Cooperative Agreement F25AC02082

MIDDLE CREEK IS A TRIBUTARY TO HORSE CREEK AND IS LOCATED IN THE UPPER KLAMATH RIVER COHO SALMON POPULATION. ANNUALLY, MIDDLE CREEK FREQUENTLY SUPPORTS THE HIGHEST DENSITY OF COHO SALMON SPAWNING IN THE UPPER KLAMATH POPULATION. HOWEVER, SECTIONS OF THE CREEK HAVE BEEN SIMPLIFIED AND LACK A DIVERSITY OF VELOCITIES DURING HIGH FLOW EVENTS. AS SUCH, SLOW WATER WINTER REARING HABITAT AND SPAWNING GRAVELS FOR COHO SALMON ARE LIMITED AND THE CREEK IS DISCONNECTED FROM ITS FLOODPLAIN. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS TO RESTORE COHO SALMON REARING HABITATS AND ENHANCE SPAWNING HABITAT IN MIDDLE CREEK BY RESTORING CHANNEL FORM AND FUNCTION AND INCREASING FLOODPLAIN CONNECTIVITY. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT ARE TO RESTORE REARING HABITAT AND ENHANCE SPAWNING HABITAT FOR COHO SALMON. TO ACHIEVE THESE OBJECTIVES THE PROJECT WILL CONSTRUCT AN OFF-CHANNEL ALCOVE AND A SERIES OF BEAVER DAM ANALOGS (BDA) TO CREATE SLOW WATER REARING HABITAT IN-STREAM AND OFF-CHANNEL, AND SORT AND STORE GRAVELS SUITABLE FOR SPAWNING. THE PROJECT WILL OCCUR UPSTREAM OF THE MIDDLE CREEK COHO ENHANCEMENT PROJECT PHASE I WHICH WAS COMPLETED IN 2024, AND THE MIDDLE CREEK INSTREAM AND FLOODPLAIN ENHANCEMENT PROJECT WHICH IS SCHEDULED FOR IMPLEMENTATION IN AUGUST OF 2025. THIS PROJECT IS ANTICIPATED TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN THE SUMMER FALL OF 2026. COLLECTIVELY, THESE PROJECTS WILL RESTORE APPROXIMATELY 0.7 MILES OF MAINSTEM AND OFF-CHANNEL HABITATS IN MIDDLE CREEK. THE PROJECT WILL BE IMPLEMENTING THE FOLLOWING RECOVERY STRATEGY ACTION ITEMS FOR THE MID-KLAMATH BASIN IN THE FINAL RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE SOUTHERN OREGON NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST EVOLUTIONARY SIGNIFICANT UNIT OF COHO SALMON (ONCORHYNCHUS KISUTCH) SONCC-MKR.2.2.4 RECONNECT CHANNELS TO THEIR FLOODPLAINS AND SONCC-MKR.2.1.6 INCREASE CHANNEL COMPLEXITY. THIS PROJECT WILL ACHIEVE DOI PROPOSED STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3.4: SPECIES AND NATURAL RESOURCES ARE PROTECTED BY SUPPORTING SPECIES POPULATION AND HEALTH USING SOUND SCIENCE TO MANAGE.