— 4a< +022 Sasns SALMON RIVER RESTORATION COUNCIL’S FINAL REPORT for the SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM FISCAL YEAR 1997 KLAMATH RIVER FISHERIES RESTORATION PROGRAM US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT #: 14481133397 Salmon River Community Restoration Program (SRCRP) Final Report FY 97 Cooperative Agreement Number#: 1448 11 33397 TABOF LCONETEN TS Final Report REPS Teena oie oe ee SOP NY Oe Page 2 ep EID i scin. nics isceaibsthinsieneescctetiileilibiatiiettiliicanhe'eeseliliinse Page 3 & 4 C) Dapeniption of Seely AGGR...........<ccccccsccorecscsecesscesescecesevcenesees Page 4 -6 D) Methods and Materials...................00000+. scstiiseiitilliaipaitiniiaaiin Page 6- 10 E) Results and Discussion. ..............ccccccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees Page 10 F) Summary and Conclusion. ...............cscescesesesesesseseeseeeeseneenens Page 10 Gil G) Seamumary of Expendiitures...................c.cccccrosesesccsesseresesesese Page 12 Fe ee eID srctctiitstetsnnnnencerensevitinnnsciiotnamimnitiins Page 13 SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM (SRCRP) FINAL REPORT FY 97 A) ABSTRACT The Restoration Council has performed the tasks identified in our cooperative agreement for Salmon River Community Restoration Program (CRP) for Fiscal Year 1997 (FY 97). During FY 97, the SRRC continued to enlist community members in a variety of watershed awareness, restoration and protection activities. In FY 97, the SRRC held a series of Ecosystem Awareness Workshops, Restoration Training Workdays and Field Trips in the Salmon River sub-basin that focused on: 1} Fisheries Management, 2) Fire Management, 3) Native Plant Cooperative Seed Bank/Riparian Revegetation and landslide stabilization, 4) Watershed Education Program- Partnership between the 3 Schools, and SRRC, which highlights subbasin water temperature monitoring 5) Grazing Management, 6) Forest Management, and 7) Road Management, 8) Noxious Weed Management, and 9) River Clean-up. At these 27 planned events there were 204 volunteer person days contributed. In addition there were workdays preparing our new office and watershed center as well as outreach activities, planning meetings and assessment utilizing community volunteers for an additional 230 person days. At $80 a day value, the total dollar amount of the community’s 434 person days of in-kind service contribution is $34,700 (of which $30,700 was attributed to the CRP FY97 and $4,000 was attributed to our For Sake Of The Salmon Grant). The staff donated 213.48 person days of Program Services and 46.73 person days Administration Services for a total of 260.21. At $80 a day value, he total dollar value of the staff in-kind services contribution was $20816.80 (of which$1 7,827.00 was attributed to CRP FY97 and $2,990.00 was attributed to our For Sake of the Salmon Grant). There was also donated milage valued at $1,855.31 (7,421 miles valued at $.25/mile of which $1,742.87 was attributed to CRP FY97 and $112.50 was attributed to our For Sake of the Salmon Grant)). The total value of all community/staff-services/milage was $57,372.00 of which $50,270.00 was attributed to CRP FY 97. There were also Numerous person davs associated with the CRP activities in which private and public specialists provided assistance. Several teachers and student days are associated with this years Program. As is evidenced by this years accomplishments, community cooperation and support for improving watershed/fisheries health is expanding. The strong community involvement compliments SRRC’s work in bringing together various stakehoiders in the sub-basin to prioritize and implement needed restoration activities. fh SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM (SRCRP) FINAL REPORT FY 97 B) INTRODUCTION In the Salmon River sub-basin the Salmon River Restoration Council (SRRC) has taken the lead role in heightening local community awareness and enlisting local support to rehabilitate the anadromous fisheries and the related resources. Our mission is to assess, protect, restore, and maintain the Salmon River ecosystems, focusing on the restoration of the anadromous fisheries resources. Thiis bsei ng accomplished through diversification of the local economic base and by improving communication and cooperation between the local community, the managing agencies, native American tribes, resource use stakeholders, and the general public. Since 1992, SRRC initiators have planned and implemented an annual series of volunteer Ecosystem Awareness Workshops and Restoration Training Workdays. Over 2,200 volunteer days have beer contributed by community members, technical assistants, and other supporters in the planning and implementation of over 90 SRRC sponsored Workshops and Workdays. Ways to reduce negative impacts connected to various resource uses are being identified and utilized in areas such as: fishing, mining, forest management, grazing, recreation, road management, and residential use. For the past 7 years, the SRRC has participated in Salmon and Steelhead population and habitat surveys. In 1997 there were over 100 volunteer person days associated with these surveys that were contributed by community