Restoration in the Lower John Day Canyons
Past, Present, and Future Efforts to Revitalize Aquatic Habitat in Oregon's Thirtymile Creek Watershed
Thirtymile Creek
Located in a sparsely populated section of central Oregon, the Thirtymile Creek Watershed encompasses a diverse ecosystem of windswept uplands, remote canyons, and wide valley bottoms where water is a precious commodity for both people and wildlife.
Thirtymile Creek
During Spring, Thirtymile Creek appears as a ribbon of clear water and abundant aquatic habitat in an otherwise dry and harsh region.
A Harsh Environment
However, during much of the year Thirtymile Creek closely resembles the arid region in which it resides, and completely lacking aquatic function for much of its length.
A Landscape of Extremes
Cold winters and extremely hot summers, fish that are growing and thriving one day and clinging to survival the next - Thirtymile Creek is epitomized by extremes.
This is the story of restoration efforts that are meant to add stability, resilience, and temper some of the extreme conditions that define Thirtymile Creek.
An endangered juvenile steelhead that was attempting to survive the summer in a pool as Thirtymile Creek goes dry during a hot summer.
With greater than 100 miles of remote canyons and very little human inhabitants the stream network of the Thirtymile Watershed is a source of aquatic habitat and high water quality in an otherwise dry and harsh region.
The John Day River
Thirtymile Creek is part of the John Day River watershed which encompasses a vast expanse of northeastern Oregon. Wild and undammed for its entire 284 mile journey from its headwaters to the Columbia River, the John Day is the fourth longest free - flowing river in the United States.
A Diverse Landscape
Throughout its course the John Day encompasses a diversity of land and riverscapes. From high alpine meadows of the North Fork and Upper John Day.
The North Fork John Day Wilderness
To the remote desert canyons of the lower John Day and its tributaries.
The Lower John Day flows through an arid region where water is a precious resource.
The Thirtymile Creek Watershed
At 174,509 acres, the Thirtymile Creek catchments represents one of the largest tributes of the Lower John Day River.
Much of the landscape throughout the Thirtymile Creek watershed is composed of grasslands and agricultural lands.
A wild adult Summer Steelhead from the lower John Day River on its way to tributaries like Thirtymile Creek to spawn.
Endangered Species Habitat
Thirtymile Creek is ecologically important as aquatic habitat for endangered Steelhead populations in the Lower John Day River. Miles of main and east fork of Thirtymile Creek are used by adult steelhead for spawning and by juvenile steelhead for rearing before making their way to the ocean.
Juvenile steelhead rear in John Day tributary streams like Thirtymile Creek
Water Quality and Water Quantity
Water quality, and especially water quantity is severely limiting within the Thirtymile Watershed where currently over half of the channel network (~ 71 mi.) lacks surface flow or is intermittent during much of the Summer and early Fall each year.
Lack of surface flow is perhaps the most pervasive factor limiting habitat quantity and quality for Steelhead populations in Thirtymile Creek.
Land Use History
The Thirtymile Creek watershed has seen its share of land - use practices that ultimately lead to a less resilient landscape.
Pre-1900 - Beaver Removal
Removal of this ecosystem engineer at the turn of the century was perhaps the first augmentation of hydrology and aquatic habitat in Thirtymile Creek.
Vegetation Removal
Animal agriculture and sheep grazing resulted in widespread removal of vegetation within valley bottoms of Thirtymile Creek completely starving the stream of wildlife habitat, structure, and making the stream less resilient to climate and weather events.
1927 - Channelization
The Thirtymile Creek channel was further simplified with construction of a railroad in 1927 that was used to transport logs to a mill in Kinzua, OR.
1964 - Catastrophic Flooding
Without vegetation to hold the erosive soil together catastrophic floods, such as the one that occurred during Christmas of 1964 resulted in rapid soil loss and widespread channel incision within Thirtymile Creek.
Structure Removal
Beaver dams, an import source of structure in healthy streams, would have been completely removed from Thirtymile Creek around the turn of the century. This impact alone likely resulted in drastic changes to hydrologic function and a huge loss of aquatic habitat within the Thirtymile catchment.
Like most of the West, beaver were likely completely extirpated from Thirtymile Creek near the turn of the century
Channelization
Construction of a railroad in 1927 within the valley bottom further channelized and constrained the river corridor along Thirtymile Creek.
The Kinzua Railroad was constructed to transport logs to a mill in Kinzua Oregon. Today the railroad resembles little more than an old two-track, however Its footprint still limits the expansion of aquatic habitat within Thirtymile Creek.
