Restore Lawyer Creek Habitat: Targeting Steelhead and Chinook

Salmon

Cooperative Local Effort

Clearwater Economic Development Association (CEDA)

Nez Perce Tribe (NPT) City of Kamiah Idaho County Lewis County Idaho Department of

Fish and Game (IDFG)

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ)

Nez Perce Conservation District (NPCD)

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Water Consulting, Inc. (WCI)

Local Landowners

Lawyer Creek Watershed

Lawyer Creek Drainage Characteristics

Impacted by agriculture in the headwaters.

Grazing and historic stream straightening and modification in middle reaches

Urbanization in lower watershed Inadequate in stream woody debris Past channel and floodplain modifications Transportation system impacts throughout Destabilized by land uses and historic

floods in the mid-1990’s

Impacts on Lawyer Creek

Problems and Influences on Target Fish Species

Target Fish Species• Wild A-run Steelhead• Spring/Summer Chinook• Westslope Cutthroat Trout

Habitat Improvement• Excessive fine sediment• Habitat degradation and simplification• Loss of Riparian Vegetation and Habitat• Floodplain encroachment

Impacts on Target Fish Species

Impact on Fish Populations• Poor spawning • Inadequate deep pool habitats •Poor juvenile rearing habitat• Reduced carrying capacity

Goals

Improve fish habitat quantity, quality and complexity for steelhead and chinook life-history stages

Reduce excessive sediment sources currently contributing to habitat and water quality degradation

Re-establish stream-floodplain connectivity Improve the riparian condition in the project

area

Proposed Solutions Completing a watershed assessment Drafting a Master Plan for the lower 7 miles of

the watershed Developing final channel restoration project

designs Implementing final channel restoration projects Monitoring and evaluating fish and channel

responses to restoration projects

BEFOREAFTERAFTERBEFORE

Relation to Other Projects to Other ProjectsRelation to Other Projects to Other Projects Lawyer Creek Floodplain Mitigation Project NRCS/Nez Perce Conservation District Agricultural

Headwaters Watershed Assessment Habitat Restoration Projects in the Clearwater Basin Newsome Creek Watershed Restoration

Project:sediment abatement measures Mill Creek Watershed Restoration Project: riparian

habitat restoration Meadow Creek Watershed Restoration: riparian habitat

restoration Red River Watershed Restoration: channel

reconstruction and riparian habitat restoration Other scheduled TMDL and watershed assessments in

the Clearwater Basin

Restore Lawyer Creek…“bring harmony back to the watershed”