Salmon River Restoration CouncilFall 20162SRRC Staff, Project Leaders and CrewsKaruna Greenberg, Restoration DirectorLyra Cressey, Associate DirectorKathy McBroom, Office ManagerSarah Hugdahl, Program Staff and OutreachScott Harding, Fire, Fuels & Forestry Coordinator Melissa Van Scoyoc, Habitat Restoration CoordinatorTom Hotaling, Fisheries Coordinator through July 31Kristen Sellmer, Fisheries Coordinator Bonnie Bennett, Monitoring Coordinator and Program StaffEmily Ferrell, Noxious Weeds CoordinatorDaralyn Soto, Watershed Education CoordinatorBrenda Hurlimann, BookkeeperSteve Adams, Watershed Center Maintenance2016 Fuels Crew, Noxious Weed Crew and Fish Survey employees - Thomas Balsz, Jordan Bartlett, Bonnie Bennett, Sheri Campbell, Anne Cavin, Matt Cavin, Eddie Collins, Mike Cress, Lino Darling, Alex Denney, Kevin Dunbar, Eric Feinberg, Danielle Klinkow, Samuel Mucioki, Beau Quinter, Katie Reinhart, James Stewart, Alex Varga and Todd Whitmore Salmon River Restoration Councilwww.srrc.orgP.O. Box 1089 Sawyers Bar, CA 96027530-462-4665 info@srrc.org This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer. SRRC does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations.Funding comes from CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife, CA Dept. of Food & Agriculture, Clif Bar Family Foundation, US Fish & Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Karuk Tribe, CA Fire Safe Council, Firedoll Foundation, Jiji Foundation, Mid Klamath Watershed Council, Norcross Wildlife Foundation, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, National Forest Foundation, Sidney Stern Memorial Trust, the Siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee, and our valued members.SRRC Board Toz Soto, President Ben Beaver,Vice PresidentKathy McBroom, Secretary/Treasurer Petey Brucker Will HarlingJosh Saxon Creek Hanauer Jennifer Silveira Hawk WhiteAbove and cover photos by Karuna Greenberg The Bigfoot Trail Alliance joined forces with the Salmon River Restoration Council to hike up the South Russian Creek Trail into Russian Lake in the Russian Wilderness. At the trail’s high point, we put in a photo monitoring plot as part of the Bigfoot Trail’s citizen monitoring program. This was one of SRRC’s periodic community education events, which get us all out to learn about and enjoy our beautiful watershed.With the arrival of fall, a shift occurs in our work here at the SRRC. Summer is always a hectic blur, with noxious weed crews busily transitioning from spurge to mustard to knapweed; fisheries crews surveying for juveniles and working hard to keep creek mouths open so that fish can access cold water in the heat; monitoring crews checking creek flows and water temperatures. But with the first rains of fall, noxious weeds are done flowering for the season, the water cools, the creeks come up, hobo temps get pulled, and the fish start spawning. Suddenly it is the time for carcass surveys, watershed ed., prescribed fire and fuels reduction. The last big push before the short, cold days of winter slow things down and give everyone time to prepare for another season. This past couple of years we’ve experienced a lot of change and growth in our programs. Since 2015 all of our programs have gotten new coordinators. While introducing new people always involves a steep learning curve, it also provides an opportunity for our work to evolve in good ways. We are incredibly happy with our current team. We’ve also introduced a whole new program to the mix. While we’ve dabbled in larger scale habitat restoration projects in the past, hiring a coordinator for the Habitat Restoration Program has led to an exciting array of new projects (see pages 6+7). Another big change has been the addition of prescribed fire to our Fire, Fuels & Forestry Program. Although we’ve participated in fire planning activities for years, 2014 marked the first time we were actually able to implement prescribed fire on private lands. This occurred through the Klamath River Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX), which has been a great opportunity for our staff to gain practical experience in conducting prescribed burns. We hope to do more of this work in the future (see pages 16-18). In our ongoing efforts to collaborate more with the Klamath National Forest, a couple of new opportunities arose. For the past two summers, SRRC has hired trail crew members to join the Salmon/Scott Ranger District trail crew on maintaining trails throughout the watershed. This has been a chance for us to have more input into working on trails that are used by the community, and provides an opportunity for local folks to do trail work if they are interested. We also had a staff member conduct monitoring of several grazing allotments in the Marble Mountains this summer under contract with the USFS (see page 15). Getting back to our roots a bit, we’ve been trying to put on more fun, educational community events. From mushroom forays, to wildflower walks and fruit tree pruning workshops, this has been a great way to get community members together, get outside and learn new things. Stay tuned for upcoming events by checking the calendar on our website. We hope you enjoy hearing about the work we do to protect this place we love. We’re looking forward to another year! - Lyra Cressey, Associate Director34Lessons on Lamprey They’re not pretty creatures, but how good would you look after 400 million years?While SRRC and the Salmon River community have been monitoring our runs of Chinook, coho and steelhead for many years, another anadromous