Hood River – Oregon Conservation Strategy

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Area includes Hood River mainstem, East and Middle Fork and numerous tributaries from confluence with Columbia River upstream. and

COA ID: 106

Recommended Conservation Actions

Exclude livestock from riparian areas.
Increase in-channel habitat complexity.
Protect and enhance amphibian breeding sites.
Protect and expand Oregon white oak habitat.
Protect and expand Ponderosa pine habitat.
Protect and improve instream flows.
Protect and restore riparian habitat / increase stream buffer widths.
Protect and restore wetlands; allow beaver to aid in wetland creation/restoration goals.
Reduce inputs of pesticides, fertilizers and other toxins to improve water quality.
Remove levees and armoring to reconnect floodplain habitats.

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Draft ESA Recovery Plan for Hood River Bull Trout (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2005)
East Fork Irrigation District: Fish Passage and Diversion Project
ESA Recovery Plan for Lower Columbia Steelhead (National Marine Fisheries Service, 2013)
Hood River Basin Aquatic Habitat Restoration Strategy (2006)
Hood River Subbasin Plan for Fish and Wildlife (2004)
Hood River Watershed Action Plan (2014)
Hood River Watershed Assessment (1999)
Lower Columbia River Conservation & Recovery Plan for Oregon Populations of Salmon & Steelhead (Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, 2010)
Proposed Focused Investment Partnership: Hood River

Special Features

General

A portion of the Middle Fork Hood River is designated as a Wild and Scenic River
Glacial fed streams.
important area for listed fish species, including two populations of bull trout.
Important habitat connection between Mount Hood and Columbia River.
Provides habitat for numerous rare amphibian species.

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID EC-01 (Hood River)
2006 COA ID WC-03 (Mt. Hood area)

Protected Areas

Columbia River Gorge
Eliot Open Space
Hood River, Middle Fork
Marina Park
Memorial Rose Garden
Mount Hood National Forest
Tollbridge Park
Tucker Park
Wilson Park

Ecoregions

East Cascades

The East Cascade ecoregion extends from the Cascade Mountains’ summit east to the warmer, drier high desert and down the length of the state. This ecoregion varies dramatically from its cool, moist border with the West Cascades ecoregion to its dry eastern border, where it meets sagebrush desert landscapes.

West Cascades

The West Cascades ecoregion extends from east of the Cascade Mountains summit to the foothills of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue Valleys, and spans the entire length of the state of Oregon. It is largely dominated by conifer forests, moving into alpine parklands and dwarf shrubs at higher elevations.

Strategy Habitats

Grasslands

Grasslands include a variety of upland grass-dominated habitats, such as upland prairies, coastal bluffs, and montane grasslands.

Late Successional Mixed Conifer Forests

Late successional mixed conifer forests provide a multi-layered tree canopy, including large-diameter trees, shade-tolerant tree species in the understory, and a high volume of dead wood, such as snags and logs.

Natural Lakes

Natural lakes are relatively large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land. For the purposes of the Conservation Strategy, natural lakes are defined as standing water bodies larger than 20 acres, including some seasonal lakes.

Oak Woodlands

Oak woodlands are characterized by an open canopy dominated by Oregon white oak.

Ponderosa Pine Woodlands

Ponderosa pine woodlands are dominated by ponderosa pine, but may also have lodgepole pine, western juniper, aspen, western larch, grand fir, Douglas-fir, mountain mahogany, incense cedar, sugar pine, or white fir, depending on ecoregion and site conditions. Their understories are variable combinations of shrubs, herbaceous plants, and grasses.

Flowing Water and Riparian Habitats

Flowing Water and Riparian Habitats include all naturally occurring flowing freshwater streams and rivers throughout Oregon as well as the adjacent riparian habitat.

Ducks on a wetland in Ladd Marsh Wildlife Area, Oregon

Wetlands

Wetlands are covered with water during all or part of the year. Permanently wet habitats include backwater sloughs, oxbow lakes, and marshes, while seasonally wet habitats include seasonal ponds, vernal pools, and wet prairies.

