Habitat Restoration on the Middle Fork John Day River

Multi-disciplinary stream assessments are currently being conducted on tributaries to the Columbia River, including the Methow, Wenatchee, Entiat, and John Day River Basins. The primary objective of these studies is to develop an improved understanding of the physical processes acting on the watershed to identify river restoration opportunities that address limiting factors of ESA-listed species. This objective is met through interpretation of the biological conditions, including the fisheries and vegetation ecosystems, the geologic setting, anthropogenic constraints, geomorphic processes, basin hydrology, and hydraulic and sediment transport processes. Local knowledge, compiled data and modeling results are synthesized to evaluate potential physical and biological response to restoration actions. In particular, hydraulic modeling, sediment transport analyses, and geomorphic studies help define the spatial and temporal scale of river processes and offer a predictive tool to assess proposed actions. This paper presents an example of how this objective is being accomplished along a 23-mile reach of the Middle Fork John Day River located in northeastern Oregon. Results of these investigations assist other technical staff, resource managers, planners, and stakeholders in determining how and where to focus resources for implementation of identified restoration projects. In this paper, we also illustrate a scientific methodology for evaluating the linkages between fluvial processes and biological response to proposed habitat improvements and present results from a two-dimensional hydraulic model to quantify potential increases in floodplain connectivity and channel complexity.