Restoration of Chamberlain Creek

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Restoration of Chamberlain Creek
Restoration of Chamberlain Creek

• Amy Clinefelter
• Riparian Wetland Research Program

Amy Clinefelter Riparian Wetland Research Program
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Presentation Outline

• Describe the restoration efforts in the
  Chamberlain Creek basin to date
• Discuss restoration recommendations and
  monitoring objectives
• Describe one proposed restoration project
• Discuss the impacts of whirling disease and the
  need for future monitoring

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Location of the Blackfoot Watershed in Montana
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Chamberlain Creek
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• Chamberlain Creek originates in a wet meadow
• complex at 6,000 feet

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• Chamberlain Creek flows through a confined
• valley with large boulders and dense instream
• woody debris in the upper reaches

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• The lower 4 miles have been impacted by
• road building, water diversions, and improper
• cattle management

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• Chamberlain Creek joins the Blackfoot River
• in what was once a large beaver complex

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Chamberlain Creek Fishery

• A stronghold for native westslope cutthroat trout
• A 1990 survey conducted by Fish, Wildlife and
  Parks showed the highest density of cutthroat in
  this tributary out of 20 sampled
• Restoration objectives were developed to protect
  the westslope cutthroat, a species of concern

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Restoration Objectives for Chamberlain Creek

• Restore stream channel to allow fish access from
  the Blackfoot River
• Improve recruitment of juvenile westslope
  cutthroat to the Blackfoot River
• Maintain fish passage and connectivity of
  Chamberlain Creek to the Blackfoot River

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Restoration Projects

• Deferred grazing from riparian corridors
• Leasing of water rights
• Removal of irrigation ditch and diversions
• Restoration of channel diversion for pond
  development
• 1.5 miles of instream channel enhancement
• Conservation easements on private land through
  the Nature Conservancy

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Location of former diversions and the restored
Pearson Creek tributary
Pearson Creek
Irrigation Canal
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• Fish Ladder installed to allow passage
• upstream and downstream of a water
• diversion

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• This diversion feeds a pond on private land.
• The fish ladder is immediately to the right
• and the pond has overflow structures to
• allow fish to return to the creek downstream.

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• 300 feet of the channel were severely
• altered by heavy machinery to develop
• a pond, and had to be regraded for
• restoration.

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• Newly constructed channel to restore
• connectivity with the Blackfoot River.
• Cottonwoods were placed at downstream
• angles to produce fish habitat complexity.

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• Other instream enhancements were done
• to create habitat and prevent bank erosion.

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Chamberlain Creek Westslope Cutthroat Trout Catch
per 1,000 feet
400
300
200
100
0
0.1
0.5
2.8
3.8
Stream Mile
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Restored Connectivty

• In 1998 the number of fish caught became more
  balanced between reaches suggesting that
  restoration efforts that removed fish barriers
  and improved management helped restore the
  connectivity of the creek.

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Further Restoration Recommendations

• Evaluate culvert sizing and leaking
• Erosion control program
• Cross section monitoring
• Continued monitoring of fish populations, species
  genetics, and whirling disease spread and
  infection intensity
• Improvements to instream habitat diversity in
  heavily channelized areas (addition of instream
  wood)

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• Old road crossings are areas that may benefit
• from an erosion control plan or riparian
• plantings.

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• Road encroachment may allow the
• establishment of invasive weeds and
• excess sediment input to the stream.

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Future Restoration Plans

• In 2001, the USDI Bureau of Land Management in
  cooperation with Fish, Wildlife and Parks will
  begin restoration of instream wood to Chamberlain
  Creek. Many lower reaches of the creek were
  cleared of instream wood when road building
  occurred.

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The Function of Coarse Woody Debris in Fish
Habitat

• Provides cover
• critical in high flow and winter
• rearing habitat
• Creates important hydrologic features such as
  pools and backwaters
• Stores organic sediment
• Channel stability

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Objectives for Restoring Woody Debris to
Chamberlain Creek

• Increase the abundance and quality of rearing
  habitat for fishes
• Increase deposition of spawning gravels
• Increase overall habitat complexity

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Project Methods

• Project will use 35 whole conifer trees
• Wood will be added to nine cross sections
• Placement will follow a random design to mimic
  and enhance natural recruitment
• Use of draft horse teams instead of heavy
  machinery to minimize impacts

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Project Monitoring

• Evaluate and document changes in fish populations
  in response to project
• Fish population counts
• Fish use of newly created habitat
• Number of redds
• pebble counts
• Cross section monitoring
• aggradation and log movement
• stream invertebrate assemblages

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Other considerations

• Whirling disease is a parasitic infection of
  salmonid species effecting the spinal and nervous
  systems and can be fatal in young fish
• Fish sampled from the Blackfoot River tested
  positive for the first time in 1998
• The following grading system was developed to
  evaluate disease severity

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Whirling Disease Grading System
Average Infection Grade Salmonid
Population Impacts Grade 0.00 - 1.00 No
significant impacts Grade 1.00 - 2.00
Minor population impacts Grade 2.00 - 2.50
Possible problems in streams of
low recruitment Grade 2.50 - 3.00 Fish
population declines may occur Grade
3.00 - 4.00 Fish population declines
will occur
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Chamberlain Creek Whirling Disease Infection Rates
1997 1998 1999 Average
Infection 0.00 0.16 2.71 Grade Percent of
fish 0 16 93 infected
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Whirling Disease Management

• The average infection grade increased greatly
  from 1998 to 1999.
• Continued monitoring of the spread and grade of
  the disease in the Blackfoot and its tributaries
  is necessary.