Restoration and Human Safety… Fish Passage Projects with Multiple Benefits

Working on private lands habitat restoration projects is a blend of science and art.  Our big picture strategies are guided as much as possible by the best scientific information in large-scale habitat assessment and resource prioritization plans.  We try to focus on strategically addressing the habitat limitations (the ‘life-history bottlenecks’) for key species like salmon across a wide variety of different land ownerships – including private and municipally owned lands. 

In several of our watersheds we have detailed assessments of road crossings (usually culverts) that are blockages to fish movements in rivers and streams.  The culverts are usually far smaller than the stream’s width, resulting in excessive velocities and scour that creates a drop, or perch, at the downstream end. We use the detailed assessments to select barriers that are ‘high priorities’ to address.  This is based on the length and quality of upstream habitat as well as on the number of at-risk or focal fish species that use the stream. But knowing where to work is just the first step.



Perched culvert in Roy Creek before restoration.



The day to day efforts are all about building relationships and partnerships.  That’s where the art comes in.  Working with a diverse array of partners and their broad range of goals means we have to find a way to achieve benefits for everyone while still being true to the intent of our conservation funding.  When you add a sluggish economy and declining budgets to this mix, it really gets interesting.  The collaborative mode is rewarding in itself, but it is also necessary when everyone has fewer resources.   The success of this work is really visible in some of our current restoration projects on Oregon’s north coast.  In addition to selecting projects that are high priorities from a natural resource standpoint, we also look to support critical infrastructure upgrades and to improve public safety.  All of the projects are beneficial to the local economy in that there are lots of jobs and materials purchased.



Seaside Heights Elementary students visit the new culvert
to learn about coastal streams.



Seaside Heights Elementary—When the Seaside School District learned that the culvert under the only access road to Seaside Heights Elementary School was failing and that it would cost nearly a half a million dollars to fix it, they were concerned about the welfare of their 320 students and their families who travel over the culvert daily.  The school had also been designated as a Tsunami Safe Area for the community, making safe access even more critical.  The school didn’t have cash or resources to fix the culvert, but an expedient and creative partnership between Seaside School District, USFWS, Necanicum Watershed Council, City of Seaside, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, NOAA-American Rivers, and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board provided design, permitting, and funding to fix it. The culvert was not only a failure risk; it was a barrier blocking migrating fish from nearly a mile of spawning habitat.  Culvert failure would have dumped 10,000 cubic yards of earthen fill into the stream, damaging habitat quality in the creek and in the productive beaver marsh below – both important rearing habitats for juvenile fish.  Working together, our team of partners installed a 16’ wide by 150’ long culvert with a natural stream bottom to ensure that adult and juvenile fish could move upstream and downstream at all flows.  The school got state-of-the art infrastructure and the City of Seaside got a secure access to a Tsunami Safe Area for their residents.  The school continues to work closely with the watershed council to use the stream as an ‘outdoor’ classroom to engage their students.

Tillamook County—Another important partner has been Tillamook County.  We have culvert assessments and prioritizations that cover nearly the entire county.  This has allowed a broad team of partners to work together to strategically implement projects that open streams to enable fish to move into quality habitat.  Local organizations, like the Nestucca-Neskowin Watershed Council and the Tillamook Estuary Partnership, have been important leaders in gathering the data and coordinating partners.   The Tillamook County Public Works Department has been a great cooperator as well, realizing that much of the infrastructure is under their jurisdiction yet they have extremely spare budgets to address the pressing needs-- even in the case of culverts at risk of failing.  Our projects in Tillamook County have helped salmon, steelhead, trout, and lamprey access important upstream habitats.  At the same time, these projects have also helped improve the City of Tillamook’s drinking water diversion and have fixed a barrier culvert under a county road and Port of Tillamook Railroad crossing.  This coming summer we will fix at least three other important county road crossings, including one that is in imminent risk of failing, and will work on several private lands fish passage projects this summer; providing fish and stream benefits while ensuring safe access to farms and homes, and for logging and gravel trucks and other coastal dwellers to travel a safer road network. 