members and other supporters. The SRRC has initiated a series of shaded fuel breaks on private land to protect both riparian and upslope habitats. Fuel breaks were maintained and installed on along private roads on several parcels of private lands. The Councils’ revegetation projects highlight the development of a native plant/seed bank for restoration activities. Revegetation activities have included the propagation and/or planting of over 12,000 targeted trees, shrubs and grasses on key federal and private locations throughout the watershed. These projects are increasing shade and controlling erosion at sites associated with landslides, scoured stream banks, road failure sites, riparian areas denuded by catastrophic fires, historic mining tailing sites, and logged areas. We have continued to increase our roads oprogram in which local residents help steward roads that they use through implementing light maintenance measures ( clean culverts and ditches, etc), participating in a roads needs assessment, and checking roads and repairing drainage problems during major storm events. The SRRC coordinated much of this work with the USFS. The USFS was provided a summary of the work performed. SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM (SRCRP) FINAL REPORT FY 97 Througthhe creation of aS aimon River Community Restoration Program (CRP), the SRRC developed a long range Community Action Plan in 1994, which outlines direction and prioritizes its activities to best accommodate watershed/fisheries recovery. This plan was updated during FY-1997. The on-going participation of the local schools in the CRP has expanded the educational component of many of SRRC’s activities in the community. C) DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA The Salmon River is one of the major sub-)asins in che Klamath River Basin. The 744 sq. mile watershed is entirely within che Klamath National Forest. Four communities lie widely dispersed within this watershed. There are approximately 300 people residing in the drainage. The Salmon River has long been known for its exceptionally high quality waters and high value fisheries as well as boasting one of the richest regions of species diversity in the temperate zones. In comparison to most rivers in the west, the Salmon River still retains large areas of high quality habitat for anadromous fish. It is noted to have the largest population of Spring Chinook Salmon in California. There are both Summer and Winter runs of native Klamath Province Steelhead. A smaller run of Coho salmon is also present. In general, the headwaters of the Salmon River are characterized by coniferous tree associations that change with elevations. The major forest types have various understory elements that characterize them specifically, depending on soil type and exposure. The Salmon River watershed is one of the highest risk fire areas on the Klamath National Forest. It has a high natural frequency of lightning occurrence. In recent years the Offield Fire (1973) burned the area near the river confluence. The Hog Fire (1977) burned extensively in the lower North and South Fork watershed and in Nordheimer and Crapo Creeks. ‘he total area was about 80,000 acres. In 1987, wildfires burned 90,900 acres in four separate areas, covering much of the Salmon River sub-basin. In 1994, the Specimen fire burned approximately 7,500 acres in the Specimen and Little North Fork Drainages of the North Fork. It is estimated that 40-50% of the Salmon River sub-basin has burned since the early ‘70s. Many acres of intact late successional forest and high value riparian habitat burned with high intensities eliminating the functional biological quality of these habitats. The Klamath River Fisheries Task Force has identified high water temperatures and 4 SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM (SRCRP) FINAL REPORT FY 97 excessive sediment production being the key limiting factors for the anadromous fisheries resource in the Salmon River sub-basin. The Forest Service has identified that the recent catastrophic fires have been a major contributor of sediment to the Salmon River and have eliminated significant areas of riparian cover in the sub-basin (Salmon River Sediment Analysis - USFS 1994). Since the Hog fire in 1977 Salmon River water temperatures have exceeded 77 degrees Fahrenheit. (West et al 1991). The recent wildfires have increased sediment run-off on roads, in riparian areas, and from the upslope areas. Our community-based program is of particular significance in managing the Salmon River sub-basin because access to the district may also be viewed as a limiting factor. Managing agency personnel have to drive two or more hours just to get to the main roads. There are two high summits to go over on the access routes. The main Salmon River road is mostly a one lane road with turnouts carved into the steep cliffs of the river corridor. This makes management activities expensive and sometimes prohibitively costly. Monitoring both for legal and illegal resource use has often been difficult to accomplish with any sort of effectiveness. We must also mention that the difficult access has been somewhat responsible for limiting development and investment