R & E Grant Application
15 Biennium
Project #:
15-024
Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
Project Information
R&E Project
$73,356.80
Request:
Total Project:
$90,307.60
Start Date:
8/10/2015
End Date:
6/30/2017
Organization:
Coastal Conservation Assn. (Tax ID #: 74-1984482)
Fiscal Officer
Name:
Address:
Telephone:
Telephone 2:
Fax:
Email:
Douglas Nader
918 SW Schaeffer Rd.
West Linn, OR 97068-9646
503-705-7994
[email protected]
Applicant Information
Name:
Address:
Telephone:
Telephone 2:
Fax:
Email:
Gary Wise
PO BOX 267
Molalla, OR 97038
503-730-2697
503-829-8784
503-829-8784
[email protected]
Past Recommended or Completed Projects
This applicant has no previous projects that match criteria.
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Project #: 15-024
Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
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Location Information
Where is it?
The project will occur on public land owned or managed by another party
Landowner Information
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Bureau of Land Management
1717 Fabry Rd. SE
Salem, OR, 97306
503-375-5646
Site Description
Street Address, nearest intersection, or other descriptive location.
Molalla River State Park upstream to Turner Creek Bridge
Directions to the site from the nearest highway junction.
6 miles south of Oregon City off of Highway 99E.
Following project completion, public anglers will be allowed the following level of access to the project
site:
Full access
Please describe what leases, easements, agreements are in place to ensure angler access to the
project site, and what is the length of each agreement.
N/A
Dominant Land Use Type:
Forest
Rural residential
Project Location
General Project Location.
County:
Clackamas
Town/City:
Molalla
ODFW Dist:
Clackamas North Willamette Watershed District
Stream/Lake/Es Molalla
tuary Name:
Tributary of:
Willamette
Specific Project Location.
Latitude
Longitude
45.2947
45.0833
-122.7188
-122.4867
Project Summary
Project Summary
Please provide a couple sentence summary of the proposal.
Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program will evaluate:
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Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
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1) return locations and spawning distribution of adult Chinook salmon released from the Trout
Creek acclimation facility,
2) contributions of Molalla River-origin hatchery Chinook salmon to fisheries in the Columbia and
Willamette Rivers,
3) sport fishing improvement opportunities in the Molalla Basin.
Overall Project Goals
Describe the primary goals or outcomes of the entire project, including elements not requesting
funding from R&E.
Monitor success of the Trout Creek Acclimation Program to enhance spring Chinook salmon
angling opportunities in the Molalla River.
Primary objectives of R&E funding
Please describe the measurable objectives for the R&E portion of the funding request.
Monitor success of the Trout Creek Acclimation Program to enhance spring Chinook salmon
angling opportunities in the Molalla River.
Redd abundance and distribution
Available spawning substrate area
Contributions to 2015 fisheries
2016 angling effort, catch/harvest rates
Current Situation/Justification
Please describe the current situation and explain why this funding is needed.
This proposal is in response to R&E’s request for a monitoring program to evaluate
effectiveness of the Trout Creek Spring Chinook Acclimation Pond. Molalla River fishery
participation rates and salmon population abundance and distribution is poorly understood. 2015
represents the first year that three-year old Chinook salmon released from the Trout Creek
acclimation facility will be returning to the Molalla River. Our monitoring program will inform two
primary data needs for ODFW: (1) contribution of Molalla River hatchery spring Chinook to
fisheries in the Molalla, Willamette and Columbia Rivers, (2) hatchery and natural origin spawner
distribution within the Molalla River, and (3) angler effort for capture and harvest of hatchery
spring Chinook in the Molalla River.
If funded, our monitoring program will rely on three study components to address the
aforementioned data needs: spawner and redd count surveys, coded wire tag (CWT) analysis,
and creel surveys.
Recreation and Commercial Benefit
This project will provide benefits to:
Recreational fisheries
Explain how this project will contribute to current (and/or potential) fishing opportunities, access, or
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fisheries management.
Management of fisheries in the Molalla River will benefit directly from this project because angler
effort has not been quantified for several decades. The response of anglers to increasing spring
Chinook salmon returns is a key management concern, and an important success metric for the
Trout Creek acclimation site. Moreover, the current distribution of spawning fish (hatchery and
natural-origin) is unknown. Barring this information, managers cannot make informed decisions
for the purpose of enhancing fisheries.
Is this project part of an approved Salmon-Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) activity?
No
This project has been identified as a priority for:
Local/watershed
Basin/regional
Identify any plan or other document that identifies this priority.
NMFS ESA Upper Willamette Status Review for Chinook identifies “…research, monitoring, and
evaluation to address critical uncertainties and improve population status and trend information”
as a priority (pg 29).
