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TheConfluence ROGUE RIVER WATERSHED COUNCILSpring &Summer 2024

More, More, MORE! We live in a world where everyone wants more. More of this and more of that. More of everything! Reflecting on the last 9.5 years, RRWC has grown slowly and surely. We’verecently entered a period of terrific abundance. Back in January 2015, thecouncil’s staff totaled 3.25 full time equivalents working on five restorationprojects. We spent $435,000. The council now employs seven full time staff – welcoming two project managersin December, Beth Boos and Emily Ulman – and will be employing three internsover the summer to help us keep up with 26 ongoing ecological restorationprojects. Because of our terrific and more numerous staff, our expenses havegrown, too. We are on track to spend $2,500,000 this year, nearly a six-foldincrease from 2015. Next year’s projected budget may crack the $4,000,000 mark. We are positioned to sustain this growth and the complexity of our ecologicalrestoration projects. Because of our recent project successes, we were rewardedwith six grants totaling $3,443,000 in May and June. These awards includeCongressionally Designated Spending secured by Senator Wyden of $1,615,000(thanks to the Native Fish Society for their help) and two from the OregonWatershed Enhancement Board totaling $1,186,012.We will invest these grants over the next fifteen months on seven ecologicalrestoration projects in three of our focal watersheds. This means more riparian forest rehabilitation, more reconnected secondary channels, more large woodinstallation, more accessible spawning habitat for migrating fish, and morecommunication about the reasons behind our ecological restoration work tocommunity members around the Rogue Basin.1Notes From the Executive Director’s DeskCredit: Justin Clifton To top it off, we raised $62,525 this year during ourCelebrate the Rogue fundraising event. Donations andsponsorships from community members and regionalbusinesses reflect the same confidence as the grantfunding; coming from so close to home makes it a littlemore special for me.We’re grateful for the support and look forward to increasing resiliencein the Rogue for the quality of our water,for the wildlife we love, and for all of us.-BrianWith your help, we guided migratory fishover 1000 miles upriver!

Special Events& Other 3.8%No whitespotIn-KindContributions6.3%62023 Annual ReportThis summer we released our 2023 annual report. Ourorganizational trajectory has continued to grow by bothbudget and staff capacity. We are proud to increase ourimpact in the surrounding rivers and forests whilebenefiting neighboring communities. Our partnerships andcommunity engagement continue to be crucial to oursuccess as an organization.2023 Operating Budget: $1,158,496GovernmentGrants58.3%OtherGrants31.6%at river miles5.6 & 11.8at river miles6.8, 7.6, 6.2, 4.5& 5.5South Fork LittleButte CreekSaltCreekElk Creekat rivermiles 0.5, 1.6,2.3, 3.0,& 3.5Lost Creekat rivermile 1.5RRWC Project Sites in 2023at river mile19.0Bear CreekSlateCreekat rivermile 2.3Rusty Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus)Southern Oregon is home to only one native crayfishspecies, the Signal Crayfish. They are increasinglythreatened by non-native species, which createcompetition with native species, disrupt existing foodwebs, and remove nesting substrate (among otherthings). Rusty Crayfish -pictured left- are native to theMidwest, and Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlifebiologists believe their introductions occur primarily atboat ramps and by dumping of local schools’ classroomTo report, call 1-866-INVADER or go to OregonInvasivesHotline.org Rusty crayfish, courtesy of USGS Archivespecimen. Rusty Crayfish are aggressive and difficult to eradicate once they become established.If Rusty Crayfish populations grow and spread, they will displace Signal Crayfish across much of itsrange. In addition to their impacts on native crayfish, the Rusty Crayfish disrupts habitat for otherinvertebrates, and impacts spread up the food chain. Take note: Oregon’s native crayfish has a white spot in the claw joint, any other crayfish is invasive!Rusty Patchon shellOur staff managed 26 active projects throughout our servicearea while developing new projects and working to secureadditional funding. Explore our annual report, including a feature on South Fork Little Butte Creek 6.2, on our website.2

