| Oregon Plan Stories |
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| Lakes Basin |
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Cucamonga/Big Pasture Watershed Enhancement
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| Upper watershed |
Lower watershed |
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Watershed photos provided by the Bureau of Land Management |
This project covers 2,400 acres of private and 2,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Harney County, near Steens Mountain. The majority of the area has converted to closed canopy western juniper woodlands during the past century. Since the juniper uses up most available water, several native plant species—including aspen, sagebrush, mahogany, bitterbrush, and deciduous riparian plants—are suffering. This loss, in turn, has harmed various wildlife species, from big game to neotropical migratory songbirds, by reducing forage and browse availability, and eliminating critical habitat.
A cooperative effort to solve the problem was developed among area landowners, the BLM, Eastern Oregon Agriculture Research Station, Oregon State University, Harney Watershed Council, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
Removing the juniper was clearly the way to restore the ecosystem. In October 2005, juniper cutting and thinning began; most was cut that fall and winter. Overall, roughly 800 acres of juniper were eliminated. With the juniper cut, the stage was set for prescribed burning followed by reseeding native vegetation.
Watershed benefits of the project include improved riparian condition, aspen stand recovery, improved forage, decreased erosion, and reestablishment of the historical snowdrift pattern. Native plant and animal species will have the opportunity to thrive again.
Drake Creek
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Aspens coming back after juniper removal (photos by BLM)
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With the objective of improving riparian vegetation, the Lakeview Resource Area of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) initiated two projects on Drake Creek. Drake creek is a tributary to Deep Creek near Warner Valley, which lies 20 miles northeast of Lakeview in Oregon’s high desert. The creek provides habitat for native red-band trout, and its riparian (stream side) area is critical to many species because it provides scarce water-related habitat in the otherwise dry landscape.
The first project involved riparian livestock exclusion. The project area provided the only green forage in the area and stock tended to concentrate on this single spot. This intense activity compacted soils, reduced willow cover, and caused bank erosion. Six miles of fence were constructed in 2004 and 2005 to manage livestock and maximize riparian conditions. The new fencing has successfully controlled livestock use on over five miles of stream and has allowed riparian vegetation to begin recovery. Fenced trails to the stream still allow livestock access to water.
Another problem at Drake Creek was that western juniper had increased in density and was overtaking aspen and willow. In 2005, a local contractor cut juniper on 95 acres. The juniper was left to allow needle drop, which will improve grass and forb recovery. Aspen and willow have responded positively since project implementation, and an added benefit to the stream is the apparent increase in water flow from the springs in the canyon. Juniper has been demonstrated to use substantial amounts of ground water throughout the year. Removing the juniper has allowed the water to make it to the surface and enter the stream. This improved late season flows for the benefit of fish and other aquatic species.
Kelley Creek Culvert Removal-Replacement
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| Pre-project conditions |
After project completion |
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Photos provided by the Oregon Department of Forestry
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The Kelley Creek Project is located in the Goose Lake Basin Watershed. The landowner actively sought assistance to improve conditions in Kelley Creek by removing and redesigning a non-functioning culvert. The purpose was to mitigate erosion, improve fish passage, and to redesign the current road access to the landowner’s property.
A Lake County small grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and grant dollars from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) were secured to pay for the project. A significant amount of research and collaboration went into designing a culvert to meet the needs of the resource and all the parties involved. USFWS, the watershed coordinator, engineers, and the contractor worked closely to bring design, common sense experience, and hydrology together.
The final outcome was satisfactory to all involved. Several days were spent placing fill and rock in the appropriate spots to stabilize the down cut streambank. The area has been seeded with a grass mix provided and recommended by ODFW. Willow plugs have been planted to help further stabilize this area and large woody debris was placed back into the system for fish habitat and stabilization.
Many lessons can be learned from this project. First, the engineer and the contractor must work together because what may work on a computer may not work on the ground. The common sense and experience of an on-the-ground contractor was essential to make the entire project come together. Second, communication with all the parties was very important. The contractor made the extra effort to listen to each person and delivered these ideas through his final product, a passable culvert that should last for many years to come.