<http://www.westcoast.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/status_reviews/salmon_steelhead/salmo
n_steelhead_esa_status_reviews.html>
This project is intended to benefit the following species:
Spring Chinook Salmon
This project will benefit anglers or fishery by providing:
Monitoring/Research
Monitoring/Research
This project will be used to evaluate:
Hatchery releases and/or stray rates
Population composition (i.e age, species, survival, size, or genetics)
Fishery contribution
Angler satisfaction/harvest (Creel)
Habitat (i.e structure, passage, water quality)
Distribution (i.e. presence, abscence, abundance)
Has this project been reviewed or developed by an individual with appropriate qualifications (i.e
ODFW biometrician, research professor)?
Yes
Project reviewed and developed by ODFW District Fish Biologist (Clackamas), Tom Murtaugh,
and Senior Fisheries Scientist, Ian Courter, Mount Hood Environmental.
Is this study critical to fishery management decisions?
Yes
Molalla River hatchery spring Chinook stray rates, fishery effort, catch and harvest rates, and
hatchery and natural origin adult spawner returns and distribution data are necessary for
management of Molalla River fisheries.
Yes
Study results will be used to modify acclimation practices at the Trout Creek acclimation facility.
This would include acclimation time and fish release strategies. Angler effort surveys will also be
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Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
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used to educate the public about fishing opportunities in the Molalla River, as well as gauge the
benefits of the Trout Creek Acclimation Pond to fisheries enhancement in the basin.
Is there a plan to repeat this monitoring or research in the future?
Yes
We anticipate requesting two additional years of R&E funding to ensure we adequately capture
annual variation and trends in observations, as well as to compile necessary sample sizes for
rigorous statistics.
Will the data be reported or published?
Yes
A study report will be delivered to, and prepared in collaboration with, ODFW.
Project Description
Schedule
Activity
Spawner surveys and CWT analysis
Creel surveys
Reporting
Date
August, 2015
April, 2016
September, 2016
RE Funding
Yes
Yes
Yes
Permits
Permit
Secured?
Date Expected
No
Project Design and Description
Please describe in detail the methods or approach that will be used to achieve the project objectives.
Natural-origin Chinook salmon runs in the Molalla River are functionally extinct due to habitat
degradation, overfishing, and human development of the Molalla and Willamette River basins.
Prior to 2013, spring Chinook salmon smolts, spawned at Willamette Hatchery or South and
North Santiam Hatcheries, were direct released at miscellaneous access points in the upper
Molalla River, primarily to support a spring Chinook fishery, and harvest opportunity, in the
Molalla River. Additionally, these fish contribute to off-shore commercial fisheries and other
sport fisheries in the Columbia and mainstem Willamette River. The spring chinook hatchery
release allocation is relatively small (100,000/annually), and estimated survival was low,
generating minimal angler interest and effort. Natural production in the basin is also very low if
not non-existent due to poor spawning and rearing habitat. Direct release hatchery spring
Chinook smolts from out-of-basin origins are also prone to straying, and may return back to their
hatchery of origin in other upstream tributaries (South Santiam, Minto, Dexter).
In 2011, R&E funded construction of the Trout Creek Acclimation Pond with the intent to
improve survival and homing of hatchery spring Chinook smolts and to improve the “in-river”
spring Chinook sport fishery. The acclimation site is located adjacent to Trout Creek, a small
Molalla River tributary with excellent water quality and cooperative landowners. Trout Creek
enters the Molalla River at approximately river mile 26, an important transitional zone of the
river, where low flood plain meanders bordered by agricultural land shifts to a higher gradient
more remote system within private and federally managed forests. One-year old juvenile spring
Chinook salmon smolts are now transferred from the North Santiam Hatchery to the acclimation
pond in two cohorts of 50,000 fish–the first in late February and the second approximately one-
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month later. The acclimation pond has been in operation and running successfully since the
spring of 2013. Fish are fed and monitored for three weeks by volunteers prior to release.
Smolts released from the site are in excellent physiological condition, with less than one fish per
day mortality during the 21-day minimum acclimation period.
The proposal to construct the acclimation pond was sponsored by the Coastal Conservation
Association (CCA), a national sport fishing advocacy organization. CCA Willamette Falls
Chapter president, and long-time Molalla River Basin resident, Gary Wise supervised the project
and continues to oversee acclimation pond operations. Construction, maintenance, and
operation of the acclimation site was proposed at low cost to R&E because of funding and
volunteer staff support provided by CCA. In total, the project cost was less than $48,000, and
CCA contributed 35% of the funding required. Ongoing operation and maintenance of the
project is 100% funded and staffed by CCA.
