous
landowners along Spanish Creek have requested assistance from the FR-CRM. Proposition 13 grant funding for this
project is administered by the State and Regional Water Quality Control Board
(RWQCB) and began in early 2004. Other
major partners include Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Desert Research
Institute (DRI), who are contributing to the total project budget of
$255,000. Collecting
bedload samples April 2005
In-kind
contributions are also being provided by Plumas County and Quincy Community
Services District. This project was funded through November of 2005, but has
been extended through November of 2006.
As of this writing, a draft of the assessment and strategy is being
finalized and will be released in July.
Three demonstration projects have been developed as part of the
restoration strategy (see the Dyrr Bank project below and Upcoming Project
Overview - Meadow Valley Projects in the following section).
Spanish
Creek Restoration Demonstration Projects (Vortex Sampler and Dyrr Bank
Stabilization)-
This project is integral with the Spanish Creek Watershed Assessment and
Restoration Strategy referenced above.
The project has two components that demonstrate potential restoration
technologies that may be applicable to the future implementation of the Spanish
Creek Restoration Strategy. The first component is operation of the vortex
gravel sampler installed in 1997 at the Snake Lake Bridge. This new technology has the potential for
providing aggregate supplies without physical disturbance to the riparian
areas. FRCRM staff operated the sampler
from 1998-2001 under a Clean Water Act grant and collected very useful data
both on the sampler operation, as well as quantifying the actual gravel load in
Spanish Creek. The sampler plugged
during a high load event in 2001 and funds were not available to restore its function
until 2004. These funds ($47,000) were
obtained from PL 106-393, Secure Schools, Title II funds, with in-kind
contributions from the Quincy Community Services District, DRI, Plumas County
Department of Public Works, and PNF.
The sampler recently plugged again during the flood event on December
31, 2005. The elevation of the creek
bed also dropped raising the sampler above the streambed and water
surface. The TAC will be reviewing this
project in June 2006 to discuss future options. There are currently no available funds to repair the sampler.
Vortex sampler and gravel
pond outlet after the 12/31/05 flood event.
Photo
on left shows the drop in bed elevation and water flowing under the
sampler. Right photo shows the outlet
pipe and collection pond buried by gravels (pipe was just below the willow bush
in the center of the photo).
The
second component of this project is to stabilize two eroding banks on the Dyrr
property upstream of the Hwy 70 bridge.
This will be accomplished using boulder vanes, sloped bank, and
revegetation. Vanes are an innovative technique that protect the lower portion
of eroding banks while maintaining the energy dissipation role of a channel
meander. These have been used
successfully on Wolf, North Canyon, Greenhorn and Indian Creeks. They are specifically applicable to channels
like Spanish Creek where the flood flows are confined and there is a high
sediment load. Project construction was planned for 2005, but has been
postponed until summer 2006. Funding
($20,000) is from PL 106-393, Secure Schools, Title II funds with equipment
contributions from Feather River Materials.
Photo of eroding outcurve bank along Spanish Creek on Dyrr property
in 2005.
Red
Clover/McReynolds Creek Restoration Project- This project on the Goodwin
Ranch and USFS lands is now under contract between Plumas Corporation and
SWRCB. Utilizing the pond and plug technique this project will restore 4.2
miles of stream channel and 350 acres of meadow floodplain. Environmental investigations, archeological
surveys, and all required documentation were completed in spring/summer
2005. Final design and permit
applications were submitted
in December 2005. Construction is
planned for the summer of 2006. This
project also includes fencing and off-site water improvements to maximize
livestock management and land productivity.
Proposition 13 CALFED Watershed Program is providing primary funding,
with contributions from DWR, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),
USFS, and the landowner. Total project
cost is expected to be $1.3 million. Photo
of Red Clover Creek gully April of 2005.
