30
Wednesday, August 24, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
FISH: Major project
restoring historic
conditions on creek
Continued from page 1
According to Mathias
Perle of the Upper Deschutes
Watershed Council, the spe-
cies rescued were to include
redband trout, steelhead,
Chinook, brown trout and bull
trout.
Rescuers included com-
munity volunteers and
personnel from DLT, the
Watershed Council, Oregon
Department of Fish and
Wildlife, the U.S. Department
of Fish and Wildlife, Portland
General Electric (PGE), the
Confederated Tribes of Warm
Springs and the U.S. Forest
Service.
It takes a considerable
amount of engineering to
make the preserve natural
again after five decades.
Sarah Mowry of DLT
estimates that “they’ve cut
down three or four feet to get
down to the creekbed level”
to recreate the “braided” relic
photo by ceili cornelius
heavy equipment is recreating historic braided channels through canyon.
Superior
Escrow
Execution
Ultimate
Service
channels.
“That really is our goal for
the Land Trust,” she said. “To
let nature get back to where
she needs to be.”
It also required the cooper-
ation of neighbors on the rim
of the canyon.
It took two years to come
up with a viable plan to
remove power poles from the
canyon and relocated them
along the rim.
“Fifteen power poles were
decommissioned — seven
of which directly bisected
the stream restoration proj-
ect area — and replaced with
nine new poles, all upland
and well-removed from the
restoration area,” Amanda
Edgerton of DLT reported.
“Our preserve neighbors
deserve all the thanks. We
could not have done it with-
out them! Their willingness to
explore new power pole align-
ment alternatives brought new
meaning to the phrase ‘com-
munity support.’ The Land
Trust has always relied heav-
ily upon and been thankful for
the engagement and support
of our local communities.
But these neighbors went far
beyond the norm and because
of them we now have a power-
pole-free restoration area
where the water can move
freely across the landscape.”
The restoration project
was designed by a team of
hydrologists and biologists
from the Deschutes National
Forest working in close
photo by ceili cornelius
A “shocker” went out with each crew to help corral fish.
coordination with private
consultants and staff from
the Watershed Council and
Deschutes Land Trust. The
implementation work in 2016
is part of a larger six-mile res-
toration project on Whychus
Creek. Phase I, the initial
work on 1.5 miles of the creek
at Whychus Canyon Preserve,
will be done this summer and
run through the fall. Then, the
project area will be left alone
to rest, recover, and naturally
evolve and grow. Phase II,
which includes the portion of
Whychus Creek upstream of
Phase I, is planned for 2017
or 2018.
“This has been a very
complex and collaborative
project,” said Brad Chalfant,
executive director of DLT.
Primary funders of the
project include: Oregon
Watershed Enhancement
Board, Pelton Round Butte
Fund (Portland General
Electric & the Confederated
Tribes of Warm Springs),
Deschutes National Forest,
Oregon Department of Fish
& Wildlife, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation,
Laird Norton Family
Foundation, Bonneville
Environmental Foundation
and East Cascade Audubon
Society.
For more information
on Deschutes Land Trust,
call 541-330-0017 or visit
www.deschuteslandtrust.
org. For more information
on the Watershed Council,
call 541-382-6103 or visit
www.restorethedeschutes.org.
Out West Realty
— Serving all of Central Oregon —
Parents! Are your
kids ready for
school? I’m ready
for the school
year to start!
Stop by and visit with Tiana Van Landuyt & Shelley Marsh.
220 S. Pine St., Ste. 102 | 541-548-9180
Principal Broker
ABR, CDPE,CIAS, GRI, SRES
541-480-0183
Sisters Hometown Realty
Norma Tewalt & Ali Mayea
541-588-6007 | 401 E. Main Ave.
www.sandygoodsell.com
Licensed Broker in the State of Oregon
Home Ownership Opportunity
in Si
Sisters for $180,000
FURRY FRIEND S
501 ( c )( 3 )
Affordabl-,
own-r-occupi-d,
3-b-droom,
1.5-bath hom-s
ABLE
L
I
A
V
A
!
SOON
You may b- -ligibl-
for this program
if your hous-hold
incom- is b-low
th- following:
FOUNDATION
Spay & Neuter Sponsorships
Available for Dogs & Cats.
— CAll KIKI At 541-549-9941 —
FurryFriendsFoundation.org
Furry Friends Foundation, Inc. is a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
!
W
NE
CONTACT KELLY AT HOUSING WORKS
541-323-7411 • 541-923-1018
1 p-rson $33,450
2 p-rson $38,200
3 p-rson $43,000
4 p-rson $47,750
* Must qualify for fi nancing
to purchas- th- hom-.