Gilliam SWCD gets $300K for ecosystem restoration on Thirtymile

The Gilliam Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is set to receive $300,000 from the federal government for ecosystem restoration projects along Thirtymile Creek.

The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided a federal grant through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The grant, known as the Good Neighbor Authority, allows federal land management agencies to create agreements with non-federal partners for projects on public lands.

The funding is historical and marks the first time that Gilliam SWCD has directly partnered with BLM on a project.

Through grant funds from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) agency, the Gilliam SWCD has become a leader for conservation efforts in the West. Despite being a small district with a smaller staff than many other districts in the northwest, the Gilliam SWCD has punched above its weight.

Since 2018, the Gilliam SWCD has worked with OWEB, the NRCS and a partnership consortium to bring in more than $12 million for conservation efforts for the Lower John Day Basin.

Its work on tributaries of the John Day River has been noticed in recent years by conservationists around the country and by members of Congress.

Now, with changes in leadership at BLM, Winters says that a new chapter has begun in partnership directly with the federal government. For federal and state partners, Gilliam SWCD has become a reliable option.

Gilliam SWCD has done six riverscape restoration projects since 2020, impacting an impressive 20.5 miles in tributaries of the John Day River.

With projects on Thirtymile, Hay Creek, Butte Creek, and Ferry Canyon – Gilliam SWCD has set ambitious goals.

The biggest impact has been on Thirtymile Creek, a key tributary for the John Day River that runs in Wheeler and Gilliam County.

Thirtymile has become a success story for stream restoration amid the growing focus on fish species and watershed sustainability in western states.

Winters says that the success of the district stems from the trust that has been built between private landowners and the district.

"Everything we have done here is due in large part to the private landowners," Winters says. "I think the difference between us and other districts that struggle is the issue of trust. We all grew up here and when we approach a landowner about a project, we already know each other," Winters explains.

That isn't the case in many places where outside contractors or conservation staff are trying to create trust, just to get a project done.

Winters says that many agriculture producers are also familiar with government-based programs, such as the CRP program and other NRCS programs. Winters says that conservation efforts over the past generation has brought landowners to the table and has helped to pave the way for current projects.

However, challenges with public-land owned by the federal government has been a barrier in recent years. For nearly two decades, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has purchased land along the John Day River from Western Rivers Conservancy, who have bought out private landowners. BLM released a potential land acquisition map in 2022, which shows that the agency wishes to buy a significant portion of land by the John Day River - from the mouth of the Columbia River to Kimberly.

And while BLM has shared optimism for conservation projects, they never came to the table to partner directly, and conversations to do so were bogged down in red tape, Winters says.

But recently, staff changes at BLM in Prineville and beyond have opened doors and new partnerships have started to take shape.

The new project for Gilliam SWCD is expected to be rolled out in 2025 or 2026, says Winters.

The project will see additional construction of Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs), mitigating bass populations, and will also assess methods of lowering stream temperatures.

BDAs, which are essentially fake beaver dams, have become all the rage in western states that are seeing pervasive drought. These faux beaver dams slow streams down so that plants and trees can take root, and water can seep into underground channels.

Looking at a map of BDAs in the United States, Central Oregon has an oversized number, many of which were constructed by the Gilliam and Wheeler SWCDs and their partners.

While it is known that these fake beaver dams improve habitat for endangered fish such as steelhead, there is growing evidence that it could help to replenish water underground in watersheds.

Drone footage and satellite images have shown the impact the BDAs have made on Thirtymile. Streams are noticeably wider with more vegetation and pools of water. These pools are significant, as some are now filled with water year-round. This gives fish a place to survive hot summer months and to wait for the creek to fill again.

Incredibly, beaver are also moving back into Thirtymile, and steelhead populations are on the rise.

But Winters says that Gilliam SWCD is not resting on its laurels. The district's staff and board are constantly testing assumptions of how they can best accomplish their goals.

"When I was working at Wheeler SWCD, we thought we could keep water in a creek year-round," Winters says. But after doing water studies with researchers from OSU Cascades, Gilliam SWCD realized that when Thirtymile goes below the surface into an underground stream, it cools to very low temperatures. When it comes back to the surface, fish and plants benefit. Now, Winters and his team believe that knowing where the stream passes underground is crucial to improving habitat for fish downstream.

"Knowing where these wetted areas are, where it goes from wet to dry, we need to know if something is happening there," Winters says.

Due to a series of historical and devastating floods, such as the Christmas Flood in the late 1960s, the Gilliam SWCD has worked to reverse the impacts of lost streams and habitat for fish species such as steelhead. But some areas that were impacted by those floods are continually dry. Winters asks, "will we ever be able to get that water on the surface again?"

Constructing BDAs and planting willows, cottonwoods and other riparian plants have shown to slow down streams and help them to better manage flooding conditions. But Winters believes that these actions are only part of the equation.

In truth, Gilliam SWCD is beginning to test their own hypothesis on what a healthy aquatic ecosystem looks like. And they are not alone – the approach of focusing on lowland creeks for improving rivers is a fairly new concept.

Winters says that historically, conservation of streams and creeks were not the priority of conservationists. Instead, improving healthy aquatic ecosystems were focused on upper basins at higher elevations, and a belief that those streams would be more resilient to hotter temperatures.

"When I first started in this work in 2008, most people were writing off these lower elevation tributaries," Herb Winters says.

But when the Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) began to study creeks and tributaries of larger rivers, they realized that lower elevation waterways play a significant role for healthy rivers and for plants, animals, and fish.

Of the rivers and tributaries that were studied, ODFW identified Thritymile as a significant area for fish and wildlife.

"ODFW found that Thirtymile was a juggernaut of steelhead production," Winters says bluntly. There are two reasons for this, Winters says, "The biggest is that Thirtymile is a single species system where they don't have Chinook or bull trout. The second is that the water is a little bit warmer so (steelhead) grow super fast."

Winters says that the rate of growth for steelhead on Thirtymile is on par with the rate of growth in hatchery conditions at fisheries.

"That means that they get big and get big really fast," Winters explains.

A noticeable feature of steelhead that come from Thirtymile is their nose – which is larger than steelhead that come from elsewhere and has a unique bulb feature.

Beginning in 2017, the Gilliam SWCD began to look at the impact of bass on steelhead populations on Thirtymile and other factors that are hurting their chances of survival. The biggest culprit is small-mouth bass. Winters says that bass feast on small steelhead at the mouth of Thirtymile, where it joins the John Day River.

With the mouth of Thirtymile now owned by BLM, Winters believes it is possible with this new funding to construct more BDAs, which might help to prevent bass from swimming upstream.

"We know that steelhead can jump BDAs, but we don't think that bass are doing it," he says.

Winters says that the newly funded project will focus on improving habitat along the mouth of Thirtymile, and that it will kickoff in in 2025 or 2026.

Winters credits his team at SWCD and its board of directors for the district's success. He says that board members Rich Harper, Chet Wilkins, Jordan Maley, John Anderson, and Doug Potter are involved, creative, and realistic with the district's goals and objectives.

"We're fortunate to have the right people with us and for new staff to partner with at places like BLM," Winters says.

Winters also thanked Kathleen Cathey from Senator Wyden's office who helped to secure the funding and to partner with BLM.

In a statement, Senator Wyden said "Right now, there is a huge need to restore aquatic habitats and ecosystems in Oregon and nationwide," Wyden said. "This investment builds upon many others to help reach that goal and fight climate change wherever it appears. Restoring aquatic habitats not only helps the fish and wildlife that depend on them to survive, but also helps local economies that depend on water and tourism as well."