3Stewardshipnoun. the responsible use and protection of the natural environmentthrough conservation and sustainable practices to enhanceecosystem resilience and human well-beingMost of us have heard the phrase “stewards of the land” and nod ourheads in agreement of that goal. However, natural resourcemanagers often forget to expand on the concept by connecting thewhy to the how.If you’re interested in learning more about being a steward of your drinkingwater (among other things), there are abundant resources available to guideyou. The Rogue Drinking Water Partnership is one group of localorganizations working to protect drinking water while engaging ourcommunities about their drinking water source(s). This spring during NationalDrinking Water Week, these partners collaborated with local coffee shops tobring drinking water information into your hands. Let’s take source water protection, for example: how can we be stewards of our drinkingwater? Is it your job to know where your water comes from or how it isregulated? No, but it is your responsibility as a steward to learn aboutpotential contaminants, keep an eye out for warning signs, and make surethat your actions as an individual are not creating problems downstream.Staying connected with ourcommunities through outreachinitiatives like this helps us tocollaborate, inform, and fosterthe ongoing restoration effortsthat sustain healthy ecosystems.

Water finds the path of least resistance, physically and chemically eroding its path. That path is controlled, in many cases, by the underlying geology; Bear Creek is no different. 4Geology of Bear Creek ValleyJad D'Allura, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Geology, SOUGeologic database and generalized geologic map of Bear Creek Valley published byOregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (2011).As Bear Creek meanders acrossand widens its floodplain, itmixes sediment into layers thatare permeable to groundwaterand finer-grained material thatis less permeable. This can beobserved as some wells drilledinto granular sediment producewater while other wells drilledinto finer-grained sedimentproduce little. Bear Creek Valleybroadens to the northwest asits and the Rogue River’ssediment mingles in an ever-changing environment.Its steep headwaters originate in hard volcanicand granitic rock uplifted along the massiveSiskiyou-Summit fault. That fault runs east-northeast separating the Bear Creek Valley onthe north to the Colestin Valley on the south.Bear Creek carves its trace along the soft graymudstone of the upper part of the northwest-trending marine Cretaceous (90–100-million-year-old) Hornbrook Formation. Hard rocks ofthe much older granitic and metamorphic rocksof the Klamath Mountains to the southwest ofthe valley and the younger volcanic rocks atopthe Hornbrook Formation to the northeast confine the path of Bear Creek. Tributariesfrom both sides of the valley bring very different sediment compositions into Bear Creek.For example, closer to Ashland, the sediment is granitic, derived from the granite ofMount Ashland. Across Bear Creek to the northeast, the sediment is comprised of broken volcanic rock. Igneous rock formation examples.Role of Sediment

Project Update: Little Butte CreekRiver Mile 16.7Lance WyssIn June, we began implementing a multi-faceted project within the LittleButte Creek sub-basin. The project’s three main restoration actions include: Large wood placement to improve habitat and stream processes Irrigation upgrades to improve fish passage and water conveyance Floodplain forest rehabilitation to improve water quality & habitat In the Little Butte Creek sub-basin, water withdrawal for irrigation is a majorcomponent of agricultural production. Many water diversion structures that deliverirrigation to the land create fish passage barriers, especially when juvenile fish areseeking colder water for summer. Since 2018, we have improved fish passage withmultiple landowners at nine diversions, and this project will represent the tenth. There are major water quality issues in the greater Little Butte basin. These areidentified in the Clean Water Act Section 303(d) listing as high summertemperatures and increased levels of bacteria and fine sediments. Much of thebacteria and sedimentation are a product of local agricultural, residential, andforestry practices. Some likely sources of these issues include the use of floodirrigation and failing septic systems, which deliver pollutants into streams.Functioning floodplain forests filter excessive nutrients and sediments returning tothe creek and provide shade along streams to reduce high water temperatures.5Why Restore?Placing large wood along this stretch of thecreek provides critical habitat for returningadult Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, PacificLamprey, steelhead, and their offspring. Theplanned restoration actions will bolster amore resilient ecosystem with robust nativefish and wildlife populations as part of acomprehensive restoration strategic actionplan for the Upper Rogue Sub-basin.