fish has been lurking in the waters of the Salmon River almost completely unseen and unstudied. This year, SRRC and the Klamath National Forest’s Salmon-Scott Ranger District set out to learn more about these mysterious inhabitants of our river.Lamprey are an ancient group of animals similar to fish, but they are not actually a “true fish” because they lack characteristics such as paired fins and jaws. Lamprey are highly specialized and possess many primitive characteristics with evolutionary lines going back over 400 million or more years. Adult lamprey are readily recognizable with an eel-like body, a sucking disc on the mouth covered with sharp teeth, gill slits along each side of the head, and large eyes. A juvenile lamprey, known as an ammocoete (ammo-seet), is more inconspicuous than the larger predatory adults. Ammocoetes are filter feeders and inhabit the softer substrates on river bottoms such as sand and silt for 3-5 years. They rarely reach a size of 100mm during this phase before developing the eyes or mouth parts necessary for predation. Once mature, lamprey become parasitic, attaching themselves to the bodies of fish or whales to suck blood and bodily fluids. Many species travel to the ocean for more growth opportunities. These lamprey will return to their natal streams as anadromous nest builders, and like salmon, die shortly after spawning. Several species of lamprey occur in the Klamath Basin and express both resident and anadromous life history strategies. top photo - Pacific lamprey juvenile from Dr. William O’Connor, photo above - Pacific lamprey portrait, Tom McHugh, photo right - Juvenile Klamath River lamprey, Kristen SellmerFisheries Program5Lamprey are notoriously under-represented in management plans. Lamprey are not charismatic fauna and a lack of funding and basic understanding is making recovery difficult. The same problems that have harmed salmon are related to the decline in lamprey as well: stream degradation, water quality, limited passage throughout the basin, and poor ocean conditions. In 2015, an investigation into lamprey distribution was initiated by the US Forest Service (USFS) for the Salmon and Scott River drainages of the Klamath National Forest (KNF). This is the first attempt by the KNF to target lamprey; and specifically, focus on lamprey ammocoetes as indicators of rearing habitat. During the 2016 field season, the Salmon River Restoration Council worked with the USFS on these surveys to help inform the KNF of lamprey presence for the purpose of project analysis, as well as to assist in the development of aquatic enhancement projects to improve habitat and/or access for all species potentially present at a site. The SRRC is looking forward to the continuation of this collaboration to gather basic data on a Sensitive Species. The data will help support management decisions and provide a restoration framework that promotes the increased diversity necessary to sustain a productive and healthy watershed. -Kristen Sellmer, Fisheries CoordinatorLamprey are culturally important to indigenous people throughout their range, and play a vital role in the ecosystem. Anadromous species cycle marine derived nutrients in freshwater systems, primary production is passed up the food chain and sediments are reworked by filter feeding larvae. They also serve as an important food source for humans as well as many mammals, fishes and birds. Lamprey were historically widely distributed throughout the entire Pacific Rim and are currently present in almost all coastal streams and tributaries of the major rivers in their range. However, recent observations of substantial declines in the abundance and range of Pacific lamprey have spurred conservation interest in the species. Pacific lamprey numbers in the Klamath River appear to be decreasing. While there is no estimate of the current Klamath River population, oral history taken from tribal fishermen indicates a long-term decline in adult catch. A downward trend is suggested for out-migrating juveniles caught in rotary screw traps in the Klamath River. Scott River and Shasta River rotary screw traps exhibit long-term declines as well. Pacific lamprey are known to be extinct from four watersheds within the Klamath Basin and have declined by 50-70% in the remaining seven, including the Salmon and Scott Rivers. In 2003, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was petitioned by 11 conservation groups to list four species of lamprey, including the Pacific lamprey, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. In the Salmon-Scott River Ranger District, the Pacific lamprey, Klamath lamprey, and western brook lamprey, were added to the Klamath National Forest Sensitive Species List in 2013.The Significance of Lamprey in the Klamath BasinIdentifying and Addressing Critical Knowledge Gaps6Genetics Research and Spring Chinook SalmonNew Genetic Research on Spring ChinookBoth spring-run and fall-run Chinook salmon in the Salmon River watershed are managed as a single evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) classified as the Upper Klamath-Trinity River Chinook Salmon. However, due to a perceived distinctness and value between these runs by local management agencies, tribes, residents, and area biologists, there has been a movement to manage spring-run and fall-run Chinook separately to preserve the ecological uniqueness and cultural significance they provide. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a means by which a species may be conserved until it is no longer deemed at risk of extinction. However, delineating a species for this type of protection can sometimes become very complicated because under the ESA, the term species “includes any subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants, and any distinct population segment of any species or vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature.” Considering distinct population segments and subspecies puts management objectives below the species level where little guidance from the ESA is provided. Wildlife managers are faced with answering difficult questions about which subspecies and distinct population segments (DPS) to protect when creating a sanctuary for diversity within a species and must also work under the pressures of limited resources to do so.The concept of an evolutionarily significant unit (ESU) has been adopted to define a basic unit of conservation to help address some of these questions. An ESU is defined as a population or group of populations that are substantially reproductively isolated from other conspecific population units and represent an important component in the evolutionary legacy of the species. Researchers have welcomed the adoption of the ESU criteria because it offers a holistic approach to protection by considering geographic, ecological, and biological data. For Pacific salmonids, genetic methods have been used extensively by researchers to delineate ESU’s and DPS’s based on geographical distinctness. When different populations of the same species become geographically isolated they also become reproductively isolated. Pacific salmon for example, have a range that spreads from California to Alaska, but groups of salmon return to the same watersheds year after year and only breed with other salmon who return to that watershed as well. When researchers study salmon on a molecular level, they can see this geographical distinctness and direct appropriate management policies based on the particular river basin those fish are native to. This method has given researchers an indispensable tool for managing salmon below the species level. Of course, as genetic methods and our own ecological and biological knowledge of salmon have become more advanced, researchers are seeing where even these measurements are lacking. The current challenge that Fisheries Programphoto by Michael Bravoresearchers have discovered is that even within these geographically distinct ESU’s there are groups of fish that are migrationally distinct and therefore reproductively isolated. Migrationally distinct groups of fish within the same ESU’s are more commonly known as spring, summer, fall, or winter run types. It is possible for geographically distinct populations to interbreed, but not probable because they are not genetically predisposed to do so. However, it has been assumed that the traits that make fish migrationally distinct are more flexible and that run types can be easily replaced by individuals from other runs within that ESU. Therefore multiple migrationally distinct run types are often times managed as one unit. In recent years though, this assumption has been the point of much controversy, especially in the Salmon River watershed. Biologists have long suspected that migrationally and spatially distinct fish runs within the same watershed, such as spring and fall Chinook in the Salmon River, have adapted to reproduce with their conspecifics that migrate at similar times and back to similar spawning areas, akin to geographically distinct ESU’s from different river basins. Although past genetic research has not supported this theory, new methods have recently been developed by researchers at UC Davis that allow more thorough genetic mapping. To answer this question, they obtained tissue samples from separate runs of both steelhead and Chinook salmon from watersheds along the west coast, including the Salmon River. A genetic analysis of this tissue revealed that fish separated out into distinct categories depending on their run-timing irrespective of their geographic location (see figure below), and the adaptation for early run timing is shared by both spring Chinook and summer Steelhead salmon, which diverged from each other over 15 million years ago. The adaptation arose as a single evolutionary event within each species, and spread to other populations through straying and positive natural selection. This means that the mechanisms involved in producing this particular difference in run timing are rare and the chances of this specific genotype reappearing after it is lost are extremely low. Therefore we can’t expect that if Klamath River spring Chinook are extirpated (e.g. through loss of habitat), that they could re-evolve from fall Chinook in the same ESU randomly recolonizing their habitat (e.g. habitat made available by removing a dam) on a time scale that could meet current conservation objectives for salmon in the Pacific Northwest. In considering long-term conservation strategies for improving the remaining runs of Chinook salmon in California, it is critical that we focus on preserving existing high-quality habitat and healthy native salmon stocks, and use the best available science for managing these resources. Once lost, our spring Chinook and summer steelhead will not be regained. Today the Salmon River spring Chinook run is the last viable wild spring Chinook run in the Klamath River watershed. Therefore, we must consider the value of this stock for the entire Klamath Basin and the implications of our actions as we move forward with where we focus our management efforts. - Kristen Sellmer, Fisheries