Achieving the Mission—In the end these projects meet many goals.  They improve fish access to miles of important habitat and improve stream dynamics by removing artificial constrictions to restore natural stream flows and reduce scour of stream habitat features such as spawning gravels.  The projects help repair failing infrastructure that poses human safety risks.  They can help provide secure drinking water resources.  They stretch limited local municipal budgets in tough economic times.  They create an efficient and seamless partnership between local, state, and federal agencies where everyone contributes an essential piece in a complex puzzle. 

Tillamook county Commissioner Mark Labhart
speaks at the Roy Creek Ribbon Cutting Celebration.

The value of this type of partnership was recognized by Senator Betsy Johnson at the ribbon cutting ceremony on the Roy Creek Fish Passage project in Tillamook County last November, “This is really a big deal.  This goes to show what we can accomplish when we work together.” Her thoughts were echoed by Lower Nehalem Watershed Council Chair George Hemmingway, who said, “This just shows what can be done when people at the local community level, stakeholders and leaders, are encouraged and aided by government agencies at all levels. Bottom up and grassroots thinking, aided by county, state and federal experts and funds. What an idea…very Oregonian.”

And, last but not least, they achieve the Fish and Wildlife Service mission, which is after all, working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Submitted by Amy Horstman, Fish and Wildlife Habitat Restoration Program

Tenacious Trespasser #3: Hydrilla

Hydrilla

(Hydrilla verticillata)                   

What is it?

 Hydrilla is a submerged, perennial aquatic plant that has earned the illustrious title “world’s worst invasive aquatic plant”.  Listed as a federal noxious weed, this awful aquatic has made its home in just about every conceivable freshwater habitat including: rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, canals, ditches, and reservoirs.

FACT: Hydrilla is named after Hydra the 9-headed serpent of Greek mythology because it can grow an entirely new plant from a tiny stem fragment.

What does it look like?

In Washington State, hydrilla is often confused with the native aquatic plant American waterweed (Elodea Canadensis), or fellow non-native nasty Brazilian elodea (Egeria densa).  Hydrilla can be distinguished from these look-alikes by its leaves and the presence of tubers.  Hydrilla has small, bright green, pointed leaves with serrated edges and 1 or more sharp “tooth” under the center of the leaf (Brazilian elodea and waterweed lack this tooth).  The leaves of hydrilla are arranged in whorls of 3-8 (but generally 5), that are connected directly to the stem.  Hydrilla also produces potato-like tubers at the end of each underground stem that the plant uses for reproduction and food storage (neither Brazilian elodea nor waterweed has tubers).  Stems of hydrilla are thin and may grow at a rate of one inch per day.  As hydrilla nears the water surface, the stems branch prolifically and will continue to grow horizontally, often forming impenetrable mats of vegetation.  Hydrilla generally grows rooted into substrate, but the plant is easily fragmented and it will also survive as a free floating mat at the water surface.          

FACT: Stems of hydrilla may grow up to 30 feet long.

Where is it from & where is it now?

Hydrilla is native to Asia (i.e., India, Sri Lanka, Korea) and possibly mainland Australia.

Today, hydrilla is considered a cosmopolitan species – more of a super invader than a super model, this wily weed can now be found on every continent except Antarctica.  Hydrilla was first discovered in the United States in the 1960’s at two separate locations in Florida.  Since this time it has spread to many parts of the US including four western states.  The map below depicts states with hydrilla presence as of 2011.

FACT:  Hydrilla has been found in 30 US states. 

 

How did it get here?

Hydrilla was first brought to the United States intentionally to sell as an aquarium plant.  Today it is spread primarily by human activities.  Small fragments of hydrilla can be transported from one water body to another on boats, trailers, recreational gear, earthmoving equipment, and even our furry four-legged friends (yes I’m talking about you Fido).  Hydrilla has been spread by careless pet owners dumping plants from aquariums into ponds and streams.  It has been found hitchhiking in shipments of water lilies or other aquatic plants used in water gardens, and incredibly, it is still sold through the occasional aquarium supply dealer or over the internet. 

FACT:  Hydrilla has been intentionally introduced by fisherman hoping to improve fishing in their favorite lakes.

Why does it do so well?