Hosselkus Creek Phase II- This project
is an extension of work undertaken in 2002 under Plumas County’s Proposition
204 Indian Creek Watershed Project grant.
The project encompasses the private Neff Ranch, and public lands managed
by PNF. The initial grant completed
approximately 1500 feet of channel/meadow restoration integrated with County
road drainage improvements. The Phase
II work is entirely meadow channel restoration that will extend from the
upstream end of the Phase I reach up-valley to the tree line, completing the
entire meadow. The project budget
includes $80,000 in County Water Forum funding with approximately $30,000 of
in-kind contributions from USFS, DWR, NRCS, and the landowner, Paul Neff. Environmental documentation and all required
permits were completed in 2005.
Construction was planned for the fall of 2005 however, delays with the
NEPA documentation postponed construction until the fall of 2006. The 2005-06 high winter flows caused some
headcutting around the grade control structure at the downstream end of the
Phase I project. Some repairs were done this spring with landowner
assistance. Recent discussions with the
landowner and TAC have proposed some changes to the original design, putting
the main flows in a remnant channel along the east side of the meadow. Further TAC evaluation and assessment of any
environmental documentation needs will be done this summer before any formal
changes are proposed.
Humbug/Charles
Creek Phase II- The
first phase of Humbug/Charles Creek was on the private lands of Bill and Judy
Michelson, north of Portola. The
project consisted of gully obliteration using the pond and plug technique on
800 feet of Charles Creek, and on 1500 feet of Humbug Creek. The landowner is
also working with the NRCS to implement grazing management changes. The project
was predominately funded by SWRCB 319 funds for non-point source pollution (sediment,
temperature) and the by landowner.
Total project budget was $201,000.
Wilburn Construction of Quincy completed construction in September of
2004. Photos on left show Phase
I pre-project September 2004 and post-project September 2005.
The Phase II
project is an extension of the work done in 2004 under the State 319
grant. The grant was extended to the
end of the 2005, to fund modifications and complete the environmental
documentation and acquire permits for the second phase for $16,000 with $1,000
match from Plumas County Water Forum funds.
Phase II entails treating 600 feet of degraded channel and headcuts
along mid-Charles Creek, upstream of the ranch main access road. Restoration includes installing sod riffles
to raise the existing channel, so the floodplain can be accessed when
streamflows reach bankfull levels.
Downstream of the access road, 700 feet of the channel will be filled
with soil material left over from the first phase of the project. Flows will be diverted into the remnant
channel system. On upper Humbug Creek,
above the 2004 project, 800 feet of the degraded channel will be treated and
flows diverted into the remnant channel system. A rock grade control, channel-drop structure will be constructed
at the most downstream headcut to step flows down to the stable reach
below. Funding for construction is
being coordinated with the NRCS and landowner for $12,000, and is planned for
the fall of 2006.
Watershed Monitoring Program
(on-going)-
This program is being conducted at numerous locations, on both public and
private lands, in the eastern two thirds of the Feather River watershed in
Plumas County. This effort began in
earnest in 1998 in response to the question “How do we know the FR-CRM program
is having an effect at the larger watershed scale?” Using a variety of grant sources and contributions the monitoring
program currently collects continuous streamflow and temperature data at ten
locations (including turbidity at two of those), and biennially collects data
on 20 stream reference reaches. The
program also involves continuation high school students collecting data in
Portola and Quincy, and volunteer citizen monitors in Sulphur and Spanish Creek
watersheds. The watershed monitoring
data and annual summary reports (as well as project information) is available
on our website at www.feather-river-crm.org. The data has been used by a variety of local
entities, as well as the FR-CRM to assist in meeting project and regulatory
mandates. The cost of this ongoing
program is approximately $20,000 to $50,000 annually. The Plumas County Water Forum funded program monitoring for 2006.
CRM Education Program-
The CRM received $110,000 in DWR funding for two years for an education and
citizen monitoring coordinator position in the spring of 2004. The DWR grant has been extended until June
of 2007. This position is divided
between two subcontractors, Rob Wade and Kristy Hoffman. Ongoing efforts within the program include:
implementation of a sixth grade watershed education program; establishing a
river education center in the Feather River Canyon; teacher trainings;
community and classroom presentations; citizen monitoring training and
coordination; and the development of outreach materials for the Feather
River Watershed Awareness Campaign.