Coordinator 7left, Phylogenetic tree for all individual steelhead sampled, depicting genetic differences in run timing for summer (premature) and winter (mature) runs irrespective of geographic location.Water Monitoring ProgramFor close to twenty years, SRRC’s Water Monitoring Program has been collecting data throughout the Salmon River watershed. Using Onset Hoboware© devices, SRRC has been monitoring approximately 50 water temperature sites and ten air temperature sites which provide continuous data every summer since 1996. Peak temperatures and low flows are some of the vital data collected. The data is available online on SRRC’s website and is frequently sent to other agencies for research and climatology modeling. As the climate changes so does the watershed, and temperature data assists in identifying warming trends and problem areas for the health of fish and other aquatic species. Once problem areas are identified, we can evaluate where restoration projects have the potential to reduce temperatures on localized levels. This process has led to a number of projects that are currently in progress to enhance floodplains, riparian zones and river diversity with the goal of reducing summer temperatures and restoring habitat. While the clear, beautiful water we enjoy daily in this watershed appears to be pristine, there is a long history of mining and logging that has negatively impacted the health of the Salmon River. Tailing piles from large scale historical mining still influence the functionality of the 45505560657075Temperature (F°)2006201120142015JuneJulyAugustSeptemberJulyAugustSeptemberMaximum Daily Temps for Knownothing CreekSRRC has been providing high quality, place-based watershed education for the students in our river communities for nearly 25 years. The purpose of the program is to increase environmental awareness among students, their families and the local community, and to promote responsible stewardship of the Salmon River watershed. With hands-on participation in watershed stewardship activities, we try to give the community a vested interest in all aspects of Salmon River restoration efforts.One of the focuses of the Watershed Ed program the past couple of years has been the Student Monitoring Project. Students at Forks and Junction Elementary Schools have been doing twice yearly monitoring and biological 8Watershed Education ProgramThe years shown on this graph were chosen to represent two years with good snowpack (2006 + 2011), and two years with low snowpack (2014 + 2015).assessment field trips at four creek study sites. In 2015-16, over 48 students were involved in the stewardship, monitoring, and restoration of the Salmon River watershed through participation in fieldwork, nature trail walks, and by working alongside natural resource biologists. Students learn about the study of water quality by measuring temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, nitrates, phosphates, stream flow, substrate, turbidity, and canopy cover. Biological assessments at sites included plant, wildlife, bird, aquatic insect, and fish inventories. Invasive plants were also monitored and removed, with students pulling more than 3,000 weeds. Student’s participation in our annual Fall Chinook Carcass Surveys is a nice compliment to this project, since they are able to collect meaningful data on our salmonid populations that are used by agencies to make real-life fisheries management decisions. Many parent, school, and community volunteers also participated in these activities, learning and engaging along with the students.floodplain and act as heat sinks that promote higher summer temperatures along with reduced habitat diversity. While river bars are a normal part of a healthy river’s natural habitat, the size and scale of the Salmon River’s warming zones are out of proportion due to impacts from early mining. The natural landscape of the Salmon River is already prone to landslides due to its unstable geology and steep rugged terrain. Poorly maintained logging roads and high intensity fires increase the risk of large sediment loads negatively impacting fish habitat when heavy rain events happen over these already sensitive soils. In our current climate, these sediment events, intermingled with hot summer temperatures and lack of snowpack are an annual threat to salmon and other aquatic life. Our long term data set encompasses drought years, variable snowpack years and the hottest temperatures on record for our area (see graph). The last time we had a big snow pack year that fed the river throughout the summer and kept water temperatures low was 2011. 2006 also had good snowpack but high early summer air temperatures increased water temperatures. In 2006, 2014 and 2015 a surprising result of large fires was that there was enough smoke cover to significantly reduce river temperatures despite record heat. As the climate continues to change, flows drop and temperatures warm, more changes will occur. Over the last two decades we have gathered data on riparian habitat, temperature and water levels with the hope of making changes for a better future. We are currently working with Riverbend Sciences to conduct a thorough long term trend analysis of the conditions in the Salmon River watershed that will enhance present and future projects. -Bonnie Bennett, Monitoring CoordinatorThere is a water monitoring Hobo Temp attached to a chain in the photo above and an air monitoring Hobo Temp, left. below left, Students retrieving a water Hobo in fall and below, taking data from a fall Chinook carcass. 9Next >