Studies designed to monitor success of the Trout Creek acclimation pond and document angling
activity in the Molalla River, as well as contributions to downstream fisheries elsewhere in the
Willamette and lower Columbia Rivers are needed. The following three elements comprise the
data collection and analysis components of CCA’s proposed Molalla River Spring Chinook
Monitoring Program:
Spawner Surveys:
Spawner surveys carried out in the summer/fall of 2015 would begin at the mouth of the Molalla
River and extend up into the North Fork and Table Rock Fork reach of the basin. Two surveyors
will work together to hike and wade both riverbanks, right and left, focusing on potential
spawning areas identified in a recent assessment (Trask 2013), and as directed by Gary Wise
and others intimately familiar with the Molalla River system. The survey crew will make a total of
six data collection trips. Two trips for the purpose of quantifying wetted spawning habitat area
with suitable substrate conditions, and four trips for the purpose of documenting spawner
distribution and abundance. During spawner surveys, holding and spawning fish, as well as
carcasses will be identified as either hatchery or natural-origin, GPS located, and, if possible,
identified as either male or female. Carcasses will be sampled for scales and checked for eggs.
Female carcasses with intact eggs will be used to estimate pre-spawning mortality. Scales will
be archived for future age analysis. Lengths will also be taken to compare size to other hatchery
stocks, for baseline information, and to make preliminary age-class determinations.
Coded Wire Tag Analysis:
CCA has been granted access to ODFW’s CWT database. This database compiles capture
information for hatchery-origin fish from a variety of sampling sources, including ocean
commercial fisheries, lower Columbia River sport and commercial fisheries, Willamette River
fisheries and returns to hatcheries. Thirty-three percent of the spring Chinook acclimated at the
Trout Creek facility received a CWT before leaving hatchery rearing sites. CCA’s research
contractor and principal investigator for this monitoring program, Ian Courter, will query the CWT
database for Molalla River spring Chinook tag codes. The results of this query will be used to
quantify the number of fish from Trout Creek acclimation pond captured in each fishery, with
particular emphasis on the number of fish recovered in the Willamette River basin. Records of
Molalla River Chinook returning to hatchery programs elsewhere in the Willamette Basin will
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Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
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also be useful for examining stray rates, an important performance measure for the Trout Creek
program. Additionally, smolt-to-adult return rates will be estimated by combining all sources of
tags recovered from adult Molalla River spring Chinook.
Creel Surveys:
Monitoring the response of the angling community to increasing returns of spring Chinook in the
Molalla River is a priority for the Department. Since the elimination of the summer steelhead
hatchery program in 1998, the Molalla River has experienced significant declines in angling
participation. A relatively small number of dedicated local anglers continue to fish the Molalla for
steelhead and salmon, but the river is not regarded as a major contributor to Oregon’s fisheries.
CCA is hopeful that the spring Chinook acclimation program will revitalize a culture of fishing in
the Molalla River. Word travels fast within the angling community, and we anticipate that
returning spring Chinook will attract anglers. Creel surveys will provide important information
about angling effort, catch rates and harvest rates, as well as fish holding sites because anglers
tend to concentrate their efforts in areas with the highest fish densities. In 2016, creel survey
crews will monitor fishing effort from the mouth of the Molalla River upstream to Turner Creek
Bridge, the regulatory deadline. We are most interested in the intensity of angling and success
rates in three major areas. Specifically, the river segments from Molalla River State Park
upstream to Feyrer Park, between Feyrer Park and Trout Creek, and from Trout Creek upstream
to Turner Creek Bridge, which encompass the lower, middle, and upper sections of the main
stem fishery, respectively. Creelers will survey the lower and middle sections systematically five
days per week between May 1 and July 15, following ODFW protocol and focusing on major
points of river access, including Molalla River State Park, Knights Bridge, Canby Park,
Wagonwheel, Meadowbrook, Feyrer Park, and The Cedars. After July 15, volunteer creel
checkers will periodically survey angling activity in the upper section between Trout Creek and
Turner Creek Bridge until fishing activity tapers off in August, focusing on river access areas
near Trout Creek, Glen Avon Bridge, and Turner Creek Bridge.
Engineering
Does the project involve capital improvement, engineering, site grading or other construction?
No
Project Management and Maintenance
What is the life expectancy of R&E funded construction, structures, equipment, supplies, data or
fishery?
Data collected for this project will be valid as long as the Trout Creek acclimation pond is in
operation, and will contribute to a useful database to inform managers and improve spring
Chinook management in the basin.
Who is responsible for long term management, maintenance, and oversight of the project beyond
what is funded by R&E.
