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Underwood Conservation District |
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Conservation Projects
Underwood Conservation District assists landowners with many projects. UCD
supplies technical assistance and engineering to landowners in project
planning and design, provides cost-share funds to partly cover project costs,
and can help landowners find other sources of funding for projects with
public benefit. Current & past projects include: Middle Wind River Riparian Enhancement Project (RAC Title II) Mountain Laurel Jerseys Dairy Nutrient Management Plan Schmid Bank Stabilization (ECY) Simmons Creek Restoration (SRFB) Stoller Creek Fish Passage Project (Reynolds Bridge, FFFPP) Trout Lake Creek Bank Stabilization (ECY) Whitewater Holsteins Dairy Nutrient Management Plan Middle The primary project goal is to enhance riparian and fish
habitat structure and function through the construction of a series of log structures and the installation of
extensive riparian plantings along a one mile reach of main-stem and
side-channel habitat in the middle Wind River. The Middle Wind River is an important reach
has historically been used for logging, small-scale rock mining, and various
recreational activities. The river is
currently relatively un-shaded and lacking in mature trees and large woody
debris. The channel also has steeply
eroded banks, which has lead to a wide, shallow river during low water and
allows the channel to shift dramatically during periods of high flow. Specific objectives of the project are to
reduce the low-flow and high-flow width-to-depth ratios; increase the
abundance of floodplain and in-channel large woody debris; increase bank
stability and to increase stream shading.
As of June 2009, UCD has installed 17 log structures, completed the 8th
year of re-vegetation work and the 4th year of invasive weed
management along the middle Wind River. Mountain Laurel Jerseys Dairy Nutrient Management PlanMonte and Laura Pearson own and operate Mountain Laurel Jerseys Dairy with their son Travis. The dairy is certified organic with the Organic Valley Cooperative. WA State Department of Agriculture requires periodic updates of the dairy’s Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan, which can be burdensome for the dairymen to accomplish on their own. In 2008, UCD contracted with Clark Conservation District’s certified planner, Lisa Schuchman, to visit the dairies and update their plans. The work was funded by WA State Conservation Commission’s Livestock Technical Assistance funds. The updated plans were complete in time for recent WA State Department of Agriculture inspections. Schmid Bank Stabilization (ECY) Mark and Kristi Schmid have worked hard to maintain a healthy riparian area along the White Salmon River and have reforested and fenced cattle out of 17 riverside acres under the CREP program (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program). Approximately 500 linear feet of the White Salmon river bank on this farm experienced severe erosion, resulting in steep, vertical cutbanks devoid of vegetation. The farm’s manure storage lagoon is located adjacent to the river, about 70 feet at closest to the streambank. In 1996, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) constructed rock barbs along this stretch, in order to repair bank erosion after the ’96 floods. The work was only partially successful, and streambank erosion continued. Underwood Conservation District secured funding from a Centennial Clean Water grant with WA Dept. of Ecology to stabilize and revegetate the streambank in order to enhance fish habitat and reduce the chance that floods will breach the farm’s manure lagoon. This work was completed in the summer of 2007, and the landowners are continuing to revegetate the bank with riparian native plants. Mark and Kristi have this to say about the project: “It has been a pleasure working with the conservation team and we appreciate all that they have done to protect our farmland's future.” Simmons Creek Restoration (summer 2009) The Simmons Creek Project will restore and stabilize on a reach of Simmons Creek where eroded and unstable banks contribute to sedimentation and decreased water quality downstream. The project, to be implemented in the summer of 2009, will utilize woody debris and native vegetation to add channel roughness to Simmons Creek. These actions will allow the stream to re-vegetate, capture sediment and hold water more effectively, while preventing further erosion. Additionally, off-stream cattle watering sites will be installed to reduce the impact cattle currently have on the stream. This will help reconnect the channel to the floodplain, increase water storage, and increase summer in-stream flows, which will in turn improve salmon habitat downstream in Snyder Creek. This project is funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) Stoller Creek Fish Passage
Project ( WA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, WA Dept. of Natural Resources, and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board have combined efforts to provide the Family Forest Fish Passage Program (FFFPP). Underwood Conservation District served as the local sponsor and administrator of this project, working with landowners, Tom and Bonnie Reynolds. The Reynolds own and manage 21 acres of forestland along the White Salmon River and Stoller Creek, and after enrolling in the FFFPP program, the landowners had the option to replace the old culvert with a bridge, an arch culvert (which was more expensive than the bridge due to site constraints), or remove the stream crossing all together. Because of an existing easement providing access across Stoller Creek to private forestland, the bridge option was chosen. The project was constructed in the summer of 2008. UCD staff and the landowner assisted with replanting the project area this fall with a variety of native shrubs and trees. Approximately 2.3 miles of fish habitat were opened up for residential fish, according to a WDFW stream survey. Bonnie Reynolds had this to say about the project, “Tom and I are delighted with the bridge and believe it is a community benefit to have the fish passage reestablished. The stream bed already looks very natural, as if it was always just as it is. I love the sound of it rushing toward the White Salmon. The project was accomplished very quickly with minimal disruption to the vegetation and soil around the stream. With the replanting I imagine that within a year, there will be little evidence of the construction project except the mighty fine bridge. And it came in under estimated cost - WOW.” Trout Lake Creek Bank Stabilization (ECY) Since 1995 Underwood Conservation District has provided technical assistance to Bill and Carol Anderson and neighbors for the purpose of repairing their eroding streambank along Trout Lake Creek. On-the-ground work was finally made possible through a Centennial Clean Water grant with WA Dept. of Ecology. This funding has enabled the project’s development and imminent construction, planned for this summer. UCD’s engineers have developed designs and construction specifications, UCD staff has acquired all necessary permits for the project, and a construction contract has been awarded for the work. Construction work will commence in August and be complete by the first of October. Riparian native planting in the fall will help with finishing the streambank rehabilitation. Whitewater Holsteins Dairy Nutrient Management PlanMark and Kristi Schmid own and operate Whitewater Holsteins Dairy, which is also certified organic with the Organic Valley Cooperative. As described above, Whitewater Holsteins Dairy was required to update their Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan in order to be in compliance with WSDA requirements and state law. With UCD assistance and funding from WA State Conservation Commission’s Livestock Technical Assistance funds, the updated plans were complete in time for recent WA State Department of Agriculture inspections. |
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