A Sensitive System
These management actions have lead to Thirtymile Creek becoming a highly 'Sensitive' aquatic ecosystem that is more easily damaged and takes longer to recover from the natural disturbances that are common in this region.
sen·si·tive - easily damaged, injured, or distressed by slight changes.
Sensitivity to Wild Fires
Lacking abundant aquatic vegetation, fires commonly burn right up to the banks of Thirtymile Creek depleting shade and habitat providing riparian vegetation.
Wildfires are common in the arid environment surrounding Thirtymile Creek
Sensitivity to Floods
Without vegetation to hold the system together, large floods events have resulted in downcutting of the channel, and left other sections of Thirtymile Creek being completely void of topsoil for vegetation to become reestablished.
Known as the Christmas Flood of 1962 this large flow event resulted in much of the Thirtymile Creek channel becoming disconnected from historic floodplains.
Land Stewardship
Forward thinking land managers, landowners, and far - reaching federal programs lead to adoption of conservation practices marking the beginning of ecological recovery within the Thirtymile Creek watershed.
Conservation Reserve Program
Starting in 1985, the Conservation Reserve Program supported farmers and landowners in removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production. Instead, the CRP allowed them to cultivate wild cover species that would improve wildlife habitat, water and soil quality, and landscape health.
The Conservation Reserve Program was signed into law by President Reagon and is administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency
Far Reaching Application in Thirtymile Creek
Since its inception landowners in the Thirtymile Creek Watershed have enrolled approximately 21,000 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program with a goal of creating and preserving a resilient landscape.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
Similar to the CRP the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program was designed to support landowners in establishing riparian vegetation and preventing grazing along streams through fencing, planting, and grazing management.
Over 1000 acres covering 272 stream miles are now enrolled in CREP within the Thirtymile Watershed. These practices have been essential in supporting vegetation reestablishment within valley bottom throughout the watershed.
A Target for Recovery
Despite reduced aquatic habitat function the potential and plan for aquatic habitat recovery was beginning to present itself. Examples of a stream restoration technique that modeled after a hard working ecosystem engineer were being used to leverage natural processes toward recovery of aquatic habitat and improved water quality.
The dam building of beaver and structures designed to mimic the function of beaver dams were being used to rehabilitate aquatic habitat and restore water quality in streams very similar to Thirtymile Creek.
Mimic and Promote Process
Beaver Dam Analogs have been used to artificially enhance dam abundances until natural beavers can take over maintenance of stream systems that leads to ecosystem health.
A typical Beaver Dam Analogs constructed on nearby Bridge Creek. where the BLM and NOAA Fisheries partnered with beavers in restoration of a heavily incised stream channel.
Sustaining Resilient Habitat
View of a desert stream in central Oregon where beaver dams are abundant. Despite recent extreme climate events like drought and flash floods the beaver populations continue to maintain abundant aquatic vegetation and complex habitat.
Beaver maintained sections of stream networks provide an abundance of complex aquatic habitat and refuge for rearing steelhead even during draught conditions.
The beaver - based restoration on Bridge Creek was a collaborative effort by the BLM and NOAA Fisheries.
Improved Water Quality
Beaver Dams and Beaver Dam Analogs also improve water quality by
- Cooling water through groundwater - surface water exchange.
- Processing pesticides and nutrients through sorption and sequestration
- Increasing surface water extent and duration by slowing down longitudinal transport.
Stage - 0 Restoration Target
Beaver dominated valley bottoms are often indicative of a Stage 0 channel type in which the entire valley bottom is functioning aquatic habitat - from valley wall to wall. This image taken during Summer 2023 demonstrates how beaver and beaver dam analogs are capable of maintaining Stage 0 conditions.
Theoretically, Stage 0 channels offer the high quality habitat and ecosystem services.
Expedited Recovery Timelines
While recovery from degradation can happen without a restoration intervention this process may may take decades or even centuries. With a little push in the form of some structural treatments like beaver dam analogs, profound changes in aquatic habitat may manifest over much short time horizons.
(see the before vs. after by adjusting the slider)
Example of aquatic vegetation and channel area expansion that occurred on Bridge Creek, OR as a result of beaver dam analog restoration and the help of some cooperative beavers.
Prioritizing Effort
Looking to LiDAR
With a scalable restoration approach in place, the question became WHERE to focus recovery effort within the vast and inaccessible canyons of Thirtymile Creek?
Various valley bottom configurations on Thirtymile Creek showing vastly different areas available for expansion of aquatic habitat.
When your goal is floodplain reconnection, knowing the elevation of valley bottom features is crucial. LiDAR data allowed us to optimize our restoration effort and set restoration expectations for specific areas throughout the entire channel network.
