The Yakama Nation, is soliciting bids for restoration services associated with enhancing instream and riparian habitat in the Tepee Creek watershed with Low Tech Process Based Restoration (LTPBR). The goals of the project are to add complexity and quality to instream and riparian habitat by thinning conifer stands, adding structure and enhancing stream flows during the low-precipitation season of the year in two reaches of Tepee Creek, and promoting natural fluvial processes that result in a healthy and resilient riverscape and increase habitat quantity, quality, and diversity for threatened fish in Tepee Creek.
The overall goal of restoration on Tepee Creek is to improve the quality and quantity of habitat for threatened steelhead by promoting sustainable fluvial processes that result in a healthy and resilient riverscape. Within this broad management goal, objectives for restoration include: 1) increase the abundance of beaver dams and large wood accumulations, 2) increase in-channel geomorphic diversity, 3) Increase the proportion of the valley bottom composed of active channel and active floodplain, 3) increase wetland and riparian vegetation extent, diversity, and abundance, and 5) increase perennial surface flow extent during low flow periods.
Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration methods will be utilized in Tepee Creek to achieve project goals and objectives. LTPBR practices use simple, cost-effective, hand-built structures that mimic beaver dams (beaver dam analogs) and large wood accumulations (i.e., post-assisted log structures).
To achieve the desired future conditions, structural elements are proposed to include Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs), Post-Assisted Log Structures (PALS), and unsecured trees/wood accumulations. These structure types will be constructed using a variety of locally sourced material (from adjacent floodplains, hillslopes and forest management activities) and installed using manual labor that will result in minimal to no impact to existing riparian vegetation and habitat. The size of individual wood pieces will vary but are not likely to exceed 12 inches dbh by 15 feet in length since they will be transported and placed by hand or small machinery. Some wood exceeding 12 inches dbh by 15 feet in length may be used if directly sourced from the floodplain or adjacent hillslopes.
There are no maintained roads that lead directly to the valley bottom but old skid paths and decommissioned roads are present from past forest management activities. These existing pathways will be used to access the project area and transport wood from upslope staging areas.
Activities to facilitate wood hauling include: utlizing ATV’s and trailers, loading of green slash on trailers, transport through timbered areas to stream reaches, unloading of transported slash, and sorting of slash in rows (not piles).
Stream & Riparian Restoration: At the direction of YKFP staff the CONTRACTOR will construct Post Assisted Log Structures (PALS) and Beaver Dams Analogues (BDAs) by placing and configuring primarily by hand wood in the channel secured by weaving it around standing trees and reinforcing with the placement of untreated wood posts driven by a hydraulic post pounder (YKFP provided).
The contract will consist of two main components:
-
3-5 person labor crew to assist with LTPBR. Experience & Duties will include:
- Skilled sawyer for directional tree felling, in-stream BDA & PALS construction, post driving, and wood hauling.
- Truck, hand tools, and other associated gear to be included in bid.
- Assist with the transport of ~100 logs (~8-10” in diameter and ~15-20 feet long)
- The YN has an establish Stock Pile ~0.5 miles from the restoration reaches and will have an ATV with a trailer to assist with hauling.
Critical Dates:
Bid Submission Deadline: August 28, 2023 – 12:00 pm
Tentative Award Selection: August 30, 2023
Project Initiation (est): October 15, 2023
Project Completion (est): October 31, 2023
Qualified Contractor Bids on the Bid Schedule shall be received in hand no later than 12:00 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time on August 28, 2023. Bids may be emailed to phayden@ykfp.org with the subject line: Tepee Creek LTPBR Assistance.