Talk about a habitat generalist, this pesky plant can grow in a wide variety of water conditions (e.g., high/low nutrients, high/low turbidity, variable pH, up to 7% salinity), substrates, and water temperatures.  Unlike most native aquatic plants, hydrilla is capable of growing under extremely low light conditions at depths of up to 30 feet.  Hydrilla is able to begin photosynthesizing much earlier in the morning than native plants so it is able to capture most of the carbon dioxide in the water (which limits growth of other plants).  In its non-native range hydrilla grows very rapidly (it can double its biomass every two weeks in summer) and has no natural predators or diseases to limit its population.

FACT:  Hydrilla can reproduce four different ways: fragmentation, tubers, turions (buds in leaf axil), and seeds.

What are its impacts?

Hydrilla is best (or worst) known for its tendency to completely take over a water body.  Dense infestations of hydrilla can shade or crowd out all other native aquatic plants, alter water chemistry, cause dramatic swings in dissolved oxygen levels, increase water temperatures and affect the diversity and abundance of fish populations.  Thick mats of vegetation can impede navigation, reduce recreational boating, fishing and swimming opportunities, reduce flow in irrigation canals and clog industrial pipes and intake grates.    

FACT: Tubers of hydrilla can lie dormant for over four years in undisturbed soil before sprouting into a new plant.  One square meter of hydrilla can produce 5,000 tubers.

What is being done about it?

Unfortunately once hydrilla infests a water body, it is difficult and very costly to eradicate.  Millions of dollars are spent each year on physical (e.g., hand pulling, dredging, suction harvesting and water level drawdowns), chemical (herbicides) and biological controls (e.g., triploid grass carp, snails, leaf-mining flies and tuber-feeding weevils) each with varying levels of success and environmental risks.  For now, the best method of controlling hydrilla is preventing new infestations through public outreach and education.

FACT:  Even manatees (Trichechus manatus) have been considered for biological control of hydrilla in Florida.

How can YOU prevent the spread of Hydrilla?

It only takes a one inch fragment of hydrilla to begin an infestation.  To minimize the potential spread of this persistent plant, follow these simple steps.

·       AVOID: boating through mats of hydrilla.  This will minimize fragmentation and the spreading of plants.

·       CLEAN: any mud and/or plant fragments from your boat, propeller, boat trailer and all your gear including waders and boots before leaving a water body.

·       DRAIN: all of the water from your boat (including the bilge, live well, motor), trailer, tackle and gear before leaving the area.

·       DRY: your boat, trailer and gear after each use.

·       NEVER: release aquarium or water garden plants into the wild.  Instead, seal them in a plastic bag and throw them in the trash.

What if I find a Hydrilla?

If you find Hydrilla or any other “tenacious trespasser” contact the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force at 1-877-STOP-ANS.  If you spot a potential aquatic invader in Oregon, contact the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-UNVADER.  In Washington State you can report a potential sighting at 1-877-9-INFEST.

Submitted by Jen Poirier 

Northwest Fish Culture Conference 2012

Approximately 350 folks interested in the science, application and management of hatcheries and aquaculture in the northwest gathered at the 63^rd Annual NW Fish Culture Conference at the Portland, Oregon downtown waterfront Marriott from December 11^th through the 13^th, 2012.   The conference host rotates each year and this year the host was the Fisheries Program of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working in cooperation with the Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.  Speakers and attendees were from state, tribal, academic, provincial, federal, and private organizations.  The program theme was Progressive Fish Culture in the Northwest and included presentations from British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.  

2012 NW Fish Culture Conference Committee

A trade show hall featured at our breaks and during our social, included 28 vendors demonstrating their latest wares for fish culturists.  Over 25 College students representing Mt. Hood Community College, Bellingham Technical College, and Oregon State University attended and volunteered at the conference.    The NW Fish Culture Conference Committee will be providing student scholarships from donations and proceeds from our fun-filled raffle.  

