Project Description The Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council (SDCWC) has focused their efforts in the Salmon River estuary for the past few years. The multifaceted partnership effort is nearing completion of the first phase of restoration activities and will continue to work with vegetative recovery and monitoring of the salt and freshwater marsh and upland habitats. The Council recognized that there were partnership opportunities and aquatic restoration needs in Schooner Creek that also required their attention. To set the stage for action in the southern portion of their area, the SDCWC submitted a spring 2011 OWEB Limiting Factors Technical Assistance Grant request. This type of effort is a very effective approach to identify and rank restoration opportunities. In September 2011 the council learned that the request could not be funded. Another approach was needed to take advantage of willing partners and aquatic habitat restoration opportunities. The Council approached the OWEB Board with a request for ¼ the cost of a Limiting Factors Analysis for a focused look at the upper Schooner Creek watershed using existing information. The contractor would be asked to assess and report on the feasibility of watershed restoration opportunities in both South Fork and North Fork Schooner Creeks. The Council and contractor chose to use the funds for two OWEB Grant proposals for April 2012 submission by the Council and a summary report identifying future opportunity areas. This report is a summary of Schooner Creek watershed information found in the Drift (Siletz) Watershed Assessment, September 1996, and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife stream surveys and spawning ground surveys. Staff from the Hebo District of the US Forest Service provided GIS mapping assistance and completed GIS Intrinsic Habitat Potential and Debris Torrent risk assessments as part of the grant match.
Introduction Schooner Creek is a small watershed compared to its neighbors Drift Creek and the Siletz. Its twelve miles of winter steelhead habitat is 4.5% of the total among the three Siletz Bay tributaries. County Road 106 parallels Schooner Creek to the headwaters of North Fork Schooner. The flat portion of the floodplain is private residence and pasturelands. The majority of the watershed is in National Forest yet industrial forestlands occupy many stream adjacent miles of Schooner Creek. It is no surprise to find a creek lacking key large wood and complex pools. The stream adjacent roads are typically a source of fine sediments and other water quality concerns. It is possible for a few restoration projects to make noticeable improvements. An excellent choice for aquatic habitat restoration with ESA listed coho salmon, winter steelhead, sea-run and resident cutthroat trout, and a small population of spawning Fall Chinook salmon. Schooner Creek watershed is found east of Lincoln City on the Central Oregon Coast draining 9,650 acres between Devils Lake tributaries Rock Creek to the north, Salmon River tributary Bear Creek to the northeast, and Drift Creek and its tributaries to the south and east. The Lincoln City community places great value in the watershed resources; water, salmon, and wildlife habitat found in their backyard. The ownership pattern is similar to many other north coast watersheds with private, stream adjacent land low and National Forest and private timber company lands upstream. Private residential land, 2% of the watershed, is predominately Schooner Creek floodplain. Approximately 69% of the land is in Federal ownership, the majority managed by the Siuslaw National Forest. Private timber holdings comprise 29% of the watershed. The National Forest manages for old growth forest characteristics through the Late Successional Reserve (LSR) land allocation. Private timberland is managed on a 40 to 45 year harvest rotation through State Forest Practices Act standards. The highest point in the Schooner Creek watershed is Cougar Mountain at 1782 feet. The waters of Siletz Bay tidally influence the creek mouth.
