Camp Polk Meadow

Since the installation of hydroelectric dams near Warm Springs in the early 1960’s, steelhead, chinook and sockeye salmon have been missing from the upper reaches of the Deschutes, Metolius and Crooked Rivers. With the recent renew of the federal license for these dams, new provisions for fish passage are expected to return these runs above the dams for the first time in 40 years.

Whychus Creek was historically one of the most important spawning areas in the upper Deschutes Basin, responsible for up to 40% of the steelhead spawning, with the potential for up to 9,000 spawning fish. Historical accounts of spawning in Whychus have identified the Camp Polk reach as one of the most productive spawning areas. However, in an effort to prevent flooding, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers channelized approximately 1.5 miles of Whychus Creek as it flows through the Camp Polk meadow in the 1960s. The channelization effort moved the creek from its naturally meandering path through the meadow to a straightened and deepened channel along the margins of the canyon. The result was a net loss of approximately 0.5 mile of stream length, an increase in erosion, and a significant loss of fish habitat, wetlands and floodplain area.

In its current condition, Whychus Creek provides very poor habitat because channelization has decreased fish habitat, increased channel incision, and eliminated the connection between the stream and the floodplain. Without significant stream channel restoration, Whychus Creek will not reach its full potential for spawning fish that return to the area when passage occurs at the dams near Warm Springs.

Restoration Planning

In early 2006, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council began leading a diverse team of professionals to develop a project design that restores a more natural channel dimension, pattern and profile to enhance fisheries and wetland habitat. The team included the landowners, the Deschutes Basin Land Trust and the U.S. Forest Service [Deschutes National Forest], Deschutes River Conservancy, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The team was a familiar one, having completed other restoration projects at Trapper Creek, Tumalo Creek and Lake Creek.

Now that the restoration design has been completed (see below), the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and the Deschutes Basin Land Trust, organizations will work together to raise the funds necessary for the project implementation. Project implementation funds will be sought from the Deschutes River Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pelton-Round Butte Mitigation Fund, National Forest Foundation and OWEB. The estimated implementation budget is $1.4 million.

Restoration Plan (as of June 2007)

For general information, please click here to download the project information sheet.

Or, for more detailed information, click on the following links to download the Restoration Plan in Adobe PDF format:

            Restoration Plan (June 29, 2007) (4 MB)
            Appendices A - J (3 MB)

Please note that the restoration planning is an ongoing process so this plan will be updated continually as the design is refined.