NCCSP

 FLASH - The 2008 Bear Creek Watershed Report Card is now available!

Conservation Science Initiative

BEAR CREEK ASSESSMENT

Bear Creek is a tributary of the Rogue River covering nearly 400 square miles of the biologically diverse Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion - a bioregion that is home to 14 plant and 23 wildlife species requiring special management because of their rarity.  Natural habitats within the Bear Creek Watershed range from steep forested hillsides dominated by large stands of pine, cedar and fir to valley bottoms blanketed by riparian forests and grasslands.  The watershed also is home to human residents, encompassing the towns of Ashland, Talent, Phoenix, Medford and Central Point in Oregon.

The 2008 Bear Creek Watershed Report Card, released Aug 2008 by the National Center, assessed chemical, biological, and physical condition.  This report found that poor grades had been earned across the board resulting in the Bear Creek Watershed receiving a cumulative grade of only D+ for overall watershed health.

Key findings resulting in the watershed's low grade are:

• Poor water quality earned a chemical condition grade of "D" as calculated by the Oregon Water Quality Index.  104 of 129 ranked sites across the state enjoyed better water quality than did Bear Creek.
• Evaluation of the diversity and abundance of aquatic macroinvertebrates (animals without backbones that live in water and are visible with the naked eye) as calculated by the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity earned a grade of "C" for biological condition.
• Assessment of the degree to which the watershed is accessible to salmon and other fishes using a Barrier Migration Index resulted in a grade of "D" for physical condition.  This poor grade reflects the fact that migratory fish still face many obstacles that block or limit access to places where adult fish go to lay their eggs (spawning habitat), where young fish go to seek shelter from predators and look for food (rearing habitat), and where fish of all ages go to seek relief from high winter flows or high summer temperatures (refugia habitat).

 The National Center is working to restore connectivity and water quality in the mainstem of Bear Creek and its tributaries (over 80 creeks and 21 sub-watersheds).  Our aim is more natural, cleaner waterways, where the water can support fish and human contact, even at the lowest flows of late summer. 

 This requires removing fish passage barriers and improving water quality.  Our passage work is focused on removing barriers associated with agricultural diversions.  Our water quality work is aimed at reducing the number of contaminants that get into our streams and restoring flows to something more closely approximating natural patterns.

 The natural landscape of the Bear Creek Watershed has changed substantially over the past 150 years.  Land has been cleared for ranches and farms; streams have been dammed, diverted and channelized; forestlands have been impacted by logging, road construction and fire suppression; and urban growth has left its mark.  Collectively, these human impacts changed the watershed’s hydrology; increased the severity of erosion; affected soil productivity; and altered vegetation patterns.

The end ecological result is demonstrated in many ways.  Nearly all the native fishes have been identified as “of conservation concern” because of their depressed numbers, and Coho salmon have been listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.  The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality identified several streams as water quality limited, noting problems with temperature and nutrients. Also, the Rogue River National Forest rated aquatic and riparian habitat conditions in the upper watershed as marginal to poor, citing conditions well below their potential for trout production.

The National Center believes any restoration effort must be supported by a solid assessment and monitoring program.  Therefore, we have undertaken several baseline studies and established several ongoing monitoring programs which, when evaluated in conjunction with investigations undertaken by other governmental and non-governmental agencies, provide information critical for assessing ecological condition.  In addition, the studies undertaken by the National Center are designed to evaluate and track the success of efforts to improve water quality and restore aquatic habitat.

Macroinvertebrate Project – working with research interns from local high schools and Southern Oregon University, this project is assessing water quality at 30 sites strategically located throughout the Bear Creek Watershed.

Conservation Status Assessment of Fishes of the Bear Creek Watershed – the National Center is supporting graduate student research to determine the status of fishes in the Bear Creek Watershed.

Research Internships - The National Center accepts applications from High School students for Volunteer Research Internships, and from Southern Oregon University for Work Study Program Assistants, assigned to the Bear Creek Assessment.

This effort is funded, in part, by generous contributions from the Carpenter Foundation, Ferguson Foundation, Oregon Community Foundation, Laird Norton Foundation and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.

Photo by Shannon Bigham.