Satus Creek Irrigation Dam Removal
Satus Dam—also known as the Shadduck Dam—was installed in Satus Creek over a half-century ago by Wapato Irrigation Project (WIP). The dam was used to divert water to supplement the irrigation water in the Satus District of WIP. The diversion had been obsolete for over 20 years and WIP intended to remove the dam, but lacked funding.
Smartlowit Ditch Fish Screen
Yakama Nation fisheries staff developed a plan to install fish screens on three irrigation diversion ditches in Simcoe Creek Watershed, which is home to multiple freshwater life history stages of ESA listed Mid-Columbia River steelhead. These unscreened diversions had historically diverted streamflow and ultimately caused juvenile Steelhead to be stranded in the canals at the end of the irrigation season.
Lincoln Meadows Restoration
Lincoln Meadows is a headwaters meadow for Toppenish Creek. Headwater meadows are important because they contain culturally important first foods and function as water storage to maintain summer base flows in streams, which supports aquatic life. Lincoln Meadows has been impacted by a variety of human related activities, such as roads and cattle grazing, that have severely degraded the meadow's capabilities.
South Fork Simcoe Creek Feeder Ditch Fish Screening
A major limiting factor affecting the healthy function of the watershed/habitat is the presence of an unscreened surface water diversion located on South Fork Simcoe Creek. There has been a continuous effort since 2009 to identify three unscreened surface diversions that need to be screened. The Smartlowit diversion was screened in 2010. The feeder ditch on South Fork Simcoe Creek is the second to be screened of the three identified diversions.
Panther Creek Passage Barrier Removal
On August 6, 2011, Yakama Nation Fisheries, Yakama Reservation Watersheds Project (YRWP) completed the implementation of a restoration action at two road/stream interfaces on Panther Creek to improve stream function and facilitate fish movement. Sites within the Panther Creek watershed have been degraded due to various human activities (e.g., grazing, road building, and logging). These problems are most obvious at the site on Panther Creek where Fort Simcoe Road # 80 transects T10N, R13E Section 13 and further downstream in T10N, R13E Section 26.
Durham Irrigation Dam Removal & Roughened Channel Installation
The factors limiting fish passage and habitat degradation at the Durham Irrigation Dam restoration site were the result of an obsolete irrigation diversion dam. This site is located at river mile five on Toppenish Creek. During periods of heightened instream flows, the confines of the dam abutments created a hydraulic pressure gradient, limiting successful fish passage.
LaSalle High School Fish Habitat Improvement & Floodplain Enhancement
Yakama Reservation Watersheds Project staff completed a bank stabilization and floodplain restoration project in and adjacent to Ahtanum Creek. Anthropogenic and natural factors have led to the rapid erosion of three stream meanders, a discontinuity between the floodplain and the stream, and a domination of non-native invasive vegetation within the project site. Endangered Species Act listed species: Mid-Columbia River steelhead trout and bull trout, Chinook, and coho; utilize Ahtanum Creek for multiple life history stages.
Trees Used by White-headed Woodpeckers for Sap Feeding
The White-headed Woodpecker (Dryobates albolarvatus) is uncommon and non-migratory throughout its geographic range in Washington, where it inhabits forests dominated by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). In the northern part of their range, White-headed Woodpeckers rely on ponderosa pine seeds as a fall and winter food resource. Although previous research revealed that White-headed Woodpeckers do feed on tree sap in California and Oregon, the characteristics of trees used for sap feeding have not been described in detail.
Characteristics of Forest Stands Used by White-headed Woodpeckers for Nesting
The White-headed Woodpecker (Dryobates albolarvatus) is a primary excavator that occurs in pine- (Pinus spp.) dominated habitats throughout its geographic distribution. Throughout the interior Pacific Northwest, the White-headed Woodpecker is historically associated with large-diameter ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. Historically these pine forests were maintained by frequent fires that occurred every 5–15 years. Old trees (>150 years) in these historic forests were 40–91 cm dbh and ranged in density from 19 to 49 per hectare.
Status and Trends Annual Report
The Status and Trends Annual Report (STAR) Project summarizes fish population status and trends, habitat restoration action implementation, Yakama Nation production and reintroduction programs, and Federal mainstem hydrosystem improvements as they affect Yakama Nation treaty-trust aquatic species and their habitats.