by larger corporate resource-extraction industries. At present, fuel loading is at an unnaturally high hazard level in many areas of the watershed. This current fuel loading threatens to severely damage the more biologically intact and/or recovering landscapes in the sub-basin (Each of the USFS Watershed Analyses). Several Late Successional Reserves in the sub-basin have a high fire potential (USFS North Fork, Eddys, Carter Meadow/Taylor Late Succession- al Reserve (LSR) Assessments-1995& 1996). The Karuk Tribe of California has presented information pointing to the fact that “Fifty years of fire suppression has resulted in an ecosystem with accumulations of flammable debris capable of fueling future catastrophic fires within the watershed.” (Karuk Tribal Module for the Main Stem Salmon River Watershed Analvsis, Draft, June 25, 1996). In the winter of 1995-1996, we experienced an unusually heavy snow, probably combined with wind, which created a tremendous number of downed and broken trees and other damage to woody vegetation. This has exacerbated the already severe problem. The SRRC is participating in cooperative monitoring of this federal project in addition to providing volunteers to pull back excessive fuels from residual large 5 SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM (SRCRP) FINAL REPORT FY 97 trees prior to scheduled US Forest Service underbuirn nthie narega . Without critical fuels manageomnee cnant ea,si ly predict that catastrophic wildfires will return more frequently in the Salmon River. The fire history and fire potential of this sub-basin establish that increased catastrophic wildfire occurrence is the number one threat to fisheries and general ecosystem health and diversity. During 199the7 Sa,lmo n River experiethne claergdes t high water event since the 1964 flood. Several roads and hillsides failed. In addition several miles of riparian habitat (particularly on the South Fork) were scoured, reducing shade over streams and sections of the river. D) METHODS AND MATERIALS s Ecosystem Awareness Workshops, Restoration Training Workdays The Salmon River Restoration Council has performed the tasks identified in our cooperative agreement for Salmon River Community Restoration Program (CRP) for Fiscal Year 1997 (FY 97). The SRRC continued to enlist community members in a variety of watershed restoration and protection activities. In FY 97, the SRRC held 23 Ecosystem Awareness Workshops and Restoration Training Workdays and 4 Mini-Workshops that focused on: |) Fisheries Management, 2) Fire Management, 3) Native Plant Cooperative Seed Bank/Riparian Revegetation and landslide stabilization, 4) Watershed Education Program- Partnership with 3 Schools, and others highlighting subbasin water temperature monitoring , 5) Grazing Management, 6) Forest Management, 7) Road Management, 8) Noxious Weed Management, and 9) River Clean-up. (See Appendix # 1 - Workshop Evaluation including Comprehensive Activities Schedule and Participation Log) S Public Outreach SRRC distributed announcements and information at key locations which serve as community information distribution points. These points are at the Forks of Salmon Post Office, Cecilville Post Office and Sawyers Bar Post Office. We have maintained current information and handouts at these and other points. Notices and informational announcements have also been posted at public bulletin boards in Somes Bar, Orleans, Happy Camp, Etna, Fort Jones, and Callahan. Periodic updates were provided to the Fish and Wildlife Service throughout the year. SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM (SRCRP) FINAL REPORT FY 97 Various SRRC updates were provided to our Board of Directors, the community and other stakeholders including a newsletter circulated at the time of the SRRC WaterCenstehr oependin g. In reaching out to managing and interested entities the SRRC held various field trips and gave several presentations to provide a general overview of the conditions and problems associated with watershed health in the Salmon River subbasin. (See Appendix # 3 « Handouts, Posters, PlaMneetning iNotnicesg, et c.) s Support for School’s Watershed Education Programs. During FY 97 SK™ continued to support the 3 schools’ Watershed Education Programs with data gathering technicians, technical assistance and planning and coordination. Community volunteers donated 34.5 person days and staff provided 26 days to this effort. ® FY 97 Board and Steering/Planning Meetings During the planning meetings the community members, key agency specialists, Karuk Tribe of California personnel and others participated in planning, implementing and evaluating the Ecosystem Awareness Workshops, Restoration Training Workdavs, Project Proposals or other SRRC restoration activities. Notices for the board and steering committee meetings were mailed and posted on all key community bulletin boards. Each meeting person volunteered 1/2 wodrayk eac h. There was a total of 24.5 volunteer days attributed to the 7 Board/Steering Committees meetings and 27 volunteer days attributed to the 22 planning meetings. (See Appendix # | Workshop Evaluation and Participation Log) . Community Action Plan During this year the Restoration