Notes from the Field: Restoration Tour Along Whychus Creek

DRC staff joined our partners at the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council (UDWC) on a beautiful fall day for a tour of the recently restored reaches of Whychus Creek. The UDWC is engaged in the removal of the Plainview Dam, the final fish passage barrier on Whychus Creek. With the completion of this project, 38 miles of spawning and rearing habitat are open for Salmon and Steelhead, as well as resident fish. Other stops on the tour included sections of Whychus Creek where the Watershed Council has done extensive riparian and habitat work to restore previously channelized stream beds. Year-round flows achieved through DRC projects combined with the UDWC's habitat restoration efforts show the power of partnerships in the Deschutes Basin.

By Lisa Seales