First phase of stream restoration nears completion

Heavy equipment redesigns the Deschutes Land Trust’s Camp Polk Meadow Preserve in an ambitious restoration of Whychus Creek. photo by Amanda Egerton 
 
The first, and most dramatic, phase of the Deschutes Land Trust's restoration of Whychus Creek at Camp Polk is expected to be completed by the end of this week.

Strangely, in an area dedicated as a nature preserve, heavy equipment is currently carving up the landscape. For several weeks now, the land trust has been engaged in a "groundbreaking" effort to restore their Camp Polk Meadow Preserve, and an important section of Whychus Creek, to a recreated natural ecosystem.

More than a half-century ago, bulldozers rerouted Whychus Creek into what amounts to a rocky storm drain. Today, bulldozers are trying to put the former meandering channel back to the way it was. Numerous public and private agencies, and many others as well, are anxiously eyeing the project to see if the results will turn out as expected; and it will be years before all the answers are known.

Amanda Egertson, stewardship director for the land trust, is optimistic.

"So far so good," she said. "There have definitely been some lessons learned, but for the most part everything has run very smoothly."

She said that Paul Powers, fish biologist with the Deschutes National Forest, reports that they hope to wrap up the heavy construction work by Friday of this week. Powers is the primary designer of the restored channel. The Forest Service is just one of the agencies participating in the project.

When asked whether the excavation had unearthed any surprises, Egertson said, "The crews have uncovered all sorts of goodies out there, but nothing of real historical significance. Mostly old car and farm equipment parts and some old irrigation piping."

She did, however, report that an ecological shift has already been observed.

Kristine Senkier is a restoration hydrologist with the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and the overall project manager. According to Egertson, Senkier's measurements in the meadow have recorded a two-foot rise in the meadow's water table as a result of piping small amounts of water into the newly excavated channel.

The reconstructed channel is being hydrated to help establish new riparian plant life before the full force of the stream is redirected down its new route. That step in the process is not scheduled until 2011, but the chain of events to make that happen has begun.

Referring to the temporary irrigation, Egertson said, "It gives us a sense of how well the restored channel will help recharge the meadow and return it to its historic wet condition. Great news for all the native plants we'll be putting in the ground this fall. They should do very well."

Most of the temporary irrigation piping is in place right now, and the remaining portions are being set in place this week.

One concern the land trust had was how the construction would affect existing wildlife in the area. One indicator has already come back positive. A pair of red-tailed hawks occupy a nest very close to the stream restoration project and has apparently been unaffected. Volunteer bird surveyors have observed the nest throughout the heavy equipment phase. Not only is the nest still active, but a fledgling has been sighted perched on the nest.

The land trust estimates that the construction crews have moved approximately 30,000 cubic yards of dirt in the process of regrading the floodplain and excavating the new channel. Weed management will be an issue throughout the project, and thousands of native plants, shrubs and grasses will be planted in the newly designed meadow this fall. But first, one of the next steps will be to install fencing to keep the new plantings from becoming expensive hors d'oeuvres for the local deer population.

Egertson said that excavation crews had to move a lot of vegetation, especially willow, small aspen and dogwood, while excavating the lower reach of the creek on the preserve. Fortunately, much of that plant material has been salvaged and planted all along the upper reaches. Those transplants are already being watered by water trucks and the irrigation piping. Approximately 110,000 new native plants will be planted during late September and October. Another 35,000 will be planted next spring.

Boulders, rocks, soils and wood have been stockpiled for damming and redirecting the present stream. "All of this material will be moved into the existing stream after we shift the water into the new channel," said Egertson.

As work continues, the area will be closed to the general public, with access limited to guided tours and volunteer work parties. Much work remains to be done, but the land trust is confident that the project is well on its way.

Time, hard work, and continued public support will be the final ingredients in this project, the largest of its kind to date in Oregon.