Amonson-Little Springs Creek

Project Narrative

The project sponsor improved the proposed project in three ways. First, the Bureau of Reclamation donated services to complete the biological assessment for the project. This freed up funding from the project that allowed the project sponsor to pay for fencing the newly restored riparian area from cattle grazing. Second, leveraging funds from another project partner allowed the project sponsor to pay for a pivot installed on the Amonson property when the water rights transfer was approved by Idaho Department of Water Resources. The pivot allows the landowner to mitigate for lost forage in the riparian area while securing that the riparian area and fence will be maintained. The project sponsor and landowner signed a twenty-year management agreement to keep cattle off of the newly restored riparian area. Third, the project sponsor was able to use dozens of volunteers to install more than a mlie of fence to protect the riparian area.There were some unexpected delays. The construction took longer than expected due to equipment breakdowns, cold weather and permitting issues. Also when salvaging fish from the project area immediately before construction began, four Chinook salmon were caught in the project area. The presence of ESA-listed species resulted in halting construction until NOAA was alerted to consider their section 7 consultation.A no cost extension for the PCSRF funds was requested and approved. Yet the project was completed shortly after the original contract end date.The purpose of this project was met by stabilizing 2.8 miles of streambank, installing 1 mile of fence and restoring 1.4 miles or riparian habitat.Instream habitat treatment involved installing 6 coir log and wattle soil lifts, 10 engineered stemmed root wads with log footers, 31 large will clumps and approximately 1200 willow shoots. Ninty-five pools with point bars were built, spawning and riffle substrate cobbles-gravels were introduced into streambed.Riparian habitat treatment included planted willow shoots and upland native grass seed. Back bays along the newly constructed stream were bank stabilized, willow shoots planted and grass seed dispersed on each disturbed area. Some to the back bays were also treated with large woody debris for enhanced juvenile fish habitat. One point three miles of jack and rail fence was built to enclose the project areas to exclude grazing.This project will result in creation and protection of spawning habitat, rearing habitat, and security cover for steelhead, chinook, and westslope cutthroat. It will also reduce summer water temperatures.