Provide a 350 feet riparian forest buffer with mature overstory upstream and downstream of the project within a wide valley with lateral channel migration.there is proximity to colder water habitat…

Provide a 350 feet riparian forest buffer with mature overstory upstream and downstream of the project within a wide valley with lateral channel migration.there is proximity to colder water habitat upstream in the mainstem, and entry of a cool-water tributary, soda creek within a half mile of upstream end of the project. The water quality restoration plan report from medford district of BLM (2006) found soda creek 7-day average maximum temperature at 67.7 degrees (1994-2003). The owrd 14240800 hydro-station, located 1 mile upstream, registers maximum water temperatures of 64.4 - 68 degrees during late july through mid-august (2015-2019), critical over-summer periods for juvenile salmonids. Although temperatures occasional exceed regulatory targets for salmonid rearing, temperatures are within the range that restoration actions will have positive effects on juvenile salmonid survival and fitness. Part of the long-term strategy is to build contiguous ecological restoration projects that will reduce critical summer rearing temperatures into the optimal biological range throughout the entire south fork little butte creek drainage. We propose a combination of restoration actions that will result in significant ecological uplift at this location. These actions will restore critical stream processes and improve water quality and habitat conditions with increased flood plain interaction. This will be accomplished by:- placing large wood at 16 strategic locations throughout 0.6 miles of the project length, including enhancement of 0.35 miles of winter, secondary channels,- rehabilitating 9.4 acres of riparian forest over the course of five growing seasons to recover the native plant community through noxious weed control, natural recruitment of native species, and planting of native nursery stock,- protecting the entire with construction of 0.25 miles of wildlife-friendly livestock exclusion fence to add to the existing 0.4 miles of fence.