Schooner Creek is a small watershed. Drift Creek drainage is a Forest Service Key watershed. The Siletz drainage has been considered as a wild salmon stronghold. Schooner Creek is a part of the important Siletz Bay drainage role in recovery of ESA Threatened Oregon Coast coho salmon and restoration of Pacific Northwest salmon and their habitats. North Fork Schooner Creek fish ladder was repaired in 2007 improving coho and steelhead access to upstream low gradient habitats that were the site of large wood introduction and monitoring in 2007. The Forest Service 1998 Watershed Analysis identified high road density and degraded fish habitat as key issues. They remain key issues. Sediment reduction projects such as road closure/obliteration, road surface and drainage improvement, and road relocations are possible project in both Upper Schooner Creek tributaries to improve aquatic habitats for fish production and water quality. Sub-watershed Summaries South Fork Schooner Creek Overview 2729 acres with 77% Forest Service ownership, 23% industrial forest 3.8 miles of potential fish habitat Road density 5.6 miles/square mile ESA listed coho salmon spawning and rearing above a fish ladder South Fork Schooner Creek Recommendations Oct 2012 OWEB Restoration Grant Proposal coho habitat LWD with Forest Capital Partners Potential restoration grants effectiveness monitoring. Winter juvenile snorkel counts of LWD fish use, redd surveys, and fish ladder counts Assess Road 1781 decommission opportunities for spring 2013 grants Assess opportunities to enhance beaver habitat in headwaters Explore riparian easements opportunities on Private timberlands, stream adjacent and potential debris torrent tracks
Upper Schooner Creek is the emphasis area for this assessment of aquatic habitat restoration. Review of existing watershed analysis, monitoring reports, and surveys points to South Fork Schooner coho salmon winter rearing habitat restoration as high priority. A total of 0.85 miles of coho salmon spawning and rearing habitat is found between the South Fork fish ladder at RM.06 and the current upstream migration barrier at a failed log stringer bridge road crossing. Stream surveyors recorded a total of 21 pieces of large wood in 0.85 miles of coho bearing habitat. Less than 1/3 the amount of wood for proper functioning condition. Three miles of winter steelhead habitat is found above the South Fork fish ladder. The low count of large wood is leads to simplified winter rearing habitat, both main channel and floodplain shallow pools with a lack of complex hiding cover. Derek Wilson, Assistant District Biologist, (personal comm.), assures that the South Fork Schooner Creek fish ladder will be functioning far into the future affording a unique opportunity to monitor adult salmon and steelhead migration into upstream habitat restoration project sites. The Stream Habitat Survey completed August 2011 provides background information for project monitoring. Private land in the lower portion of South Fork Schooner Creek is scheduled for logging within the next two years providing a unique partnership opportunity for instream aquatic habitat restoration. Restoration of coho juvenile winter rearing habitat in the 0.85 miles of accessible habitat above the South Fork Schooner Creek fish ladder is a high priority opportunity. Stream survey data and GIS analysis describes a stream 34 feet to 25 feet wide at a moderate gradient of 2 to 4 percent. Winter stream flows are confined to a relatively narrow stream channel with a flood prone area width is less than twice the active stream channel width. The coho salmon area circled in Figure 1 shows key large wood is less than half the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) standard for proper functioning condition of 80 pieces per mile.
South Fork Schooner Creek and landslide prone areas within harvest units above the requirements of State Forest Practices Act standards through easement or purchase of wood volume. North Fork Schooner Creek Overview 2139 with 77% Forest Service ownership 2.5 miles of potential fish habitat, 90% on private land Road density 5.7 miles/square mile ESA listed coho salmon spawning and rearing above a fish way North Fork Schooner Creek Recommendations Assess Road/stream fish passage opportunity for spring 2013 grants Recognize Hancock partnership Explore riparian easements opportunities on Private stream adjacent timberlands Outreach headwater residents, habitat restoration The North Fork Schooner Creek Fish ladder was built in 1985 by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in cooperation with the US Forest Service to provide adult fish passage above bedrock falls to approximately 3 miles of fish habitat, half at less than 2% gradient. The target fish species for upstream passage were coho salmon, winter steelhead and cutthroat trout. The bottom steps of the ladder failed in late 1990 preventing upstream fish passage. In the summer of 2007 a Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council project in partnership with Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Army Corp of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife, and US Forest Service, Hebo Ranger District constructed an ODFW roughened channel design project to re-establish year round unimpeded adult fish passage. Past fish habitat restoration efforts include road/stream fish passage improvement at Sword Fern Creek and a 2006 OWEB funded SDCWC key large wood placement project working with ODFW and Green Diamond land managers in partnership to place 33 key logs at 11 sites in one mile of stream. Post project monitoring in the summer of 2007 counted 44 key logs including those placed in 2006. Rearing juvenile coho salmon can be observed using habitat created by large wood in
