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IDL Insider
The latest news for employees, written by employees
October/November 2021
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Fry Creek Floodplain Restoration
By Colton Finch
IDL Biologist
Fry Creek is a small headwater tributary of the East Fork Potlatch River in Latah County, Idaho. Most of the Fry Creek watershed is state endowment land managed by the Idaho Department of Lands. Fry Creek has perennial headwaters, but by midsummer the stream commonly goes dry in the middle reaches of the valley before it reaches the East Fork Potlatch River. The lack of flow from Fry Creek and other small headwater tributaries have contributed to a decline in fish populations in the Potlatch River, which is designated critical habitat for federally threatened steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout).
It is difficult to know the full story of why Fry Creek doesn’t stay perennial all summer, but there are hints lying around. Old, buried corduroy logs indicate that today’s quiet, peaceful meadow was once bustling with industry. Further investigation reveals relict railroad berms that bisect the meadow. These berms and their associated ditches capture and quickly re-route snowmelt and rainwater out of the valley before it has time to infiltrate the floodplain to be slowly released over the summer. Rapidly eroding stream crossings introduce sediment into streams. A cattle pond with a failed earthen dam also drains the adjacent floodplain and is the epicenter of invasion for an army of non-native, weedy plants that are radiating out into the valley.
Fortunately, there are also hints of what Fry Creek used to be. Lidar data indicate that ancient hawthorn snags are growing in former stream channels. Large depressions in the floodplain were former wetland ponds. Towering black cottonwood trees up tributary valleys show what the riparian forest would have been. Old beaver-chewed stumps corroborate the tale that Fry Creek wasn’t always so predictably dry in summer and fall. Idaho Department of Lands and the Latah Soil and Water Conservation District identified these characteristics and agreed that Fry Creek is already very close to a perennial flow threshold that might be reachable with some ecosystem engineering work.
So, we got to work. The district installed 16 beaver dam analogs in 2018 to see if floodwaters could be retained a little longer. The department meanwhile planted hundreds of locally sourced willow cuttings to provide suitable forage for beavers, who we hoped would take over the habitat restoration efforts. Although beavers did munch their way through the newly planted willows and re-established a colony in the perennial headwaters of Fry Creek in 2020, they weren’t interested in the dry valley down below that needed their help the most. The department applied for and received a grant from the Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery Fund to contract a second phase of more intense habitat restoration.
In 2021 we contracted Hatter Creek earthworks to install additional beaver dam analogs, spawning gravel, log jams, “faux beaver dams” (short earthen dams to elevate the stream bottom) and “channel diversion structures” (larger earthen structures to re-route most of the flow of Fry Creek onto the relict floodplain channels). The railroad berms were selectively leveled, the cattle tank was filled in, and fords were hardened. Slash donated by the department has been placed on disturbed ground, and the district is still hard at work controlling weeds and planting sedge mats, wildflower seed, and thousands of native perennials, shrubs, and trees.
After one of the driest years in history, flows have already returned to middle Fry Creek. The new structures are working wonderfully to rehydrate parts of the floodplain that haven’t been this wet in decades. A wave of native plants proverbially flood the valley, while spring water literally floods the formerly disconnected floodplain. New ponds stand ready to accept the next group of angsty teenage beavers looking to make their way in the world, and the department’s temporary stream discharge monitoring station continues to record data to document how the timing, volume, and duration of flows change before and after construction.
Although the history of Fry Creek and the Potlatch River echo the “death by a thousand cuts” that are common across salmon streams throughout the western U.S., it is remarkable how resilient plant and animal communities are to positive disturbance and how quickly they can capitalize on improved habitat quality. As the premier organization for trust management and resource protection in the western United States, Idaho Department of Lands is pleased to contribute to the perpetuation of wildlife, fisheries, water quality, and forested landscapes. These ecosystems form the backbone of Idaho’s internationally famous wild places. Maintaining ecosystem health and diversity will ensure that sustainable management of natural resources can continue for untold future generations.
 Beavers returned to Fry Creek in 2020.
 Slash has been placed for erosion control after the railroad berm was removed.
 The damaged pond that drained the wetland has been removed and replaced by in-channel structures that will significantly elevate the groundwater level.
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 The new pond created by the engineered structures is redirecting flow onto the floodplain where it will be stored and slowly released next summer.
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By Corrie Ivey
Forestry Assistance
Photos by Katherine Christensen, Administrative Assistant 2
On October 29, the Alligator and the Minion (IDL Employees) teamed up to spread Halloween cheer throughout the CDA office and Fire Cache, and even dropped in to wish a happy retirement to Russ. These two characters are actively recruiting friends to join them in their parade next year; don’t be shy!
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Fire Prevention Week Event
By Jason Wilkerson
Assistant Fire Warden
Kootenai Valley FPD
In observance of the 2021 Fire Prevention Week in October, the IDL Kootenai Valley office partnered with North Bench Volunteer Fire Department in Bonners Ferry to talk fire prevention with preschool and kindergarten students. We covered Smokey’s rules, what to do if you find matches, fire engine tours, sprayed water, showed how to stop-drop-and-roll, and how to check doors for heat. The kids also got goodie bags with fire prevention materials: coloring books, bracelet, stickers, Smokey pencil, and fire helmet. Kids, parents, teachers, and agency folks all had a fun time hanging out, learning about fire equipment, and talking fire prevention
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Karen Robinson
Private Forestry Specialist
The students planted trees at Farragut State Park back in April. I’m the PFS in the yellow safety vest. Ed Robinson (retired IDL POL Area Manager) and Eileen Esplin (a Forest Stewardship landowner) volunteered that day, too, and helped instruct the kids with tree species identification and proper planting techniques. You can see from the photos that most of the kids really got into this!
On May 3, we went to the school and taught the same kids, plus another class, how to use a compass and how to pace. In addition to the three of us who went to Farragut, Tom Johnson (retired IDL-POL PFS) also volunteered as an instructor for the day. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures for this day. But everyone enjoyed it and the teacher plans to invite us back again next year.
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October
Sharon Groeschl, 10 years
Matthew Barnhouse, 5 years
Kelsey McCaslin, 5 years
Andrew Moore, 5 years
Tracy Wimberly, 5 years
Joseph Wren, 5 years
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November
John Cook, 5 years
Bryan Durkin, 5 years
Anna King, 5 years
Kevin Graham, 10 years
Robert Funk, 15 years
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Thank you for reading the IDL Insider! |
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