We anticipate requesting two additional years of R&E funding to ensure we adequately capture
annual variation and trends in observations, as well as to compile necessary sample sizes for
rigorous statistics. CCA will continue to provide staff support for monitoring in the Molalla River.
Gary Wise, CCA and Tom Murtagh, ODFW District Fish Biologist (Clackamas) will be the
primary points of contact for future questions about the monitoring program and our findings.
Will the project require ongoing maintenance?
No
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Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
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Is there a plan to collect baseline data and to conduct monitoring efforts to measure the effectiveness
of the project?
Yes
This project is being conducted to monitor the effectiveness of a previously funded R&E project
(Trout Creek Acclimation Pond).
Project Funding
Funding
Have you applied for OWEB funding for this project?
No
Other Funding Source
CCA
Type
In-Kind
Secured
Dollar Value
Secured
16,950.80
Total
16950.80
Comments
In-kind contributions from Oregon Coastal Conservation
Association
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Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
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Budget
Item
Unit Number
Unit Cost
In-kind or noncash
contr butions
Funding from
other sources
R&E Funds
Total Costs
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Ian Courter, Fisheries Scientist, Mount
Hood Environmental (Spawner Surveys; Lit
Review, Surveys, Data Entry/Analyses,
Reporting))
Ian Courter, Fisheries Scientist, MHE
(CWT; Analysis and Reporting)
Ian Courter, Fisheries Scientist, MHE
(Creel; Planning, Data Entry/Analyses,
Reporting)
Gary Wise, Coastal Conservation Assoc.
(Project Management, Oversight)
120
120
0
0
14400
14400
120
120
0
0
14400
14400
80
120
0
0
9600
9600
100
50
5000
0
0
5000
SUBTOTAL(1)
5000
0
38400
43400
92
76
92
327
319
327
60
60
22
30
30
22
SUBTOTAL(2)
0
0
2024
0
0
7194
9218
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5520
4560
0
9810
9570
0
29460
5520
4560
2024
9810
9570
7194
38678
0
0
SUBTOTAL(3)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
480
0.56
0
0
268.8
268.8
480
0.56
268.8
0
0
268.8
8800
0.56
0
0
4928
4928
4400
0.56
2464
0
0
2464
SUBTOTAL(4)
2732.8
0
5196.8
7929.6
1
300
SUBTOTAL(5)
0
0
0
0
300
300
300
300
0
0
SUBTOTAL(6)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
SUBTOTAL(7)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
SUBTOTAL(8)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
16950.8
0
73356.8
90307.6
IN-HOUSE PERSONNEL
Technician 1, MHE (Spawner Surveys)
Technician 2, MHE (Spawner Surveys)
Technician 3, CCA (Spawner Surveys)
Creel Surveyor 1, MHE (Creel Surveys)
Creel Surveyor 2, MHE (Creel Surveys)
Creel Surveyor 3, CCA (Creel Surveys)
CONTRACTED SERVICES
TRAVEL
Technician mileage, MHE (Spawner
Surveys); 6 roundtrips at 80 mi/trip
Technician mileage, CCA (Spawner
Surveys); 6 roundtrips at 80 mi/trip
Surveyor mileage, MHE(Creel Surveys);
(2) 55 roundtrips at 80 mi/trip
Surveyor mileage, CCA (Creel Surveys);
(1) 55 roundtrips at 80 mi/trip
SUPPLIES/MATERIALS
Field Supplies, Material Costs
EDUCATION/OUTREACH
EQUIPMENT
FISCAL ADMINISTRATION
BUDGET
TOTAL
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Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
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Additional Files
Click a link to view that particular file.
CCA Signature Page
Cover Letter
T. Murtagh Support Letter
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Research and Enhancement Funding Board,
I am pleased to submit this proposal for the Molalla River Spring Chinook Monitoring Program
on behalf of the Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) and anglers in the Molalla and
Willamette River basins. We submit this funding request with support from Tom Murtagh,
District Fisheries Biologist (Clackamas) and other managers at the Clackamas North Willamette
Watershed District Office, including Todd Alsbury and Jeff Boechler. Your support of this project
will be instrumental in informing fisheries management and enhancement in the Molalla River.
CCA has been a longOtime partner and supporter of the Department’s efforts to increase angling
opportunities for Oregonians, and we are hopeful R&E will recognize the benefits of this
project.
Our funding request has been subdivided into three components (spawner surveys, coded wire
tag analysis, and creel surveys) to facilitate your review and provide the Board with the
opportunity fund all or portions of our program as funding allows.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions regarding this proposal.
Sincerely,
Gary Wise
PO Box 267
Molalla, OR 97038
503O730O2697
[email protected]