PUBLIC SCOPING Ryan Ranch Wetland Restoration Project Bend/ Fort Rock Ranger District, Deschutes National Forest Deschutes County, Oregon

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1 United States Department f Agriculture Frest Service Deschutes Natinal Frest Bend-Ft. Rck Ranger District 1230 NE 3 rd, Suite A-262 Bend, OR (541) File Cde: 1950 Date: December 22, 2008 PUBLIC SCOPING Ryan Ranch Wetland Restratin Prject Bend/ Frt Rck Ranger District, Deschutes Natinal Frest Deschutes Cunty, Oregn Dear Reader: Yu are invited t review and cmment n this prpsal. Fr yur cmments t be mst helpful, please respnd by February 1, We wuld like t hear frm yu. The Bend-Frt Rck Ranger District is prpsing t restre wetland hydrlgy and vegetatin t Ryan Ranch Meadw alng the Deschutes River. The meadw is a histric slugh backwater area that has nt received river water fr nearly 100 years due t a man-made levee alng the river bank. Apprximately 0.3 miles f the levee wuld be lwered t level f the natural riverbank and three inlet/utlet channels wuld be excavated between the river and meadw area t allw river water t enter and exit the meadw during the spring, summer and fall mnths. Mechanized equipment wuld be used t lwer the levee and excavating the channels. The prject wuld als re-rute the Deschutes River Trail arund the existing meadw and cnstruct an interpretive bardwalk acrss a prtin f the wetland. Partnerships fr implementatin f the prject are being pursued with the Oregn Department f State Lands, the Oregn Department f Fish and Wildlife and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Cuncil. The prject area is clse t Bend and presents an pprtunity fr public educatin and training fr future wetland restratin. Prject Lcatin: The prject area is lcated suthwest f the City f Bend, alng the Deschutes River immediately upstream f Dilln Falls. (Twnship 19 Suth, Range 11 East, sectins 4 and 5; see Figure 1). The prject area encmpasses Ryan Ranch Meadw and extends west t FS rad , nrth t FS rad , east t the Deschutes River and suth t a decmmissined rad in the upland frest. The entire prject area is n Natinal Frest System lands managed under the Inland Native Fish Strategy (INFISH, USDA Frest Service, 1995) and is lcated within the Upper Deschutes 4 th field watershed, the Pilt Butte 5 th field watershed, and the Benham Falls 6 th field sub-watershed. Additinally, the prject area is lcated within the Upper Deschutes Wild and Scenic River and State Scenic Waterway crridr alng a reach designated as Scenic in the Upper Deschutes Wild and Scenic River and State Scenic Waterway Cmprehensive Management Plan (USDA Frest Service, 1996). Existing Cnditin: Ryan Ranch Meadw currently receives water nly frm direct precipitatin r subsurface flw frm the seasnal Kiwa Springs tributary entering frm the west. The existing levee has been in place fr nearly 100 years. The levee prevents water frm the Deschutes River frm entering and inundating the meadw thrugh the summer and fall mnths unlike ther slugh systems lcated up and dwnstream f this site. Currently, the innermst basin f the meadw (apprximately 20 acres) hlds standing water int mid-june and dries ut during the summer and fall mnths. The invasive species reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) has been identified thrughut the meadw and n the levee and cntinues t spread under the current misture regime. The levee is being erded by the river, which has created five significant nick pints alng this reach. One nick pint has reached the tp f the levee where the River Trail is lcated and will likely erde thrugh the levee if it is nt reinfrced. Three ther nick pints lcated n the levee banks cntinue t erde alng this reach. A nick pint lcated farthest dwnstream was reinfrced with large bulders in the 1970 s and 80 s and remains stable (see Figure 2). Caring fr the Land and Serving Peple Printed n Recycled Paper

2 Figure 1. Ryan Ranch Wetland Restratin lcatin map

3 Figure 2. Active nick pint crssing the River Trail (left) and bulder reinfrcement (right). Purpse and Need: The purpse f this prject is t restre the hydrlgic interactin f the Deschutes River with a histric slugh. There is a need t address the existing degradatin and ersin f the river and levee banks, as well as the spread f the invasive species reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) int the meadw. Prpsed Actin: The Ryan Ranch Wetland Restratin Prject prpses t inundate apprximately 60 acres f Natinal Frest Land by recnnecting the hydrlgy f the Deschutes River with an histric slugh. The prject wuld alter an existing levee and excavate three inlet/utlet channels between the river and slugh basin in rder t create bank and fldplain cnditins capable f being saturated by the hydrlgy f the current flw regimes and allw river water t inundate the slugh basin as the river flws are ramped up fr irrigatin seasn. Additinal prpsed actins include vegetative planting, trail cnstructin, and the cnstructin f fish habitat structures. Specifically, the prject wuld: Lwer apprximately 0.3 miles f cnstructed levee t a natural bank and fldplain elevatin alng the margin f the meadw/slugh. The surface f the established bank and fldplain prfiles wuld be de-cmpacted and planted with sedge and willw species t stabilize the river bank alng this reach. Sedge mat plugs measuring up t 9 square feet wuld be remved frm ther riparian areas alng the Deschutes River and placed alng the river bank n tp f the newly established and expsed fldplain elevatin. Willws wuld be planted alng the reach apprximately 5 t 10 feet away frm the riverbank edge, mimicking cnditins n ther reaches and acrss the river. Create three inlet/utlet channels between the river and the meadw t allw river water t enter and exit the histric slugh habitat. Levels wuld be excavated t an elevatin apprximately 0.5 feet belw high summer river flws. Tw channels wuld be created where apparent histric cnnectins existed and ne wuld be created thrugh the nick pint identified in Figure 2 (left pht). Inundate apprximately 60 acres f Natinal Frest land capable f string water and prviding wetland slugh habitat suitable fr migratry birds, Oregn sptted frgs and many ther species f flra and fauna. Extensive inundatin is expected t cntain and reduce the existing reed canary grass ppulatins ver time.

