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Hancock Springs

Hancock Springs A natural lab for studying the roles of physical habitat, nutrient availability, and non-native species to inform river restoration . John Jorgensen Yakama Nation Fisheries.

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Hancock Springs

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  1. Hancock Springs A natural lab for studying the roles of physical habitat, nutrient availability, and non-native species to inform river restoration John Jorgensen Yakama Nation Fisheries

  2. Today’s talk will cover:- The regional problem: Reduced natural production- Factors limiting natural production- An integrated restoration approach- Discussion of Hancock Springs- Summary and Conclusions- Q&A/Discussion

  3. Hancock Springs (RM 59)

  4. The Problem

  5. Salmon production and population declines

  6. Salmon population declines are often due to cumulative effects of many factors

  7. Biomass Reductions Gresch et al. 2000

  8. Factors limiting natural production“The Big 3”:1. Habitat lossand degradation2. Loss of marine derived nutrients (MDN)3. Deleterious presence of non-native fishes

  9. Upper Columbia Natural Production Restoration Program Goal: To identify, test, evaluate, and implement measures to increase natural production of anadromous salmonids in the Upper Columbia River Basin.

  10. Upper Columbia Natural Production Restoration Program Current Projects: Upper Columbia Nutrient Enhancement Project (Twisp River) Hancock Springs Project (Today’s talk)

  11. Goal: Use Hancock Springs to quantify separate and combined effects of habitat restoration, nutrient addition, and non-native fish removal on natural production of anadromous salmonids. Hancock Springs Project

  12. Obj. 1: Evaluate fine scale responses to a series of restorative treatments Hancock Springs Project

  13. Obj. 2: Understand the contributions of spring creeks in Upper Columbia tributaries Hancock Springs Project

  14. Obj. 3 Use results to guide larger restoration actions Hancock Springs Project

  15. Project Area

  16. Physical Conditions

  17. Biological Conditions

  18. First Phase (Hand Work)

  19. Natural Production in HS Natural Production

  20. Second Phase

  21. Channel Reconfiguration

  22. Channel Excavation

  23. Re-building stream banks

  24. Vegetation/Stabilizing Banks

  25. Supplementing Riffles

  26. Adding LWD

  27. Changes Before After

  28. Reach 1 (control); Reach 2 (Treatment )

  29. 2012 SpawningSteelhead Redds (treatment 7) (control 0)Chinook Redds (treatment 12) (control 1)

  30. Reach 1(treatment ) Reach 2 (Control) DEMCHaMP Digital Elevation Model

  31. Steelhead Spawning 2012

  32. Benefits/Opportunities HS provides a thermally and hydrologically stable stream-scale system for evaluating restoration treatments that address the “Big 3” limiting factors, not feasible at larger river scales: Physical habitat restoration Nutrient addition Removal of non-natives (brook trout)

  33. Benefits/Opportunities HS provides the opportunity to quantify effects of various restoration treatments within and between treatment and control reaches in ways not feasible at larger river scales. HS serves as a communal stream scale research facility to help researchers collect data to asses ecological functions associated with restoration measures and to validate ecological models.

  34. Project history/Treatment structure 2005: Habitat in HS was determined to be prohibiting natural production; restoration potential identified 2006-2011: Initial and engineered habitat restoration in Reach 1 completed in 2011.

  35. Treatment structure • 2012-2014: • Physical and biological monitoring in Reach 1 (treatment) and Reach 2 (control) implemented to evaluate responses to habitat restoration. • 1. Do nutrient concentrations appear to substantially limit • natural production? • 2. Does the presence of brook trout substantially restrict natural production?

  36. Adaptive Management

  37. Treatment structure

  38. Treatment structure Subsequent restoration treatments depend on outcomes of 2012 - 2014 nutrient and brook trout assessments Consistent physical habitat and biological monitoring occurs annually in both reaches

  39. Biological monitoring

  40. Habitat monitoring

  41. Summary and Conclusions Mitigating multiple ecological limitations in altered habitats often requires an integrated approach of multiple treatments Hancock Springs provides a unique and valuable opportunity to study the separate and combined effects of habitat restoration, nutrient addition, and removal of non-natives. Initial results have been encouraging We look forward to collaborating with others to collectively contribute to the science of river restoration and increased natural production.

  42. Questions?

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