Post on 27-Mar-2015
LOWER SALMON RIVER
Tributary Protection and Enhancement
Primary Lower Salmon River Tributaries
Fish and Wildlife Species
Other species:-Spring chinook salmon-Bull trout-Westslope cutthroat trout-Redband trout-Many other wildlife species
Ten of 11 known mountain quail populations are found in the Lower Salmon and Little Salmon areas.
LEM
UPS
LOS
MSP
PAH
SFS
MSC
MFU
MFL
LSA
10 0 10 20 30 40 50 Miles
National Parks & MonumentsForest ServiceB.L.M.State of IdahoPrivate
Land Ownership in the Salmon Subbasin
e S
Ri
rOwner Acres %Ownership
B.L.M. 6823 6.4
Forest Service 51466 48.1
National Parks & Monuments 178 0.2
Open water 312 0.3
Private 43650 40.8
State of Idaho 4579 4.3
Little Salmonand Lower SalmonWatersheds
Land Ownership
Land Ownership
B.L.M.
Forest Service
National Parks & Monuments
Open water
Private
State of Idaho
Major rivers
HUC 4
PRIMARY AQUATIC LIMITING FACTORS
-Temperature-Sediment
-Riparian alteration -Migration barriers
-Low flows
A total of 27 streams are included on Idaho’s water quality impaired 303(d) list.
One of the primary threats to existing fish and wildlife habitat within the Salmon River subbasin includes
continued increases in recreational and home development (Salmon Subbasin Summary 2001)
Additional threats to aquatic and terrestrial communities include:
-Continued intensive land use practices-Agriculture conversion of native grassland/forest communities-Altered fire frequencies-Noxious weeds
Objectives
• Develop a comprehensive restoration plan for Lower Salmon River tributary habitats, in coordination with other entities. Utilize information in existing assessments to the extent possible.
• Prioritize and implement actions which protect and enhance tributary habitats.
• Conduct annual operation and maintenance activities on project lands.
• Monitor and evaluate the incremental improvement that each activity provides to overall habitat conditions and associated fish and wildlife.
Acquisition of conservation easements or fee-titles will be one of the primary implementation tools. -Habitat investment protected in perpetuity -Addresses limiting factors
Relationship of Project to Regional Programs/F&W Needs
• Reduce water temperatures in tributaries (RPA 141).
• Increase tributary water flow, comply with water quality standards and watershed health (RPA 149).
• Protect and restore non-Federal habitat that is severely degraded (RPA 150).– Protect habitats through conservation easements, acquisitions, or other means
(All-H Paper).
• Fund long-term protection of riparian buffers in concert with existing federal programs (RPA 153).
• Acquire lands when opportunities arise for improved habitat protection, restoration, and connectivity, and for mitigation of lost fish and wildlife habitat (land purchases, land trusts, conservation easements, landowner cooperative agreements, exchanges (Salmon Subbasin Summary 2001).
• Habitat acquisitions and easements are high priority (Hells Canyon Bighorn Sheep Initiative 1997).
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
-Pre and post water quality measurements will be in coordination with on-going efforts by county SCD’s, DEQ, and other entities.
- Pre and post permanent points/plots will be established in upland and riparian project sites to monitor long terms changes in vegetation composition and structure.
-Project implementation will be coordinated with Idaho Natural Production Monitoring and Evaluation.
-Other long-term species response information will be gathered through landbird and riparian surveys, big game surveys, etc.