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ra y c 14
The INDEPENDENT, January 6, 2005
o
_
Unoer Nehalem Watershed Council had many projects in 2004
____ _
.___ lo n o n o c o
been planted with native trees new watershed health and
and shrubs, across 78 different salmon habitat improvement
For the Upper Nehalem Wa ownerships. Since that time, projects in cooperation with lo
tershed Council, 2004 was an we have installed 14 miles of ri cal landowners as a result of
eventful year. The council con parian fencing and stabilized these efforts.
The council continued a
tinued to serve as an advocate multiple eroding stream banks
for improving watershed health, with specialized planting and long-standing effort, initiated by
basin-wide, and as a conduit staking techniques. Currently the Nehalem Valley chapter of
through which thoughtful activi we are performing project the Izaak Walton League, to
ties are conceived from identi maintenance in order to assure collect data on water quality
and quantity. We are currently
fied needs. The council has plant survival and fence integri
been in existence for eight ty. We will begin planting new working to summarize 10 years
years and has tunneled over a projects early in 2005 with na of stream temperature data, six
million dollars into the local tive plants that we have grown, years of macro invertebrate
economy for watershed health at the BLM nursery, from local data and four years of turbidity
ly collected seeds as part of the data collected basin wide by
and salmon recovery efforts.
The year began with a new recently established Native council staff and volunteers.
Stream Flow Gauges
chairperson for the council, as Plant Nursery Cooperative.
The Rock Creek flow gauge
Bill DeJager was succeeded, East Fork Assessment
after several years of dedicated
In the spring the council be that was installed in the sum
leadership, by Dennis Nelson. gan an in-depth assessment of mer of 2003 continues to func
2004 was also our first full year the East Fork Nehalem, familiar tion as planned and will serve
as a 501 (c)3 non-profit cooper to anyone who has driven the purpose of measuring
ation. The momentum contin Scappoose-Vernonia Highway. stream flows for many years to
ued as we developed organiza The assessment will be com come.
The US Geological Survey
tional capacity to provide the pleted in Spring of 2005. The
appropriate support needed to council will then initiate an ac installed a stream gauge sever
identify and effectively accom tion planning process involving al miles upstream of Vernonia
plish watershed improvements. interested stakeholders. As after the flood of 1996. Data
As a result, many hours of vol sessment findings will be used collected from both of these
unteer service were required to as a basis for identifying poten gauges will be useful in the
city’s application of summer
meet the council’s goals and tial new projects.
the expectations of funding en
We are looking forward to water conservation measures,
continuing the watershed as and will provide early warning
tities.
sessment process in partner information for the community
Riparian Reforestation
Our riparian re-forestation ship with the Oregon Depart in case of rising flood water.
efforts continued last winter as ment of Forestry as they move Noxious Weeds
Interest in noxious, or exot
the restoration crew was in full into conducting the Nehalem
swing, planting over 6,500 Watershed Analysis on state ic, weeds began to take hold in
trees and shrubs along high pri forest lands. At that time, we the area, with multiple weed
ority reaches of the rivers and hope to branch off on a collab management groups formed in
streams of the upper to mid- orative project with the City of the North Coast and Nehalem
Nehalem valley. Since the Vernonia to perform a water Basin, Clatsop, Columbia and
council formed in 1996 and be shed analysis of Rock Creek. Tillamook Counties in order to
gan this effort, over three hun We eagerly anticipate develop coordinate eradication efforts.
dred acres of riparian area has ing and implementing many Several exotic weeds exist in
the Nehalem, including Hi
malayan blackberry, Canadian
thistle, Scotch broom, and
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Giant
Knotweed invasion that is tak
ing place at an alarmingly rapid
rate. The council received fund
ing early in 2004 from the Ore
gon Department of Agriculture
to survey, map and begin
spraying Knotweed in the basin
during the summer. The survey
resulted in over 90 knotweed
sightings and 44 infestations
being treated with herbicide.
We will seek to continue these
efforts in the New Year, and in
future years, as we have only
begun to wage war on
Knotweed.
Above, Lee Wonder spraying knotweed, one of the noxious
weeds that have taken hold of land in Columbia County.
Coho Habitat
A major underlying reason
for the existence of the water
shed council is the declining
population of native coho
salmon. Exact reasons for the
decline are numerous, and
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matter
because they show
they show
what issues can be addressed
if we want to encourage an in
crease in the coho populations.
Some of the things that can be
done at the local level are to in
crease the quantity of coho
habitat, and then improve the
quality of that habitat.
The watershed council has
worked with local landowners
to open up more habitat for
coho salmon by sponsoring re
placement of undersized cul
verts and improving habitat
complexity with the introduction
of large woody debris. During
2004, the council worked with
“Shorùnq a co/n/niinuni io pAoiaci
and. nuAiuAo iho anoiAonnmni!"
Longview Fibre Co., Weyer
haeuser, and Hancock to re
place undersized or failing cul
verts with either bridges or larg
er culverts. Two new bridges
were installed on Crooked
Creek and numerous other cul
verts were replaced, opening
up more than 10 miles of aquat
ic habitat in the upper basin.
Several stream crossings were
abandoned and the areas con
verted to a more natural state
through tree and shrub plant
ings.
We are continuing to work
with the landowners named
above, plus Forest Systems
Inc. and the City of Vernonia to
develop several similar projects
on Cedar Creek, East Humbug
and Bear Creek. We are work
ing to have these new projects
funded and implemented by the
fall of 2005.
See page 15