In the spring of 2006, the CRM Education Program received an award for
their outstanding efforts and accomplishments in Conservation Education from
the Soil and Water Conservation Society- CA and NV Chapters. Top left photo of Rob Wade, FR-CRM
Education Coordinator with the Conservation Education award he accepted on
behalf of the CRM at the annual Soil and Water Conservation Society
conference. The partnership display
done by the FR-CRM and NRCS in the background took first place at the poster
session.
In October of 2005 the
FR-CRM Education Committee organized an educational outreach event. The Feather River Headwaters Festival was a
two-day event with presentations, booths, hands-on activities, outings and a
stewardship project aimed at educating the community about the Feather River
watershed. In May of 2006 in
recognition of Watershed Awareness Month, an outreach stewardship project was
held in Portola stenciling storm drains with “Do Not Dump- Drains to the Middle
Fork Feather River”; in addition, information was distributed reminding
residents that storm drains catch run-off from yards, driveways, streets and
sidewalks and that pet waste as well as fertilizers and pesticides used in
their backyards can make their way into storm drains, too. Further funding for education and citizen
monitoring programs is being sought through Plumas Water Forum, PL 106-393
Secure Schools Title II funds, and Proposition 50. Photo of volunteers planting willows during the Feather River
Headwaters Festival held at Feather River College.
The following proposed projects were funded for project
development under a Water Forum grant for approximately $5,000 each. The
funding was used to accomplish initial data collection and analysis for the
purpose of developing design alternatives and seeking implementation
funding. Data collection, analysis, and
conceptual design alternatives were completed in 2005. Reviews by the technical advisory committees
are being completed this spring and early summer. All projects have been submitted for funding through a variety of
local, state and federal sources in early 2006.
Dixie Creek- Dixie Creek is a major
tributary to Red Clover Creek. One
landowner, Bill Mapel, requested FRCRM assistance in protecting/restoring Dixie
Creek through his property in 2004. He
recently sold the property in early 2006.
FRCRM staff met with the new landowners and they are supportive of the
project. They also discussed the
project at the annual Dixie Valley Landowners Association meeting in 2005,
which resulted in additional landowner interest for a potentially more
comprehensive restoration project downstream in the future. The current project proposal entails
eliminating approximately 2,000 feet of gully on Dixie Creek using the pond and
plug technique, and constructing a rock-armored, moderate gradient valley grade
structure at the downstream plug.
Streamflows would be diverted to existing remnant channels on the meadow
surface. The project is already well
fenced from livestock. NEPA/CEQA
investigations and permit applications would be part of the project. Project construction will be completed in
the fall of 2007. A proposal for
funding was submitted to the Plumas Water Forum for $56,000 and was approved in
May 2006. Total project budget is
estimated at $62,000. Plumas National
Forest is a partner on this project, contributing $5,000 of rock for the valley
grade structure. Photo of Dixie
Creek gully taken at TAC meeting on May 2, 2006.
Smith Creek- Smith Creek is a tributary
to the Middle Fork Feather River, a designated wild and scenic river. An important fishery, project restoration
would involve gully obliteration, installing additional floodplain access
culverts at the upstream bridge, and a short bank vane treatment on a 700 foot
channel segment to reduce bank erosion. Initially, thirteen landowners
requested FRCRM assistance in 2003.
FRCRM staff and DWR conducted the initial data collection in 2004 and
2005. Through numerous landowner
meetings, field visits, and discussions the project now involves ten committed
landowners. Total project costs are
estimated at $252,000. Trout Unlimited
and landowners are funding the environmental survey work. This project was included in the Prop. 40
application for funding, as part of a complex of projects within the Upper
Middle Fork Feather River watershed.
Construction would occur in 2007 or 2008 if the project is funded.
