The Bear River Watershed supports populations of chum, chinook, coho, steelhead, and searun cutthroat trout which are believed to be the most native populations of salmonids in the Willapa Ecosystem. The Bear River Watershed Restoration Partnership was initiated in '96 to restore watershed level functions & processes which provide habitat for salmonids & maintain ecosystem productivity, through addressing limiting factors, by restoring key historic watershed characteristics. The partnership, comprised of Longview Fibre Company, Hampton Affiliates, USFWS, Columbia Pacific Resource Conservation and Development Council, Pacific Conservation Dis..... Updated 3/30/2010 Pacific County Region (LE)

Knotweed control / Riparian Restoration Updated 2/2/2010 Pacific County Region (LE)

This project is a continuation of work started in 1997 to reestablish chum, coho, and sea run cutthroat trout to an unnamed stream, which runs through the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge (WNWR) Headquarters. Previous work focused on removing fish passage barriers, rehabilitating spawning beds and reestablishing a chum salmon use. One tide-gate and three culverts were removed, spawning gravel was placed at one location, and 150,000 chum fry have been released over the past two years. In addition to the released chum fry, 13 juvenile coho salmon have recolonized the stream as a result of barriers being removed. This project will reconfigure t..... Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

Because of past anthropomorphic activity, WRIA 24 has become degraded. Land use practices have resulted in increased sediment input into key basin streams. The Nemah and Naselle Rivers in particular are impacted. It is clearly understood that a variety of natural instream processes (LWD, pool and riffles, bank stability, floodplains, etc.) contribute to the ecosystem health of instream habitats. These elements sustain properly functioning ecosystems and maintain biodiversity for salmon and trout in the freshwater environment. In particular, they maintain and facilitate the natural role of sediment in stream channels. Alterations in the..... Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

The Trap Creek sub-basin has been identified in the Willapa Headwaters Watershed Analysis and the Limiting Factors Report as a very important area for salmon habitat. The lower three miles of Trap Creek have been noted as some of the best potential spawning habitat in the Willapa Watershed. Through the aforementioned watershed analysis, the Aline was documented as a major contributor of sediments to Trap Creek due to mass wasting. This project proposes to abandon 1.4 miles of the Trap Creek A-Line road and place engineered large woody debris structures in Trap Creek. Prior road abandonment projects in headwater locations have helped allev..... Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

This site is on an unmapped tributary to the North River. Estimated habitat gain is 0.25 miles (400m). Coho carcass observed at culvert. Second culvert at site, a 12 inch steel pipe which appears to be a well casing, doesn't go through to the opposite side. Portions of the stream have good habitat quality, but the majority is poor. No riparian for 200 ft below culvert, then goes through wooded area where stream drys in summer. Downstream culvert under neighbors driveway, is at worst a partial barrier since fish reach the Spencer culvert during winter. There was no visible flow at the downstream neighbors culvert. Area gated and locked. U..... Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

The South Bend, Mill Creek Stream restoration project will restore approximately 800 feet of spawning habitat and reconnect off-channel estuary rearing habitat for salmon. Our strategy this round was to focus on small spawning streams where we had sufficient data and could interface with the estuarine projects from the past SRFB funding rounds. This stream had three (3) surveys completed by three (3) separate consultants to validate the potential of the project, plus willing landowners and local support. "Salmon and Steelhead Habitat Limiting Factors in the Willapa Basin" identifies loss of large, woody debris (LWD), rearing habitat, and..... Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

There is no description available for this project Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

Need: Two Tide gates are blocking access to 7.5 miles of important biological processes of spawning and rearing. Willapa Bay RFEG had a Habitat Assessment conducted by Watershed Professional Network (WPN 2006) (12,000 meters) that found the current Tide Gates have a PI of 34. The report shows that the Tide Gates block all salmonid 22 hours of the 24 hour tide cycle. Tide Gates were relocated to present location 7 years ago, outside natural stream channel. Goals: The Goal of this project will be to develop a final design to remove/replace the salmon blockage gates with new technology fish friendly gate(s) for salmonid, in the natural ch..... Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

Need: Two 5 ft. Culverts in Skidmore Slough under the South Bend-Raymond Rd are blocking passage of salmonids access to important biological process of spawning and rearing to about 7.5 mils of habitat. A habitat Assessment (12,000meters) by Water Professional Network (WPN. 2006) determined the PI to be 32. Goal: This project will remove these two culvert and replace with a 70 ft. bridge that will provide a natural stream passage for salmonids. Scope: Construction and permitting to implement the design for new bridge. Expected Outcomes: The size of the bridge was selected after Geotechnical Testing, land survey, and tidal in-flow stud..... Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

Willapa Bay Fisheries Enhancement Group hired a contractor to prepare a more detailed evaluation of Salmon Creek a tributary to the Naselle River. About 6,500 feet have been identified as lacking channel structure and sinuosity. The existing #5900 road was constructed between the stream and an adjacent wetland. The road will be abandoned downstream to the Horse Camp. Road abandonment by the Campbell Group and DNR is not part of the funding request. Improvements will include in-stream habitat features, and re-grading of the channel migration zone to re-connect off-channel habitat. Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)

Authors of the WRIA 24 Strategic Plan admit that insufficient work has been done to evaluate and rank the relative importance of estuarine areas of Willapa Bay as habitat for salmon and steelhead or to devise specific projects directed at restoring key estuarine habitat. The Strategic Plan and Limiting Factors analysis mention a number of potential problems affecting estuarine habitat: the invasion of exotic smooth cordgrass, displacement of native eelgrass, the loss of LWD, and loss of wetlands from diking and filling. The Strategy however includes no specific ranking of nearshore and estuarine habitat in Willapa Bay or potential restoratio..... Updated 7/3/2009 Pacific County Region (LE)