Specialized Local Habitats

Volcanic lava flows

Strategy Species

American Three-toed Woodpecker (Modeled Habitat)

Picoides dorsalis

American White Pelican (Observed)

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Black Swift (Modeled Habitat)

Cypseloides niger borealis

Black-backed Woodpecker (Observed)

Picoides arcticus

Bull Trout (Documented)

Salvelinus confluentus

American Pika (Modeled Habitat)

Ochotona princeps

California Mountain Kingsnake (Modeled Habitat)

Lampropeltis zonata

California Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis californicus

Cascade Torrent Salamander (Modeled Habitat)

Rhyacotriton cascadae

Cascades Frog (Observed)

Rana cascadae

Caspian Tern (Observed)

Hydroprogne caspia

Chinook Salmon (Documented)

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Coastal Cutthroat Trout (Documented)

Oncorhynchus clarki clarki

Coastal Tailed Frog (Modeled Habitat)

Ascaphus truei

Coho Salmon (Documented)

Oncorhynchus kisutch

Cope’s Giant Salamander (Observed)

Dicamptodon copei

Fisher (Modeled Habitat)

Pekania pennanti

Flammulated Owl (Modeled Habitat)

Psiloscops flammeolus

Great Gray Owl (Modeled Habitat)

Strix nebulosa

Harlequin Duck (Observed)

Histrionicus histrionicus

Hoary Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Lasiurus cinereus

Larch Mountain Salamander (Observed)

Plethodon larselli

Lewis’s Woodpecker (Observed)

Melanerpes lewis

Long-billed Curlew (Observed)

Numenius americanus

Long-legged Myotis (Modeled Habitat)

Myotis volans

Northern Goshawk (Observed)

Accipiter gentilis atricapillus

Northern Red-legged Frog (Observed)

Rana aurora

Northern Spotted Owl (Modeled Habitat)

Strix occidentalis caurina

Olive-sided Flycatcher (Observed)

Contopus cooperi

Oregon Slender Salamander (Observed)

Batrachoseps wrighti

Pallid Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Antrozous pallidus

Purple Martin (Modeled Habitat)

Progne subis arboricola

Red Tree Vole (Modeled Habitat)

Arborimus longicaudus

Red-necked Grebe (Observed)

Podiceps grisegena

Silver-haired Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Lasionycteris noctivagans

Steelhead / Rainbow / Redband Trout (Documented)

Oncorhynchus mykiss ssp

Townsend’s Big-eared Bat (Modeled Habitat)

Corynorhinus townsendii

Western Gray Squirrel (Observed)

Sciurus griseus

Western Painted Turtle (Modeled Habitat)

Chrysemys picta bellii

Northwestern Pond Turtle (Observed)

Actinemys marmorata

Western Toad (Observed)

Anaxyrus boreas

Strategy Spotlight: East Fork Hood River Fish Passage

The entrance to the fish ladder is on the left. The Obermeyer weir is lowered during the winter, making the river freely passable to fish.

East Fork Hood RIver Irrigation District Diversion Upgrade

The Hood River Conservation Opportunity Area (COA) is located at the northern end of the East Cascades Ecoregion. The COA parallels the Hood River extending from the mouth of the Hood River at the Columbia River part way up the Middle Fork and encompassing the entire headwaters area of the East Fork. Bull trout, coastal cutthroat trout, coho and fall Chinook salmon and summer and winter steelhead are found in the COA.

Specifically, the East Fork Hood River provides spawning and rearing habitat for threatened winter steelhead, coho, and spring Chinook (Although spring Chinook were deemed extirpated, the East Fork has a self-sustaining run due to the release of Deschutes spring Chinook that began more than a decade ago). To improve fish passage, the East Fork Irrigation District (EFID), in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (CTWS), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Hood River Watershed Group, completed an upgrade of their diversion structure on the East Fork Hood River in October 2013. This included installation of an Obermeyer weir to replace the former push-up dam and construction of a fish ladder to provide passage around the dam during the summer irrigation season. Total project cost was $1.75 million, with funding from CTWS, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, USFS Title II funds, and EFID.

Photo Credit: Brian Nakamura. Panorama of the East Fork Hood River with the new Obermeyer weir installed and raised. On the right are the new headgate and fish ladder.

The pneumatically operated Obermeyer weir lies flat against the channel bottom during off-irrigation periods to allow natural river flows. During the spring and summer, the weir plates are remotely raised and lowered by inflatable rubber bladders, allowing the diversion amounts to be adjusted for water demand. The new fish ladder is a significant fish passage improvement. EFID has agreed to pass a minimum of 15 cfs down the bypass reach for the next 5 years, during which time flow will be studied to evaluate the final agreed upon minimum flow, which will fall between 15 and 40 cfs.