Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2011)
14 community september13 2011 UNWC Facilitates Another Restoration Project continued from front page as support from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Weyer- haeuser is paying half the cost for the stream crossing and road improvements, and are also providing a large portion of the large trees with root wads for the stream placement. Quality Excavation from Seaside, OR is the contractor on the project, completing a realignment of the road and also working on the wood placement. Michele Long a Restoration Biologist from ODFW is overseeing the wood placement. Peyton and the UNWC provide project management oversight, management and oversight of the plant- ing, and grant administration. The project also provided an op- portunity for the UNWC to work with Weyerhaeuser’s Steve McNulty, who has provided the engineering for the project. McNulty has worked coopera- tively with the UNWC on several recent projects over the last few years and has been instrumental in helping the UNWC complete several difficult projects, in- cluding last year’s Elk Creek project that replaced a fish culvert under the Scap- poose-Vernonia Highway. McNulty is transferring to another region and the Pebble Creek project is his last project in the Vernonia area in conjunction with the UNWC. “Steve brought this project to us and provided the engineering for it,” says Peyton. “He works very closely with the contractor, overseeing every- thing they are doing. “ McNulty also served on the Board of Directors for the UNWC, as- sisting in a recent reorganization for the group that has been very beneficial to group operations. We’re very sad Steve is leaving and have been extremely grateful for his presence,” says Peyton. “He has been a critical piece to several of our projects— without him we would not be doing this Pebble Creek project.” During a recent tour of the Peb- ble Creek site, McNulty explained the benefits the project hopes to accomplish. “We had an undersized culvert that was blocking fish passage, which was a dif- ficult situation for us for maintenance wise, because we couldn’t reach the up- stream inlet to maintain it—the beavers loved to plug it,” says McNulty. “And we end up with a big sediment deposit upstream and a sediment deficiency downstream and it creates an impassable barrier for salmon. So what we did was realign the road further upstream to get a good, fish passable structure and a lower fill height so we can maintain it easier. Because what happens is, you get all this water built up behind it and then you have a catastrophic failure.” McNulty says he designed the road realignment so that log trucks and especially low boys could still traverse try to keep them working.” Michele Long of ODFW works closely with the contractors as they use heavy equipment to strategically place large logs, rocks and other debris into the stream bed. “What we have found is wherever there is wood in Pebble Creek and its tributaries, the numbers of juve- nile Coho salmon go through the roof,” ex- plains Long. “Pebble Creek really supports a lot of fish. Where there isn’t the com- plex wood cover there Contractors place large, woody debris into Cold Creek aren’t as many fish. to help create salmon habitat. We’ve been able to the curves in the road and Weyerhaeuser match up the habitat surveys the UNWC would still have access. has done with the fish presence surveys Regrading the stream below the they’ve done and it shows that there are passage, including the removal of a five more fish where the good habitat is. So foot vertical fall, and placing woody we’re creating more of that type of habi- and rocky debris in the stream bed, al- tat.” lows sediment to flow naturally through According to Long, the place- the system, recreating the natural flow of ment of woody debris in the stream the stream. In fact, McNulty says before helps the natural process of future wood work started on the project, the pool be- recruitment and creates natural places low the falls was filled with salmon try- for complex structures to catch more de- ing to get upstream. bris and form deep pools of water. “The According to McNulty, not stream will find its own equilibrium,” only does the project allow more adult says Long. salmon to get upstream, it also pro- This is not the end of the work vides more summer refuge for juve- in Pebble creek--but only the beginning, niles looking to find cooler water. “In according to Long. “We are starting at the summer temperature is a big deal the top and will work our way down, and they’re trying to get upstream to addressing limiting factors—things like the cooler water--this will now allow habitat, passage, and sediment, through- them up this side channel into this Ri- out the watershed over the next unknown parian Management Area which is well number of years,” says Long. “One thing shaded and will give them extra refuge that is really helping us out in this case from the higher temperatures.” is that Weyerhaeuser is the primary land- The Oregon Forest Practice Act owner for most of the watershed.” requires Weyerhaeuser to maintain Weyerhaeuser owns approxi- buffer zones on fish streams. mately 50,000 acres in Columbia and McNulty says projects like this Clatsop Counties, called the Vernonia are not just beneficial for fish; they also Property. McNulty has worked on the help the local economy. The contractor property for over ten years and will be on the Pebble Creek project, Quality transferring to the Weyerhaeuser’s Snow Excavation, is primarily forest and tim- Peak tree farm near Lebanon, OR. He ber road construction and maintenance will be replaced by Dan Summers, who contractors. During an economic has thirty years of experience. downturn, salmon habitat construction Peyton hopes the working rela- projects provide work for contractors. tionship that the UNWC has developed “We’ve lost a lot of contractors—a lot with Weyerhaeuser through McNulty of them have gone out of business,” will continue after he’s gone. “I think says McNulty. “When the housing Weyerhaeuser sees the benefit to con- market turns around, we’re not going tinuing the restoration relationship with to have the work force to come out and the UNWC,” says Peyton. do this kind of work. That’s why we