Contrasting nationally available 10 m elevation data (Left) with high - resolution LiDAR elevation data (Right). LiDAR data was used for planning and design on Thirtymile Creek.
Analysis of LiDAR topographic data allowed us to identify the potential for floodplain connectivity within Thirtymile Creek at different elevations. i.e., potential floodplain connectivity potential at 1.0 m vs 3.0 m.
A cross-section profile (above) derived from LiDAR and used to optimize where, when, and how much floodplain connectivity restoration measures would be implemented within the channel network of Thirtymile Creek.
Prioritization Mapping
(Click on the Buttons to see map examples)
The LiDAR data analysis of drone imagery allowed calculation of floodplain connectivity potential for the entire channel network in Thirtymile Creek at increments of 100 m.
Floodplain Connectivity Potential
Each 100 m segment could then be characterized as having a high or low floodplain connectivity potential. The areas of high - potential will be targeted for restoration actions that week to expand aquatic habitat.
Areas of low potential are also apprent in that they feature a narrow channel and valley bottom that confines the channel. These areas will receive less restoration effort, and restoration may simply consist of woody debris additions to increase channel habitat complexity.
Narrow valley bottoms with a lower potential for aquatic habitat expansion
Beaver Activity Distributions
High resolution imagery on-the-ground surveys were also used to identify areas of the channel network that are currently occupied by beavers.
Areas of Thirtymile with active beaver colonies are likely to have a faster recovery of aquatic resources.
Infrastructural Restoration Risk
Those areas with a high restoration risk due to the presence of infrastructure (of which there is very little of in Thirtymile Creek) were also identified as part of the prioritization.
(Click on the Buttons to Map Examples)
Restoration Work
Implementing aquatic habitat restoration over such a vast area requires a long - term strategy and reliance on natural processes inherent of the system.
A Beaver Dam Analog on Thirtymile Creek designed to support geomorphic, hydrologic, and vegetative processes that increase aquatic habitat and improve water quality.
Restoration Strategy
Aquatic habitat restoration doesn't happen overnight and a long - term strategy will be essential to meeting restoration goals
Mimic Natural Processes
Structural treatments that mimic natural processes of beaver dam building (BDA Structures) and woody debris accumulation (PALS - Post Assisted Log Structures)
Promote Natural Processes
Promote the same processes through effective management strategies such as grazing managing, fencing installation, and riparian planting.
Sustain Natural Processes
Allow the system to maintain healthy riverscape processes of beaver dam building and vegetation proliferation that lead to long - term improvements in habitat quantity and water quality.
Beaver Dam Analogs
Beaver Dam Analogs are constructed using materials like juniper, sagebrush, and willow that are found along Thirtymile Creek. They are designed to mimic the processes of natural beaver dams.
Schematics for the construction and design of BDA structures.
Mimic Beaver Complex
BDA structures are installed at a high density much like natural beavers build multiple dams in a complex to influence large areas of the valley bottom.
Woody Debris Accumulations
PALS or Post Assisted Log Structures another structure type designed to mimic woody debris jams.
PALS are woody debris jams constructed using posts. They are often designed to enhance erosional rates and increase habitat complexity.
Project Implementation Progress
Structural treatment projects in Thirtymile Creek began in 2020 and already span greater than 15 miles and includes hundreds of BDA and PALS structures.
Wilson Smith Reach - 4.0 miles
Implemented in 2020 and including 169 BDA structures and 94 PALS. Plans are currently underway by the Wheeler SWCD to implement a second phase of structural treatments in this section of Thirtymile Creek with a high restoration potential.
Much of the Wilson - Smith reach is ephemeral and dry for a significant portion of the year. Ideally, BDA structures will increase the duration and extent of perenial surface flow within the reach.
Sniption Canyon - 2.0 miles
A first phase of structural treatment implementation at the Sniption Canyon reach was completed in 2022. The initial treatment included 68 BDA structures and 42 PALS structures in just two - miles of channel.
Within the Sniption Canyon section of Thirtymile the channel is extremely incised and structures have been designed to continue widening of the new floodplain.
Upper Thirtymile - 6.0 miles
A 6.0 mile portion of upper Thirtymile Creek was also implemented in 2022 that included 221 BDA structures and 102 PALS structures.
The Upper Thirtymile reach features extensive low elevation floodplain surfaces that offer space for expansion of aquatic vegetation.
Future Work on Thirtymile Creek
Several other reaches are being targeted for additional structural treatment and other aquatic habitat restoration work. This includes a large section of approximately 10 miles on the lower end of the watershed, and 9 miles in the middle Thirtymile Creek. Initial designs are currently underway with implementation expected to begin as early as 2024.
