East pine creek lies within designated critical habitat for bull trout in the pine, indian, and wildhorse core area

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through its National Fish Passage Program (CFDA 15.685), awarded a $342,000 project grant to the Eagle Valley Soil And Water Conservation District in Oregon. The grant supports the removal of fish passage barriers and implementation of habitat restoration projects within the East Pine Creek watershed, which is designated critical habitat for threatened bull trout. The project aims to restore aquatic connectivity and improve migratory corridors for bull trout and redband trout between their cold-water summer habitat and overwintering areas in the Snake River. Key activities include removing barriers, constructing engineered riffle structures, installing fish screens, and consolidating irrigation diversions. These efforts are part of a broader program to remove a total of four barriers within East Pine Creek over the next four years, addressing priority conservation needs identified in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bull Trout Recovery Plan.

Restoring fish passage within the migratory corridors of the pine creek watershed is emphasized in the 2015 mid-columbia recovery unit implementation plan with connectivity impairment listed as a primary threat. This migratory corridor is important for both bull trout and redband trout migrating between cold-water summer habitats of the upper pine creek basin and overwintering habitats in the snake river. The projects identified in this funding application are both listed on the odfw 2019 fish passage priority list as barrier IDS #45888 (irwin oliver) and #45827 (dearth melhorn). Spawning areas for bull trout are 10-12 miles upstream of these projects. These barrier removal projects are part of a focused fish passage program that will remove a total of four barriers in east pine creek within the next four years. The east pine fish passage projects addresses both the USFWS recovery plan but also the oregon bull trout priority model. In 2021, the oregon bull trout priority model ranked the pine, indian, and wildhorse core area as a focal area to emphasize the implementation of bull trout recovery efforts over the next 5-10 years. The priority model indicates that an investment of limited resources in focal areas will most likely result in the most evident improvement of long-term persistence and the recovery of bull trout statewide.