the Yakama NatiON upper COlumbia

habitat restOratiON prOjeCt

Honor. Protect. Restore. a Yakama NatiON aNd bONNeville pOWer

admiNistratiON Fish aCCOrd prOjeCt

restOriNg ONe OF ameriCa’s great rivers

The Columbia River stretches for 1,243 miles and is North America’s fourth largest watershed. Its basin dominates the Pacific Northwest landscape, shaping the region’s cultures and economy. Anadromous fish travel the river and its tributaries down to the Pacific Ocean and back up to their spawning grounds. However, along the way, the salmon face significant barriers from development disrupting the river’s natural flow and endangering their ability to survive.

The Yakama Nation’s relationship to the salmon is based on an understanding that all life is intertwined. The Columbia River sustains the cultural practices of the Yakama and will continue to nurture future generations. We are committed to restoring and managing the river to create sustainable harvests for Yakama

and non-tribal people. Through the Upper Columbia Habitat Restoration Project, Yakama Fisheries experts assess, design and implement habitat restoration projects to restore endangered spring Chinook and steelhead in priority streams and river reaches within Methow, Entiat and Wenatchee. We administer projects by combining cutting-edge science, traditional knowledge of the river system and respect for the landowners with whom we partner.

We are committed to restoring and managing the river in order to create a sustainable harvest for tribal and non-tribal people.

FIELD OFFICE

FIELD OFFICE

Ellensburg

Wenatchee

Cle Elum

Twisp

Colum

bi a

Riv

er

Entiat River

Columbia R

iver

Winthrop

Methow

River

Chelan Wenatchee River

Our WOrk: Yakama NatiON Fisheries

The 2008 Columbia River Fish Accord provides dedicated funding for the Yakama Nation to apply effective habitat restoration projects from pre-project assessment, through implementation, to post-project monitoring. We do not require any matching funds from willing landowners in order to perform our project activities. Our dedicated funding base means our regional expertise is combined with the advice of the best experts in the industry to assess, design and implement restoration projects.

field office

city

Where We WOrk

Habitat restoration in the Upper Columbia supports endangared species recovery throughout the Columbia River

Habitat RestorationOur apprOaCh

Each project goes through three phases:

assessment, design and implementation. We work

closely with landowners during each phase and

have guaranteed funding throughout the process—

meaning that no expenses are passed on to

the partnering landowners.

phase ONe

Assessphase tWO

Designphase three

imPlement

three phases:

phase ONe

AssessIn the assessment, we learn about a project site’s unique needs, opportunities and limitations—information that guides the course of the project.

1 Notify landowners that there is an opportunity to restore salmon habitat on their property

2 Discuss project opportunities with landowners and ask for permission to survey the project site

3 Conduct surveys at each site, including biological (vegetation, habitat), geological (topography, hydraulic modeling) and social constraint (recreational river use, cultural resources)

4 Determine which projects to pursue based on survey findings

phase tWO

Design We design each project based on what we learn in the assessment, and work with landowners to ensure it meets their needs.

1 Maintain communication with landowners as we write a project concept report that details the proposed restoration work

2 Present permit-ready project plan to landowners for consent

3 Follow public disclosure laws and obtain local, state and federal environmental permits for the proposed actions

4 Present the final project plan to landowners for final consent

phase three

implement Our guaranteed funding from the Columbia Basin Fish Accords allows us to move immediately from design to implementation, keeping our process efficient and on schedule.

1 Obtain final project approval

2 Begin on-the-ground restoration work

3 Check in with landowners on a regular basis

4 Share our habitat restoration success

restOratiON aCtivities maY iNClude:

z Removing fish passage barriers

z Improving instream habitat

z Reconnecting floodplains

z Constructing livestock fencing

z Reconnecting side channels, backwaters and alcoves

z Improving sediment transport capacities

partNerships aChieve

successOur partnerships with local communities

and landowners allow us to restore spawning

and juvenile-rearing habitat in the Upper

Columbia, thereby improving juvenile

production and growth rates for spring

Chinook and steelhead. The results of our

restoration work here affect salmon recovery

throughout the Columbia River basin.

“Let me give you an idea how critical the salmon fishery is to us. Seventy cents out of every dollar spent in our store is spent on salmon fishing gear. Last year that added up to 1.5 million dollars. And our sales have grown 30 percent per year —the highest rate of any independent store in the US.”

- Don Talbot, Fishing Specialist,

Hooked on Toys, Wenatchee

Honor. Protect. Restore.

Visit yakamafish-nsn.gov/Habitat/UCHR/UCHR.html to learn more.

Yakama NatiON Fisheries

A clean and productive habitat

The Yakama Fisheries Program strives to honor, protect and restore the Columbia River and its tributaries. From its headquarters in Toppenish, Wash., the program employs 200 community members and manages 104 projects along the main stem of the Columbia and in eight of its sub-basins: White Salmon, Wind, Klickitat, Rockcreek, Yakima, Wenatchee, Entiat and Methow. The program addresses habitat, hatcheries, hydropower and harvest issues facing five culturally important fish species: Chinook, Steelhead, Coho, Pacific Lamprey and White Sturgeon. Through its management and restoration of the Columbia River, the Yakama Nation is bringing back nearly-extinct fish, for the good of the Yakama and everyone in our region.

Our regional expertise in the Entiat, Wenatchee and Methow sub-basins is supplemented by the Yakama Nation Fisheries Program’s deep knowledge of the entire basin. We achieve success by combining cutting-edge science with our traditional knowledge of the river system. In addition to our habitat restoration focus, the Yakama Nation also protects and restores the Upper Columbia through the Coho Reintroduction Program, Nutrient Enhancement Study and Kelt Reconditioning Program.