Little Last Chance Creek- One landowner, Don Guidici, requested
FRCRM assistance in protecting/restoring Little Last Chance Creek through his
property in 2004. Discussions and tours
in 2004-2005 between FRCRM staff, Sierra Valley Resource Conservation District,
and Little Last Chance Creek Irrigation District members resulted in six
additional landowners requesting inclusion with project planning. The proposed project area can be broken into
three treatment reaches: The Guidici
Ranch, the North Creek and the East Creek.
The entire project area is located in Sierra Valley on an alluvial fan,
with the Guidici Ranch at the top of the fan in the most constricted part of
the valley.
On the Guidici Ranch, the channel is confined in a gully
on the west side of the valley, with eleven-foot gully walls on the east
bank. The concept for restoration would
treat the Guidici banks with boulder vanes directing the force of flows away
from the east bank along a one-mile stretch of channel.
On North and East Creeks, a combination of concentrated
flows, highway culverts, loss of sediment supply, and intensive agricultural
use have contributed to the development of entrenched channels to an existing
depth of three to nine feet. Some
diversion structures are no longer operable, and most are at risk of
failure. Without treatment, incision
cycles are expected to continue moving upstream, resulting in a deeper and
wider gully, making irrigation structure maintenance more difficult and
expensive. The restoration concept uses
riffle augmentation that would allow high flows (over 200 cfs) to spill out
onto the floodplain. The project also includes management changes
through the use of fencing. Total
estimated cost is $973,250. A partial
funding request for $190,000 was submitted to the Watershed Forum and is being
used for the required 25% match for a Prop 40 proposal to the state. A request for $155,000 was submitted to the
Resource Advisory Council (RAC) for PL 106-393 Secure Schools Title II funds for
the Guidici Ranch portion of the project.
Both the Forum and RAC proposals were approved for funding in May and
June of 2006. Partners include PNF
(Guidici portion only) and the NRCS.
Construction is proposed to occur in 2007 and 2008.
Photo above: Entrenched channel on Little Last Chance-North
Creek in November 2005. Photo to right:
Cut banks on Little Last Chance, Guidici Ranch in May 2006.
Meadow
Valley Projects: Silver Creek and Spanish Creek @ Kellett- These projects involve two
landowners, Bob Burney on Silver Creek and Larry Kellett on Spanish Creek, who
both requested FRCRM assistance in 2005.
Silver Creek is a tributary to Spanish Creek. Project goals for Silver Creek are to induce aggradation within
the entrenchment to access the upper floodplain with frequent high flows,
restore deposition of coarse bedload material, reduce or eliminate loss of
property, and improve water quality.
Restoration techniques proposed would utilize boulder vanes,
construction of whole tree jams, bank reconstruction, vegetation transplants, constructing
rock-riffles, and planting riparian vegetation on the floodplain. Project goals and objectives on Kellett’s
property include reducing the deposition of sediment and the aggradation of the
channel within the project reach, lessening property loss, reducing the risk of
high flow damages to the county road crossing, and improving water quality
on-site and downstream. The project
proposal includes reconstructing the south approach to the County’s bridge, adding
culverts at floodplain elevation, constructing boulder vanes, utilizing
vegetation transplants, bank reconstruction, and removal of large gravel berms
within the active floodplain. Estimated
total costs for both projects are $347,000 ($52,000 Silver Crk/$295,000 Spanish
Crk or 170,000 for amended treatment, i.e. less culverts). Plumas County Department of Public Works is
a partner on the Spanish Creek @ Kellett portion of the project, contributing
match for installation of the culverts.
One funding request for $321,000 was submitted to the Plumas Watershed
Forum for both projects. Funding for $198,000 was approved in May 2006.
Construction will occur in the fall of 2007.