Council reviewed and provided input onto its Salmon River Community Action Plan (Plan). The Plan focuses on identifying and achieving long and short range Goals and identifying and accomplishing associated Tasks in areas such as: Ecosyst~m Planning, Education, Aquatic Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, Te-restriai & «system Protection and Restoration, Ecosystem Assessment. This Plan is used as an annual guide for the staff, board, steering committee and the general community. It will be updated at least every year as new information, opportunities, or direction arise SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM (SRCRP) FINAL REPORT FY 97 . Partnership Building The SRRC participants continued to provide assistance to the Forofk Saslmo n School in coordinating and implementing their watershed education program. Students learned techniques to inventory, monitor, protect, and rehabilitnaatturea l resources in Salmon River sub-basin that are directly associated with the anadromous fisheries. This year an AmeriCorps partner working in the schools participated. A Stakehgrooulp, dthee rSaslmo n Learning and Understanding Group (SLUG) was initiated by the SRRC and includes members from the community, agencies, tribe, and environmental organizations. We expect to attain participation in the near future from other stakeholders such as the Siskivou County Road Department. s Project Development Thrtheo Coummungity hAct ion Plan and the 3 Year Work plan the SRRC has identified key projects and project areas which need funding. The SRRC Coordinators worked with specialists from the managing agencies, Karuk Tribe, the private sector, and universities in the development of a number of restoration proposals. In addition to submitting 3 proposals in 1997 to Klamath River Fisheries Restoration Task Force, the SRRC submitted numerous restoration proposals to various funders such as: ESRI, McConnell Foundation, California Dept. of Fish and Game, US Fish & Wildlife Service's Salmon Stewardship Program, 319 (h), the Jobs- In-The Woods program, ESRI, and others. # Personnel The SRRC Coordinators and Secretary attended all of the planning meetings for which they will be compensated through their salary. In FY-97 the Coordinators worked for 328.65 person days total, including 25 days of volunteer technical assistance provided by our GIS Coordinator for: |) development of our GIS projects, 2) general computer support, 3) proposal development and 4) other technical administrative needs. Of the total time 154.33 of these days were paid and the other 174.32 were in-kind contribution. The secretary worked for 35.1 days of which 23.85 were paid and 11.25 are in-kind contribution. Our staff accountant worked for 94.7 davs of which 69 were paid and 25.7 were in-kind contribution. Of the 458.5 total staff davs for the Grant Period, 211.27 davs (46%) were volunteered. 8 SALMON RIVER COMMUNITY RESTORATION PROGRAM (SRCRP) FINAL REPORT FY 97 s Technical Assistance During FY 97 the SRRC received a broad range of technical support from key agency and University personnel, Tribal representatives, and private specialists at several of the planned Workshops and Workdays and other events. In additwie orecnei,ve d extensive technical assistance for our computer and Geographic Information Systems project, for initiation of a sub-basin-wide private landowner inventory, for proposal development, and for general computer assistance. The SRRC continued to work on developing a comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) which is utilizing data from the Klamath National Forest and from other sources. The SRRC is working in conjunction with technicians from the Klamath Resource Inventory Svstem (KRIS). The SRRC will be tracking such characteristics as: unstable soils and roads, denuded riparian and up-slope habitats, fuels loading associated with private dwellings and opportunities for fuel breaks, native and noxious plant species populations, areas of the river used by anadromous fish species, SRRC’s restoration sites, and other information. A private lands inventory has been identified as a priority project and funding is being sought. Some aspects of this inventory are currently under way on various parcels of private lands such as: fire risk assessment and landslides . # Conferences/Workshops/Presentations During FY 97 SRRC participants attended a variety of workshops to increase our knowledge of restoration problems and solutions. SRRC staff made several presentations including: Klamath Basin Fisheries Restoration Task Force, Klamath Restoration Conference in Yreka, Siskiyou Resource Conservation District, Yreka Rotary, KRIS Forum in Yreka, PFMC, and the Shasta Bioregional Conference. SRRC participants attended various conferences and training sessions which include: GIS Training in West Virginia and San Diego, Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Conference (SRF), Alternative Forest Products, Kris/GIS Training with the schools, USFS South Fork Watershed Analvsis Public Meeting, USFS Tavlor Creek Decommissioning Meeting, Technical Work Group Sub-basin Planning Committee Meeting (host), Scott Valley CRMP Meeting with PFMC presentation, and others.