Note to public reading this. Periods are the only punctuation allowed by the system this information is entered into so there are grammatical errors

This $233,037.38 Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Partners for Fish and Wildlife (CFDA 15.631) program will fund habitat restoration and conservation activities on private lands in Bly, Oregon. The primary focus is to address erosion issues and improve habitat for redband trout and other fish species in the South Fork Sprague River system. Key activities include installing wood structures and adding large wood and rocks to increase instream complexity and habitat, establishing native vegetation along streambanks, and upgrading a low ford crossing to reduce sediment impacts. The project will also support the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's efforts to improve beaver habitat in the area. The Klamath Watershed Partnership, a non-profit organization, will implement the restoration work over the grant period from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2029.

The primary focus of this project will be to shore up points of erosion throughout the property and provide habitat for redband trout or oncorhynchus mykiss gairdnerii and other fish species in the system. Restoration activities were done on this site in 2018 but a more aggressive approach may be necessary to halt the erosion that is occurring on the streambanks primarily along the northeast corner of the property. Wood structures installed in the bank itself such as a TOE wood structure will reduce sheer stresses on cut banks and help to reduce erosion. Root wads from these trees will also serve as good instream habitat. While vegetation along the streambanks is relatively healthy in most spots there is little to no wood or other structure within the river itself. The south fork sprague river is important year round for multiple stages of redband trout life history. Large wood and rocks and post assisted log structures or pals will be added to increase complexity and structure and habitat to this stretch of river so IT may be utilized by redband in each of these life stages. Additionally this variety could prove beneficial to multiple other fish species. These additions will also help to slow and spread the water during flooding which will further reduce erosion concerns. In the summer 2023 this area was included by oregon department of fish and wildlife as a part of the south fork sprague beaver emphasis area indicating IT as a target for improving the habitat specifically to support beaver. These actions will help support that goal as well. Finally the property is accessed via a low ford through the SF sprague. While a hardened crossing was installed in 2018 we feel IT could be updated and modified to better keep crossing vehicles from creating sediment plumes as this continues to be an issue.