Biodiversity Guide - The Intertwine

egional conservation strategybiodiversity guideAppendix I Watershedsfir, with an understoryof fern, snowberry,and salmonberry. Thearea along the WillametteRiver betweenAbernethy and Beavercreeks consists ofupland bluffs and steepcliffs. Many of the area’sunique and culturallysignificant plant species,including the stateendangered pale rocklarkspur (Delphiniumleucophaeum) andcamas (Camassia sp.),are found in this area,as they were historically.Historically, the upland bluffs containedsubstantial oak and prairie habitats.A 2010 watershed assessment evaluated currentconditions for riparian and wetland areas,using LiDAR-based imagery to assess vegetationwithin 100 feet on each side of the stream channel.Approximately half of the Abernethy andBeaver Creek riparian areas are forested.Four salmonid species and a variety on nativenon-salmonid fish species inhabit the streams forat least a portion of their life cycle. Non-salmonidfish species include Pacific and brook lamprey,cutthroat trout, sculpins, dace, and shiners.Coho salmon, fall Chinook salmon, and wintersteelhead were historically abundant in the lowerWillamette River and its tributaries. Anadromousfish in the watershed have experienced significantdeclines. The cutthroat trout has the widest distributionof any fish the Greater Oregon City watershed.Although lamprey have been declining inabundance, the Willamette Basin still is probablythe most important production area for Pacificlamprey within the Columbia River system.Despite its developed nature the watershedprovides feeding, breeding, and movement habitatfor a variety of songbirds, raptors, deer, smallmammals, amphibians, and other wildlife. NativeOregon white oak remnants harbor slender-billed(white-breasted) nuthatches and other oak-associatedspecies. Stream corridors, including NewellCreek, provide key habitat and the best remainingwildlife connectivity from the river to other habitatareas; for this reason, riparian enhancementwould significantly benefit wildlife.The Greater Oregon City watershed providesseveral large habitat blocks, including 300 acresin Newell Creek Canyon in the Abernethy Creeksubwatershed, 107 acres in the upper AbernethyCreek headwaters, and 112 acres in the WillametteNarrows and Canemah Bluff in the WillametteRiver subwatershed.The April 2010 Greater Oregon City WatershedCouncil (GOCW) assessment identifiedwork needed on riparian habitat in 4 percentof both the Abernethy Creek and Beaver Creekareas. Although the area covered by riparianvegetation is relatively small, it is disproportionatelyimportant because it fulfills several criticalfunctions that promote healthy streams and fishpopulations: stream shade, food sources, andlarge wood in the stream channel that createspools, cover, and other high-quality fish habitatelements. Although the Abernethy Creek andBeaver Creek watersheds include substantial forest,they contain very few large trees, so there arefew opportunities for large trees to fall and providethe amount of large wood to stream channelsnecessary for high-quality fish habitat.A comprehensive field inventory of invasiveplants has not been completed for the subbasin,but there are scattered observations. All five ofthe most common invasive plant species (Englishand Irish ivy, Himalayan blackberry, Scot’sbroom, reed canarygrass, and Japanese knotweed)were present in an inventory of the Newell Creekcanyon, particularly along forest edge areas andhighway corridors.Protecting high-quality habitats for salmonidsand other species “anchor” the subbasin’s restorationefforts and provide core areas that can beenhanced and reconnected to the entire watershedthrough restoration actions. The GreaterOregon City Watershed Council has identifiedthe Newell Creek, Holcomb Creek, and PotterCreek systems in the lower portions of the AbernethyCreek subwatershed as priority areas forrestoration activities. Collaboration with Metroon a portion of its 300 acres near OR-213 andBeavercreek Road is being explored at this time.A secondary priority is enhancing habitat in theBeaver Creek-Parrott Creek confluence wherea dam that had been historically present in oneform or another since the 1800s washed out in2009. Discussions have taken place and are ongoingwith landowners about potential alternativesfor conservation and restoration opportunities.A dam near the confluence of Beaver andParrott creeks created an impoundment, SevickPond, which backed up water in the areaupstream and blocked fish access. This damremained in place until the January 2009 flood,which eroded the northern portion of the dam,creating a channel that may be passable to fish.Outreach to the landowners and intervention bywildlife agencies on attempted repairs to the damhave netted a recent contact with the landowner’sconsultant to begin a dialog that may result inhabitat restoration in the future.The Greater Oregon City Watershed Councilis also working on a complementary project withClackamas Community College to plan for agreen infrastructure stormwater project on campus.The Clackamas Community College campusis located on the headwaters of Newell Creek.Watershed Plans, Assessments, and Reports —Abernethy Creek-Willamette River Watershedn Newell Creek Watershed Restoration andConservation Strategy (Clearwater BioStudiesInc. Prepared for PACE Engineering, OregonCity, OR, and the John Inskeep EnvironmentalLearning Center.)n Greater Oregon City Watershed Assessmentand Action Plan, 2010www.GOCWC.org.n Biological Assessment for Endangered SpeciesAction Section 7 and Magnuson-Stevens FisheryConservation and Management Act Essential FishHabitat Consultation, Clackamas County BankStabilization Project, Lower Abernethy Creek,Clackamas County, Oregon. (C.W. Huntington,2007.)n Abernethy and Newell Creeks Goals andObjectives (Metro, 2009) www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=26790n Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystemsin the Willamette River Basin (I.R. Waite,S. Sobieszczyk, K.D. Carpenter, A.G. Arnsberg,H.M. Johnson, C.A. Hughes, M.J. Sarantou, andF.A. Rinella, 2008)Organizations and Partners — Abernethy Creek-Willamette River Watershedn City of Oregon City/Public Works – Eric Hand,P.O. Box 3040, Oregon City, OR 97045 - 503-657-8241n Clackamas Community College – AlisonHeimowitz, 19600 S. Molalla Avenue, OregonCity, OR 97045 – 503 -594-3696n Clackamas County – Mark Mouser, 2051 KaenRd, Oregon City, OR 97045 – 503-742-4400n Clackamas County Soil and Water ConservationDistrict — Jenne Reische, 221 MolallaAvenue, Suite 102, Oregon City, OR 97045 – 503-210-6011n Metro – Brian Vaughn, 600 NE Grand Avenue,Portland, OR 97232 – 503 -797-1919n SOLV – Steve Kennett, 5193 NE Elam YoungPkway, Suite B, Hillsboro, OR 97124 – 503-844-9571 x318n Oregon Department of Fish and WildlifeNorthwest Region Office – www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/directory/local_offices.asp, 971-673-6000n Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board –www.oregon.gov/OWEB/, 503-986-0061n Oregon Wildlife Heritage Foundation –www.owhf.org/, 503-255-6059292 293