Fall 2023
Designs are underway for approximately 20 additional miles of structural treatments in Thirtymile Creek
Summer 2024
Implementation of up to 20 additional miles of structural treatments.
Monitoring Progress
Monitoring is essential for long - term and large - scale restoration actions like those being implemented on Thirtymile Creek. The information gained through monitoring will be used to:
- Measure progress toward project goals of increasing habitat availability and improving water quality.
- Inform threatened species population status.
- Refine restoration implementation methods.
- Identify any adverse restoration outcomes or ecological risks.
Fish Monitoring
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife conducts electrofishing surveys on Thirtymile Creek several times per year. The surveys are used to capture juvenile steelhead monitoring so they can be weighed, measured, enumerated and implanted with a PIT-tag. The data is used in a variety of ways including estimating population abundances, measuring growth rates, and tracking movement.
If they can survive, juvenile steelhead in Thirtymile Creek grow fat and fast. The productive potential of the system adds importance and urgency to increasing aquatic resources within Thirtymile Creek.
Invasive Species Monitoring
Invasive species often go along with habitat disturbance. As water quality has been reduced in Thirtymile Creek Smallmouth Bass have been becoming more prevalent and widely distributed. ODFW are studying the impact of Smallmouth Bass on the endangered Steelhead population in Thirtymile Creek. Finding suggest that Smallmouth Bass are having a negative impact by directly competing with Steelhead and also consuming them as a prey item.
Juvenile Steelhead are often found in Smallmouth Bass gut content analysis in Thirtymile Creek
Channel Complexity and Fish Habitat Quality Surveys
In 2023 restoration specialists surveyed approximately 66 miles of the channel network within Thirtymile Creek. The surveys documented the abundance and distribution of riverscape features that are indicative of channel habitat quantity, quality, and restoration effectiveness. Features surveyed included:
- Braided Channels
- Woody Debris
- Beaver Dams and Ponds
- Pool Habitat
- Depositional Bars
These surveys will be repeated in future years in to track the outcomes and responses to ongoing restorations efforts on Thirtymile Creek.
Restoration specialists survey habitat features into a mobile tablet.
Water Quality Monitoring
Surface Water Temperature
Longitudinal distributions in surface water temperature are also being monitored throughout the restoration reaches on Thirtymile Creek. The temperature monitors will be used to determine how the restoration actions might influence stream temperatures and also the duration and extent of surface flow within Thirtymile Creek.
Surface Flow Duration
Water temperature loggers are also used to monitor the number of days that surface flow is present within the channel. This measurement of surface flow persistence is indicative of increased water quantity and quality and is one of the primary response metrics of the restoration actions.
Typical later summer flows in much of Thirtymile Creek. Ideally, landscape and stream recovery efforts will enhance aquatic ecosystem services in these arid sections of the watershed.
Riverscape Feature Mapping
UAVs collecting high - resolution imagery are also being utilized extensively to monitor land and riverscape features throughout the watershed. The georeferenced imagery provides a fast and effective approach to monitor changes to:
- Riparian vegetation distributions
- Changes to the channel planform
- Creation of secondary channels
- Distributions of structural elements
- Surface flow types, extents, and durations
Unmanned drones are being used to capture high - resolution imagery throughout the watershed and are proving an effective approach to understand restoration impacts and progress through time.
Just the Beginning
Process - based restoration doesn't happen overnight. While the extent and magnitude of structural treatments already implemented in Thirtymile Creek are impressive, reversing the factors that have lead to reduced aquatic habitat capacity will take time. The structural treatments will immediately enhance processes like floodplain connectivity, channel braiding, lateral channel migration, and aquatic vegetation expansion that will ultimately lead to expansion and persistence of aquatic habitat.
Example of how BDA structures enhance processes like floodplain connectivity, channel braiding, lateral channel migration, that ultimately lead to expansion of aquatic habitat.
The work on Thirtymile Creek continuous
While so much progress in aquatic ecosystem recovery and scientific monitoring has already happened at Thirtymile Creek the work is far from over. This work will continue into the future by the agencies and entities that share a vision of more aquatic habitat, greater water quality, and improved water resources for the people and animals that call Thirtymile Creek home.
The restoration and conservation work is a partnership through a number of government and non-government agencies.
More aquatic habitat, greater water quality, and improved water resources for the people and wildlife that make their home in the Thirtymile Creek watershed.
Representatives from multiple agencies gather on the banks of Thirtymile Creek to discuss approaches and progress in aquatic habitat restoration