these flat (0.8% to 1.4%) project stream reaches. Additional large wood has been proposed in a Spring 2012 OWEB restoration grant application to build on existing large wood habitat and create new log jams on the land now managed by Hancock Forest Management. The Schooner Creek road gravel surface is in good condition but drainage of water from the road surface could be improved to reduce the amount of sediment entering Schooner Creek and North Fork Schooner Creek. Road decommissioning in the North Fork Schooner Creek drainage will also be pursued. Erickson Creek Overview 1857 acres, 87% Forest Service ownership 3.8 miles of potential fish habitat, 90% on USFS land Road density 5.5 miles/square mile ESA listed coho salmon spawning and rearing in lower ½ mile Headwaters stream gradient could support beaver Erickson Creek Recommendations Request a Forest Service Stream Survey Outreach residents at the mouth of Erickson Cr Outreach headwater residents, habitat restoration Assess Road decommission opportunities for spring 2013 grants The lower half-mile of Erickson Creek is in private residential ownership. Coho salmon and winter steelhead are found in this stream reach. The remainder of the sub-watershed is within the Siuslaw National Forest. Elevation mapping using GIS shows unconfined stream reaches at 2% to 4%. Cutthroat trout are present. Lower Schooner Creek Overview Highest coho habitat intrinsic potential in the watershed ESA listed coho salmon spawning and rearing throughout
Lower Schooner Creek Recommendations Partner with, Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indian Reservation on tidal influence LWD placement and lamprey habitat restoration Outreach Rural residence/salmon interface (All stream habitat is in private ownership) Implement proposed OWEB grants with Hancock, County, and USFS Explore riparian easements opportunities on Private stream adjacent timberlands Partner with FCP on tributary streams lands August 1997 ODFW completed a stream survey of Schooner Creek from the power line stream crossing approximately 1 mile upstream from the Highway 101 Bridge to the junction of North and South Fork Schooner Creek. The 6.1-mile survey was divided into 7 reaches with a total of 263 habitat units. Twenty-three key pieces of wood 40 feet in length with a 23.6-inch dbh were counted throughout the survey. The 0.75 stream miles below Anderson Creek Road are at a gradient of 0.3% through predominately pastureland with no key large wood encountered. Consider a riparian easement/enhancement and large wood placement project in the future.
Appendix Intrinsic Potential Debris Torrent Risk Oasis Adult Spawning Ground Survey
Intrinsic Potential The scientists at the Coastal Landscape Analysis Modeling Study (CLAMS) developed a topographically based tool to assess the potential for watersheds to provide high quality fish rearing habitat. The intrinsic potential is determined from channel gradient, valley constraint, and mean annual discharge. Species-specific attributes for rearing habitat value were derived from the literature and observation. The Debris Torrent Risk Model was also developed through CLAMS to help identify watershed features that are most likely to produce a debris torrent with a landslide event. Our partners, Hebo Ranger District Fish Biologist and Hydrologist staff ran the Intrinsic Potential Model and Debris Torrent Risk Model for upper Schooner Creek producing the graphic results below. The Schooner Creek drainage produces a medium size stream with the potential to produce high quality coho and winter steelhead rearing habitat. South Fork Schooner Creek is medium potential intrinsic potential coho rearing habitat and high intrinsic potential winter steelhead rearing habitat. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife research found greater concentrations of rearing coho salmon in medium size unconstrained stream channels of low gradient (>2%) with decreasing coho density up to a maximum 8% gradient. Winter steelhead trout rearing densities tended to be greatest in a little higher gradient (2% to 3%) habitat in constrained channels and smaller streams higher in the watersheds. Miller, D.J., Burnett, K.M. 2008. A probabilistic model of debris-flow delivery to stream channels, demonstrated for the Coast Range of Oregon, USA. Geomorphology 94, 184-205.