Long Valley Creek- Landowner
Dean Panfili, requested FRCRM assistance in 2005. The
primary goal of this project is to fully restore Long Valley and Little Long
Valley Creeks, and their floodplain through the Long Valley Ranch. Long Valley Creek is a tributary to the
Middle Fork Feather River. Project
goals would be accomplished through capturing the bedload now entering and
traveling through the project reach within the upstream section, reconnecting
the stream channel with its historic functional floodplain, eliminating erosion
and rapid land loss, raising the water table to its historic elevation, and
restoring aquatic and riparian habitat conditions utilizing the pond and plug
technique. Total project cost is
estimated at $243,000. Partners include
the landowner and NRCS, who are contributing funds for project construction,
fencing, and grazing management.
Funding requests were submitted to the RAC for PL 106-393 Secure
Schools Title II funds,
and the state for Proposition 40 funds. Funding was approved by the RAC in June
2006. Construction is proposed in the summer/fall of 2008. Photo of Steering Committee tour at Long
Valley Creek in November of 2005.
Last Chance Phase II- This project involves
private land owned by the Vasey Family, and Plumas National Forest lands. The
FRCRM has currently completed restoration of over 12 miles of stream
channel/meadow system in the Last Chance watershed, with an additional 2 miles
restored in 2005, leaving Last Chance Phase II as the largest segment
remaining. The Phase II project
encompasses 8 miles of mainstem channel and short reaches of the confluence
zones of the four significant tributaries (Willow Creek, Little Stony Creek,
Stone Dairy Creek and Cottonwood Creek), all of which have channel incision
occurring near the confluence as they adjust their base channel levels to the
downcut elevation of Last Chance Creek.
The project would directly restore 800 acres of relic meadow and reduce
the incision risk to still functional tributary meadows. Implementation of the Phase II project would
essentially complete the restoration program for the entire 100 mi2
basin above Doyle Crossing and remove any intervening untreated reaches above
the long-term Doyle Crossing gage station.
The project, with a budget of $2,300,000, was
submitted for Proposition 50 funds under a Plumas County-sponsored proposal in
2005. We are still awaiting a decision
on that proposal. Aerial photo of Last Chance Creek below Stone Dairy Creek taken in June
2005.
Sulphur Creek Complex-
The Sulphur Creek
watershed is a major source of sediment into the Middle Fork Feather
River. The Sulphur Creek complex
involves multiple landowners and project locations. Project development funds were used to conceptualize project
proposals and coordinate amongst landowners.
Two demonstration projects, Rapp-Guidici and Boulder Creek, were
identified in the Sulphur Creek Watershed Analysis as high priority because the
entrenchment of both of these channels has nearly worked upstream to the edge
of the coarse material alluvial fan off of the steep western slope of the
watershed. The analysis revealed that
this material is a primary source of a vicious circle of instability (sediment
coming into the channels that in turn causes more instability) on the mainstem
of Sulphur Creek, and the restoration of natural sediment capture features in
the watershed is a primary restoration goal.
The Rapp-Guidici project was recently approved for funding through the
PL106-393 Secure Schools Title II funds for $131,575, with project cost
totaling $170,720. On Boulder Creek the
existing entrenchment currently merges with neighboring Rapp-Guidici Creek
about 200 feet before entering Sulphur Creek.
The projects propose to restore the floodplain function through gully
obliteration utilizing the pond and plug technique. Utilizing an existing remnant channel would result in Rapp-Guidici
and Boulder Creeks merging approximately 400 feet further up valley than they
currently do. Concurrent construction
of these two projects together (planned for 2007), would result in a savings of
approximately $25,000. The Boulder
Creek project was recently submitted for funding to the state for Prop. 40
funds. Implementation of the Boulder project would cost $75,000. Partners include multiple landowners, USFS,
and NRCS.
Big Grizzly Creek- Sierra Health Foundation
requested FRCRM assistance in early 2004 on Big Grizzly Creek immediately north
of Hwy 70. FRCRM staff met with the
landowner, adjacent landowners and other interested stakeholders to determine
goals and objectives for the channel. A
$5,000 earmark from a Water Forum coordination grant funded initial data
collection and analysis that was completed in 2005. The analysis identified no restoration needs. The FRCRM submitted recommendations to the
landowner to help them maintain the functionality of the site and accommodate
access for fishing and recreation.
