Restoration in the Siletz River Basin, which supports one of the most diverse assemblages of fish species on the Oregon Coast and the fishers who seek them year-round, is about to see the benefits of a major culvert replacement project. Located on North Creek—a tributary to Drift Creek—this project will make over 13 miles of high quality habitat within the Siuslaw National Forest fully accessible to Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, coastal cutthroat trout, lamprey, freshwater mussels, and other aquatic organisms for the first time in 62 years. At the August 1st MCWC Community Meeting—beginning at 6:30 PM at the Newport Visual Arts Center—Council Coordinator, Evan Hayduk, will provide an update on the ongoing project, and provide context to one of the biggest restoration projects completed during his three year tenure.
Restoration work is at times as much of an art as it is a science, and is never finished until natural processes are restored. Culvert replacements like that at North Creek are just one of a suite of actions the MidCoast Watersheds Council and partners take on the ground to restore habitat and watershed scale processes, supporting salmon and everything else that depend on them. Other actions may include large wood placements, dike removal, invasive species management, and riparian planting and fencing. It takes understanding site characteristics and working in partnership with the landwoners, other organizations, and agencies to determine the right actions for any particular project and to see these tasks through. Years after these exciting projects wrap up, MCWC continues monitoring them to ensure that the actions taken are working to achieve the desired goals. Evan’s presentation will shed light on the benefits expected or seen from various restoration projects, illustrating before and after conditions on the ground. Evan came to MCWC and Oregon’s Central Coast after almost a decade of work restoring riparian, wetland, sub-alpine, prairie, forested and oak savanna ecosystems in Washington state.
The presentation will begin at 6:30 PM in Room 205 on the upper floor of the Newport Visual Arts Center in Nye Beach, at 777 NW Beach Drive. Refreshments will be provided. A MidCoast Watersheds Council Board meeting will follow the presentation with the following agenda: financial report, restoration report, technical team report, administrative committee report, and action items. We hope to see you on Thursday, August 1st!