Trade Show

A Fish Culture Hall of Fame was started in 1999 and this year’s Hall of Fame inductees included retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees:  Joe Banks, Wesley Orr, and Dr. Gary Wedemeyer.   A Hall of Fame member from 2001, Dr. John Halver, was also recognized as recently passed away.   For more information about the 63^rd Annual NW Fish Culture Conference, including the complete program and presentations, go to our website:

http://www.fws.gov/columbiariver/nwfcc2012.html

Fish Culture Hall of Fame Inductees

Submitted by Doug Olson

Highlights from 2012

The highlight for me was continuing our lamprey surveys in the Lower White Salmon and White Salmon River mouth and to witness firsthand the changes to this ecosystem after the breach of Condit Dam and subsequent flushing of the Northwestern Reservoir Sediments.  (Jeff Jolley)

My highlight was helping to get the PIT tag array system and solar panels in the Imnaha River working extremely well so we can really understand bull trout movement in the watershed. (Tim Whitesel)

The highlight for me was working with STEP students Taylor, Hannah, Juliette, and Sean. (Donna Allard)

My highlight without question was working with STEP students Brianne Ankenman, Aaron Mettler, and Emily Peterson.  Bright, pleasant young people.  The work we did (bull trout occupancy sampling in the Umatilla Basin) wasn't as hard as it gets, but it wasn't easy, and they were always game, never complaining--even when their guide (yours truly) led them out of the steep and deep Shimmiehorn Creek country onto the wrong ridge (i.e., not the one the rigs were on), adding five miles of hiking to their day.  Just more opportunity for The Bear Bells (Brianne and Emily) to chat away, and for Aaron to cross train lugging around the backpack electrofisher.  (Paul Sankovich)



Brianne, Aaron, Emily, and Paul



I got to spend a week in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge mapping water control structures. This entailed a lot of hiking around dry ponds and ditches with a GPS unit. While looking for the structures, it's not hard catch glimpses of all the wildlife. I saw golden eagles, bald eagles, otters, beavers, coyotes, deer, and lots of quail just to name a few. The refuge, located in SE Oregon, highlights a high desert environment with few trees, lots of sage, and is characterized by being very flat with buttes, capped with rimrock, that stick up out of the landscape. Truly a breathtaking place to work.  (Nadia Jones)

Krumbo Reservoir

 
My highlight was doing the fall Chinook salmon redd surveys in the White Salmon River this year with everyone.  We observed redds and salmon upstream of the former Condit Dam location (the dam was breached last year and removed this year).  I expected salmon and spawning in the upper White Salmon River but seeing it with my own eyes made it a highlight for me this year.  (Rod Engle)

My highlight this year was working with a crew of fun, dedicated and hard working students.  Juliet Harrison, Brianne Ankenman, Sean Hansen, Aaron Mettler, Ben Wishnek, Jordan Miller, Emily Peterson, and John Newbury.  (Brook

Silver)

STEP Students

I got to put a bull trout from the Metolius into the Clackamas River as part of a bull trout reintroduction program!  (Marci Koski)



Marci releasing a bull trout into the Clackamas River



• Learning how to surgically implant radio telemetry tags in juvenile spring Chinook salmon.
• Kayaking the lower Warm Springs River to mobile track radio-tagged juvenile Chinook salmon.
• Conducting spawning ground surveys on the White Salmon River and being one of the first groups of people to raft through the former site of Condit Dam - an experience I will never forget!  (Jen Poirier)



Jen surgically implanting a radio tag into a Chinook salmon.



My highlight for 2012 was tracking juvenile Chinook salmon in the beautiful lower Deschutes river.  (Brian Davis)

Deschutes River

2012 was a fun year, I think one of my favorite things was seeing projects that were years in the making happen on the ground with so much great collaboration from so many partners.  In particular, providing fish passage at the South Fork Necanicum dam was really exciting.  (Amy Horstman)

My highlight during my time here so far would have to be a tie between going out to help with PIT tagging, and watching the office run around to "Gangnam Style" during the CFC Cake Walk fundraiser.  I never thought I'd hear that ridiculous song here.  (Christina Uh)

Highlight for 2012:  Being a part of the Service's Region 1 Surrogate Species "Training Team".  Working with colleagues in other Service programs to put together workshops and a webinar to explain and solicit feedback on the Service's use of surrogate species as a biological planning tool for Strategic Habitat Conservation. Manning Region 1's Surrogate Species Hotline, ready to jump into action at the ring of a phone!  (David Hand)

Dave manning the hot line.