Trout Unlimited is helping with these recommendations and will continue
to work with the landowner. The FRCRM
will not be seeking any implementation funding for this project.
Last
Chance-Ferris Fields- This project is part of a larger project that was constructed in
2004, which eliminated approximately 2,200 feet of gullied channel on Last
Chance Creek at the downstream end of Ferris Fields, and another 2,500 feet on
Ferris Creek above the confluence with Last Chance Creek utilizing the pond and
plug technique. The supplemental project proposes to obliterate an additional
4,500 feet of gully on Last Chance Creek using the same technique and includes
2 1/2 miles of fence repair/replacement around the Ferris Fields pasture. Project construction is proposed for
completion in the fall of 2007. Total
project costs are estimated at $141,000.
Funding proposals were submitted to the Watershed Forum for $86,000 and
the RAC for $49,000, with a $6,000 match from Plumas National Forest for fence
materials and re-vegetation.
Coordination:
The FRCRM program has been growing steadily with
increasing demand from landowners and agencies for assistance in stream
channel/meadow restoration. The program only works with willing
landowners. Direct project funding
from state and federal entities has been a reliable source to secure project
funding; however, local and federal sources and state propositions that have
funded many past projects are finishing their final funding cycles in 2006
(i.e. Propositions 40 and 50, the Water Forum, and PL 106-393 Secure Schools Title II).
In early 2006, the FRCRM submitted proposals to all of these sources to
continue funding proposed projects and as a program ‘bridge’ through 2009. The number of current project requests is
exceeding the staff’s ability to respond to the community. There are plans to add an additional project
manager to the staff in 2007, if project funding is realized.
More problematic is coordination and program
capacity-building funds needed to meet the increasing project requests. The
program does not charge for its services for initial contacts, conceptual
project development, and subsequent grant writing. Strategically, the FRCRM secured sufficient funding in 2005 to
maintain coordination activities for current staff efforts, and added an
80%-100% time program coordinator to fulfill current and expected landowner
requests through 2006. In addition,
they were able to secure another $75,000 from the Water Forum in 2005 for
planning/coordination, monitoring, and project implementation.
Current FRCRM staff consists of (4) full-time
positions. These positions are as
follows:
1-
Project/Program Manager- Wilcox 80%
Project funded/20% Coordination
1-
Monitoring Coordinator- Mink 75%
Project funded/25% Coordination
1- Project Manager- Benoit 90% Project
funded/10% Coordination
1--Program
Coordinator- Martynn 80% Coordination/20% Project funded
Proposed positions for 2006:
1--Project
Manager- Vacant 90%
Project funded/10% Coordination
Unfunded Project
Requests (potential funding sources):
Poplar Creek, Phase II- landowner,
Soper-Wheeler (unknown)
Willow Creek- single landowner (landowner; unknown)
Sulphur Creek @ Barry (landowners; unknown)
Sulphur Creek @ Whitehawk Ranch (landowners; unknown)
Spanish Creek Restoration (American
Valley, multiple landowners) (Urban
Streams)
Spanish Creek Vortex Sampler
(relocation and continued operation)
(unknown)
Last Chance Charles-North (The
Nature Conservancy and (unknown)
Landowner, Matley)
Indian Creek @ Garr Ranch “
Wolf IV “
Red Clover @ Chase Bridge (USFS) “
Red Clover @ Noble’s “
Dotta Canyon Creek “
Humbug Creek @ Markwell’s “
Sulphur Creek Complex- McKenzie
Creek, McNair Meadow, “
Sulphur Creek Roads/Plumas
County Rd 114,
Yarrington Meadow, Wash Creek, Sulphur below
Whitehawk, Calfpasture Creek, Mowhawk/Chapman
Road Closure
