Sandy River

The Freshwater Trust is currently embarking on large-scale restoration work in the Sandy River basin. Over the next several years, The Freshwater Trust and partners will restore habitat complexity to an 11,500’ reach of the Salmon River by implementing nearly 40 restoration actions, including side channel restoration, engineered log jams, large wood habitat features and pool-tailout habitat features. This demonstration project will undertake the full compliment of identified restoration actions necessary to take the Salmon River from current to historic conditions, and builds on the successful completion of similar multi-landowner projects in 2008 and 2009. Beyond on-the-ground habitat improvements, this effort is intended to provide a restoration template for collaborative basin-scale restoration in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2010, The Freshwater Trust will begin implementation of the Salmon River Aquatic Habitat Restoration Project. The overall goal of which is to increase the abundance and productivity of Sandy River basin salmon and steelhead. Project objectives are:

• restore habitat complexity by reactivating surface flow to remnant side channels;
• restoring large wood to the mainstem Salmon River and side channels;
• restoring pool and pool tailout habitat to the mainstem Salmon River; and
• revegetating the riparian corridor.

In addition, we will advance future projects by completing 25% designs for projects within the demonstration reach.

Sandy River Background:

In 2009 The Freshwater Trust, on behalf of the Sandy River Partners, retained River Design Group to complete an existing conditions assessment (Salmon River Restoration Plan, RDG 2009) and provide a restoration plan for the Salmon River. Previously completed watershed assessments and restoration strategies have identified limiting factors, priority reaches and restoration actions in the Salmon River. This assessment bridges the gap between these assessments and future on-the-ground restoration work by identifying specific sites to implement habitat restoration projects including large wood placement, dike removal, pool creation and the reactivation of historic side channels. The Sandy River Partners provided specific habitat metrics (current and historic) and tasked River Design Group with identifying the suite of restoration actions necessary to achieve historic aquatic habitat conditions basin-scale in the Salmon River. The Sandy River Partners now have a road map to address Salmon River limiting factors to benefit federally listed salmon and steelhead.