Mud Lake Restoration Project
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| Before project installation. |
Carp Barrier, looking east from Mud Lake |
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Photos by Harney County SWCD
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The effect of carp on water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in Malheur Lake has been well documented. Carp are an exotic species first introduced into the Silvies River in the late 1920's; carp were not abundant in Malheur Lake until the 1950's. Soon after, habitat quality for native fish and wildlife deteriorated rapidly. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists recorded an 80 percent decline in sago pondweed, an important wetland plant, between 1953 and 1954 as carp populations grew exponentially in Malheur Lake. By 1955, no sago pondweed beds were found in Malheur Lake.
Over the last 60 years, multiple efforts have been undertaken to control carp populations. These efforts produced improvements in water quality and habitat conditions for short periods of time. They also had negative impacts to native fish populations and aquatic invertebrates. On both occasions, carp quickly returned to the lake from the springs and tributary rivers where they had sought refuge.
At the start of the project carp numbers were very high in Malheur Lake and habitat conditions were poor. Carp have virtually eliminated aquatic vegetation due to their spawning and feeding habits. These activities increased turbidity in the water and uprooted aquatic plant seedlings. Carp also feed heavily on aquatic macroinvertebrates, competing directly with the many species of wetland wildlife and native fish that rely on these invertebrates as a primary food source. High carp populations in Malheur Lake have been determined to contribute significantly to poor water quality, poor habitat conditions for native fish and wildlife, low biodiversity, and low productivity in the lake.
The Mud Lake Project is part of a larger, more comprehensive effort to implement a completely different method of carp control. Because total elimination of carp from the watershed is highly unlikely, the goal of this new effort is to “control” carp populations and reduce their numbers to a point that provides significant benefits to water quality and habitat for native fish and wildlife. This effort included carp barriers and fish traps at strategic locations and physical removal of carp at some locations.
Mud Lake is connected to Malheur Lake at only one location and has no tributaries to provide refuge to carp in dry periods. This project constructed a large carp barrier at the Highway 205 Bridge over the Narrows, effectively preventing carp larger than one inch in diameter from accessing Mud Lake. Smaller fish will be able to pass through the barrier, but project partners did not feel that this is a problem because Mud Lake, while up to 9400 acres in size, is a very shallow and temporary lake, routinely drying up or freezing completely to the bottom during cold spells.
Construction started on February 15, 2006 and was completed on July 7, 2006. Project partners included the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Harney County Soil and Water Conservation District, Ducks Unlimited, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Hunters Association, and North American Wetland Conservation Council. Significant support and assistance was also provided by the Harney County Watershed Council and Oregon Department of Transportation.
This project was fairly unique in that only large, adult carp were excluded from Mud Lake. The project depends on the natural hydrology of the region to eliminate the smaller fish that are able to pass through the screen, before the population can grow dense enough to degrade water quality and habitat in Mud Lake. The partners felt that this is a cost-effective strategy for dealing with extensive carp issues in the Harney Basin. The success of this project and lessons learned will be determined by long-term monitoring currently being initiated by Malheur Refuge staff.
Summer Lake Wildlife Area Wetland Enhancement
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Restored wetland habitat at Summer Lake (photos by Ducks Unlimited)
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The Summer Lake Wildlife Area, located in central Lake County, annually hosts hundreds of thousands of waterbirds during the spring and fall migrations. The semi-permanent wetlands and surrounding grassy meadows provide critical habitat for shorebirds, sandhill cranes, and waterfowl as they move through the state each year.
In an effort to enhance these vital wetlands, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife teamed up with Ducks Unlimited, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, Oregon Hunters Association, and North American Wetlands Conservation Council to enhance nearly 1,000 acres of seasonally flooded habitat on the River Ranch Tract of the Summer Lake Wildlife Area. The project, completed in 2005, consisted of rebuilding the water management system on the River Ranch Tract, including replacing a series of diversion structures in the Ana River that supply water to the project site.
The project was completed successfully. Today, the new structures greatly improve irrigation efficiency, allowing Wildlife Area staff to maximize habitat for wetland wildlife.
The 2005-2007 Biennial Report provides more information about accomplishments in each watershed basin.
Return to watershed basin map
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