OASIS Adult Spawning Ground Survey Data Oregon Adult Salmonid Inventory and Sampling Project (OASIS) is one of four Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Oregon Plan monitoring projects focusing on adults. The other three focus on juvenile salmon, habitat, and survival. The Coastal Salmonid Inventory Project staff out of Corvallis, Oregon was willing to share spawning ground survey data collected October through January for coho, Chinook, and chum and February through May for winter steelhead trout. Random survey data from November 1990 through January 2011 designed to monitor status and trend of naturally produced Oregon coastal salmonids was made available. Surveyors walk upstream counting redds, live and dead fish by species and sample carcasses for gender, length, scales, fin clips and tags. The survey is not designed to monitor the fish population of Schooner Creek for population estimates specific to Schooner Creek. Schooner Creek was randomly selected to help characterize the entire coastal Oregon salmonid population adult trends. The monitoring data is helpful for us to identify fish species spawning distribution and timing. We will not be able to use the data for relative run size. Schooner Creek reach 0.5 below North/South Fork was surveyed in 1990 and 94, 2001, 06,09, 10. North Fork Schooner Creek was surveyed in 1997, 2005 and 2007. South Fork Schooner was surveyed in 2002, 2009, and 2011. South Fork Schooner Creek mouth to Horner Creek In 1999 spawning ground surveys were conducted every two weeks from February 5 th through April 28 th. No adult steelhead or salmon were observed. Surveyors did comment that juvenile coho were observed. A lack of pools was noted but spawning gravel was considered relatively abundant. The 2002 weekly surveys started on November 1 st and completed on January 21 st. Six coho and one redd were counted with peak spawning estimated December 18 th.
In 2009 spawning ground surveys were walked November 4 th through January 28 th. Two adult Chinook were observed November 24 th. A total of 19 redds were counted from December 2 nd to the end of the survey. Peak count was on December 30 th with 2 fish observed. Once again in the surveyors notes we have mention of juvenile coho and spawning gravel throughout the survey reach. South Fork Schooner from Horner Creek to the headwaters of the creek was field checked. No coho spawning habitat was found in this reach. Horner Creek was not surveyed. North Fork Schooner, The one mile spawning ground survey from the mouth of North Fork Schooner Creek to Tributary A was conducted winter 1990, 94, 01, 06, 09, 10. The winters of 1990 and 1994 surveys were completed November 1 to January 31. Few coho or redds were counted. Four redds were counted in mid-november 1990 and one the same time of year 1994. Only 2 adults were observed during the reported peak count of adult coho each year in late November. Chinook and winter steelhead were not observed in 1990 or 1994. I am not certain of the year the bottom of the North Fork fish way near the mouth of North Fork failed. Spawning ground surveys results show no adult coho or redds were observed in North Fork Schooner Creek from the mouth to Tributary A in 2001 and 2006 or shorter surveys in the same reach in 2005 and 2007. The North Fork Schooner Creek fish way was repaired summer 2007 restoring upstream adult anadromous fish passage. Spawning ground surveys results record a dramatic increase in redds and adult coho salmon counts in North Fork Schooner Creek in 2009. Redd count in 2009 was a total of 107. A total of One 129 adult coho were counted with a peak adult count of 25 fish observed on January 7, 2010. Redds were observed from late November through early January with a total of twenty redds observed in 2010. The peak adult coho count on December 17, 2010 was 8 fish. Carcasses were counted in 2009 and 2010 December 9 through January 11.
Schooner Creek Erickson Cr to North Fork A 1.25 mile segment of Schooner Creek between Erickson Creek and North Fork was surveyed in 1990 with a peak count of 9 adult Chinook and 4 coho salmon was counted on November 7 th. A total of 38 redds were counted that year in the reach. The spawning ground survey was shortened to approximately 0.5 miles in 2003, 04, and 08. The 2003 peak count of 6 Chinook were observed on October 30 th. The coho peak count of 18 adults was recorded on November 23 rd. In 2004 the peak Chinook count was 9 fish on October 29 th. The coho peak of 7 fish was counted on November 20 th. Fewer fish were observed in this spawning ground survey in 2008. No Chinook were counted. Three coho were counted on January 9 th.