The highlights of 2012 for me were on-site project visits both for the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board, and with Amy Horstman on projects funded by the National Fish Passage Program.  (Ron Rhew)

For me, the highlights of 2012 were working with a great group of folks on the NW Fish Culture Conference; starting conversations to develop an ECOS-FIS-CRiS database evolution; and the honor of supervising a stellar hatchery assessment team.  (Doug Olson)

The highlight of my year was getting certified as a Swiftwater Rescue Technician through a three day training course in the White Salmon River, WA.  (Maureen Kavanagh)



Maureen with her certificate of completion.



My best part of 2012 was getting to work at Winthrop NFH in August.  On my day off, I went up to Harts Pass and took a hike on the last stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail before it reaches the Canadian border.   It’s definitely a place I look forward to revisiting every year.  (Geoff Gribble)



Hart's Pass



The highlight for me was hiring Christina Uh last summer and making her part of the new Pathways program.  (Larry Fishler)

 One of my major highlights of the year was working with Donna Allard, Sean Connolly and others from the regional office to produce a video overview of the automated marking trailers at Spring Creek NFH in March.  It was awkward having a video camera following me around for a day,  but it was great to be able to work on something that would help showcase and explain to the public how an automated trailer works . Sean's team did a great job of cutting out about 80% of the awkward footage and piecing together the few good parts to turn into, what I think, is an excellent video.

 Another big highlight for me was getting out to Winthrop NFH in August to coded wire tag Coho salmon for the Yakama Indian Nation.  Winthrop NFH is a great location to work at and I really enjoyed spending a day off fly fishing the Chewuch and catching 8 - 14 inch cutthroat and rainbow trout on a 3 weight fly rod.  It was an amazing experience that was good for the mind and soul.

  My final highlight of the year would have to be spending a week at Winthrop NFH in October with the CRFPO project leader and having the opportunity to get him into the field with the marking team.  It was great to not only show Howard what we do, but also to have him be a part of it.  Marking team members enjoyed having the opportunity to work with him and I think, (although they may not admit it) slightly enjoyed having a chance to boss him around a little.  Howard was very helpful, worked hard, and seemed to enjoy the change of scenery.  The marking team is hopeful that he might find the time to join us in the field again sometime in 2013.  (Jesse Rivera)

November 2012 Bull Trout Embryo Collections (William Brignon)

From left to right – Ryan Koch (USFWS), William Brignon (USFWS, OSU), Carl Schreck (OSU, USGS), Doug Olson (USFWS), Porter The Dog (volunteer), Jacque Schreck (volunteer), James Archibald (USFWS), Cheyenne Wahnetah (Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon), Tim Whitesel (USFWS), Rob Chitwood (OSU), and Brook Silver (USFWS). 

Poster Presented at the 2012 Northwest Fish Culture Conference and the 2013 Oregon Chapter of the American Fisheries Society Meeting.  (William Brignon) 

My highlight is working on the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Agreement which was signed by 33 of our state, tribal, federal and local agency partners. (Christina Luzier)

Signatories of the Pacific Lamprey Conservation Agreement

The highlight of my year has been to watch a number of our biologists and professional staffs grow.
 
Many folks at CRFPO have stretched their scientific capability by voluntarily advancing their education through working on completing undergraduate or graduate degrees.    Many others have advanced themselves and teams by coming up with creative and new approaches to field techniques and population assessment approaches.  A number of our folks have published manuscripts to share this information with our partners and colleagues.
 
The area where I have observed tremendous professional growth is in our staff taking leadership roles in advancing the operation of our office to building conservation plans across multiple regions with multiple partners.  Our administrative folks have kept our operation smooth, despite the challenges of a new financial system. Many of our folks have volunteered to participate and lead on regional and national initiatives related to landscape conservation and climate change issues.  The general feedback I have received from numerous internal and external partners is that – ‘our folks are advancing fish conservation in a big way’.

Lastly, we have a number of dedicated folks constantly improving the delivery of the quantity and quality of our enormous fish marking program.  The individual leadership these folks take day in and day out for delivering this program is amazing.

Watching these future leaders of the Fish and Wildlife Service grow and step-up to this huge conservation challenge is the highlight of my year.  (Howard Schaller, Project Leader)

Happy Holidays Everyone!