4 Re-rute the Deschutes River Trail arund the wetland area and cnstruct an interpretive American Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible bardwalk/trail lp in the nrtheastern lbe f the meadw/slugh. Apprximately 600 feet f bardwalk wuld be cnstructed acrss the nrtheastern lbe f the slugh fr ft traffic and interpretive access, and apprximately 1.5 miles f naturally treaded trail wuld be defined arund the utside bundary f the slugh as a re-rute f the 0.30 miles f the River Trail currently lcated n the levee. There is pssibility fr additinal bardwalk cnstructin leading t wildlife viewing platfrms. Create three fish habitat structures alng the rdinary high water mark f the river t imprve the cmplexity and variety f habitat fr redband trut (Oncrhyncus mykiss gairdneri) and brwn trut (Salm trutta). Apprximately 30 trees wuld be remved frm a restratin thinning prject area lcated west f the meadw r frm ther, as yet unspecified lcatins, t create structures that mimic lg jams and wdy debris accumulatins. Each structure wuld be cmprised f 8 t 10 whle trees that are intercnnected and keyed int the bank fr security. Whle trees with branches, and sme with rt wads, wuld be placed using an excavatr wrking frm the existing levee r by a walking he spyder machine wrking frm within the channel. Structures wuld be angled int the current t slw water velcity and deflect flw away frm the river bank. N structures wuld span the channel r impede river navigatin. Excavate an estimated fur t seven pls measuring apprximately ten feet in diameter and fur feet in depth alng the western margins f the meadw t create habitat fr the Oregn sptted frg (Rana pretisa). The excavated material wuld be used t cnstruct small islands within the meadw fr waterfwl nesting habitat. A berm levee in the nrthwestern prtin f the meadw wuld be remved and an existing drainage ditch wuld have earthen plugs placed at apprximate intervals t create separate pls. Land Management Allcatins: The prject area is within Management Area 17, Wild and Scenic Rivers, f the Deschutes Natinal Frest Land and Resurce Management Plan (Deschutes LRMP, 1990)LRMP. Standards and guidelines fr management activities within the river crridr area are described in the Wild and Scenic River Plan. The prject area is als lcated within the Ryan Ranch Key Elk Area designated under the Deschutes LRMP and is within a riparian habitat cnservatin area (RHCA) designated by INFISH, which amends the Deschutes LRMP. Prpsed treatments wuld meet Riparian Management bjectives f INFISH. The prject area cntains redband trut, a Frest Service sensitive species, and ptential habitat fr the Oregn sptted frg, a candidate species fr listing by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened r endangered. There are n knwn prpsed, endangered, threatened, r sensitive (PETS) plant species within the prject area. There are n inventried radless areas r wilderness in r adjacent t the prject area. Measures t reduce r eliminate unwanted impacts include, but are nt limited t: Identificatin and adherence t standards and guidelines f INFISH within RHCAs t ensure attainment f Riparian Management Objectives. Prtectin r avidance f cultural sites. Mitigatins t reduce the risk f nxius weed intrductin and spread. Implementatin f Water Quality Best Management Practices.

5 Hw t Cmment and Timeframe I am inviting yur cmments n this prpsal. This scping cmment perid is intended t prvide thse interested in r affected by this prpsal an pprtunity t make their cncerns knwn prir t a decisin being made by the Respnsible Official. Yur cmments will be used t help us determine if this prpsal is apprpriate t implement as described r if alternate activities shuld be cnsidered. Yur cmments wuld be mst useful if received n r befre February 1, Cmments may als be submitted electrnically t cmments-pacificnrthwest-deschutes-bendftrck@fs.fed.us. They must be submitted as part f the actual message, r as an attachment in Micrsft Wrd, rich text frmat (rtf), r prtable dcument frmat (pdf) nly. In cases where n identifiable name is attached t a cmment, a verificatin f identity will be required fr appeal eligibility. If using an electrnic message, a scanned signature is ne way t prvide verificatin. s submitted t addresses ther than the ne listed abve, in ther frmats than thse listed, r cntaining viruses will be rejected. Cmments may als be submitted in writing by mail r in persn. Written cmments shuld be sent r delivered t: Shane Jeffries, District Ranger, Bend-Frt Rck Ranger District, 1230 NE 3 rd Street, Suite A-262, Bend, Oregn Hand delivered and ral cmments may be delivered t the same address during nrmal business hurs: 8:00 a.m. t 4:30 p.m. Mnday thrugh Friday, excluding hlidays. Oral cmments may als be prvided via telephne (541) during nrmal business hurs. This activity may be excluded frm dcumentatin in an envirnmental impact statement (EIS) r an envirnmental assessment (EA) and cnsidered under a Categrical Exclusin (CE) if it is determined t meet the requirements f Frest Service Handbk ( ; 30.3). Fr additinal infrmatin n this prject, cntact Peter Sussmann at (541) ( prsussmann@fs.fed.us) r Tm Walker at (541) ( twalker@fs.fed.us). Sincerely, /s/ Sean Ferrell (fr): A. SHANE JEFFRIES District Ranger