In many small streams, larval giant salamanders are the most abundant vertebrate, often faroutnumbering fish and playing an important role as top predator. Both aquatic larvae andmetamorphosed terrestrial salamanders are voracious predators and are only limited in whatthey eat by what will fit in their mouths. Although their primary prey are invertebrates, large individuals have been observed capturing and consuming very large prey, including other salamanders (they are cannibalistic!), frogs, lizards, and even small mammals. Banana slugs are a favorite of adult salamanders! Hopefully, the next time you visit your favorite forest stream, while poking around among the cobbles, you will have the good fortune to encounter one of these magical beasts of the benthos. Or, perhaps, on a dark and gloomy night in the rain you’ll stumble across an adult giant having a banana slug meal. Anyone who has spent much time poking in and around small, forested streams may haveencountered one of our region’s most intriguing animals – the coastal giant salamander(Dicamptodon tenebrosus). The coastal giant is the most widespread of the 4 species in thegenus Dicamptodon, with a range extending from extreme southwestern British Columbia,through the Coastal and Cascade mountain ranges, to Mendocino County, California. They trulyare giants, with terrestrial adults reaching lengths up to 340 mm (or about 13 inches) – they arethe largest terrestrial salamander in North America. The genus name, Dicamptodon, is derived from Latin and refers to the two rows of curved,sword-shaped teeth on the upper jaw – the better to grasp and hold you my dear! The specificepithet, tenebrosus, means dark and gloomy, presumably for their dark, mottled skin coloration,or perhaps the dark and gloomy nature of their habitat. Giant salamanders breed in small, headwater streams attaching eggs to the bottoms of largeboulders or in deep water-filled caverns, though very few “nest” sites have been observed. Egg-laying is typically in the spring, and larvae hatch the following winter - remaining in the streamfor up to 3 years before going through metamorphosis and moving onto land. Depending onthe size of the stream and the nature of the terrestrial habitat, individual salamanders in somepopulations do not go through metamorphosis, but instead retain their larval characteristics(feathery gills, flattened head and narrow eyes, and broad, flat tail) and become sexually mature;a process called paedomorphosis. Like terrestrial adults, paedomorphic larvae can grow to aremarkable size, exceeding 350 mm (nearly 14 inches). Adult giant salamanders spend most of their time in animal burrows, deep rock crevasses, orunder large logs on the forest floor. They emerge to feed at night and when it is wet and rainy.Giant salamander larvae can be found in streams at any time of the year, but during the daythey remain hidden beneath the cover of large streambed cobbles and boulders. Gently tilting a large stone and peering beneath it will often reveal a larval salamander resident. At night, with the aid of a headlamp or flashlight, it is possible to observe giant salamander larvae movingaround in the open. 6Coastal Giant SalamanderDr. Michael Parker, Southern Oregon UniversityPhotos provided by Dr. Michael Parker

Partnerships CommensalismDr. Tim Elder, Senior Manager for Habitat Restoration, Wild Salmon CenterOver the past 9 years of developing Strategic Action Plans (SAPs), WildSalmon Center has learned how valuable partnerships truly are. It mayseem obvious, even cliche, to say that partnerships are essential toachieving positive conservation outcomes, but I personally don’t think thatthis can be overstated. To put this into ecological terms, partnerships canprovide a kind of commensalism (mutually beneficial) amongorganizations, agencies and tribes working to achieve shared goals. It hasbeen my observation that the restoration community is slowly but surelymoving away from ‘turf’ battles and antagonistic funding competition,towards the collective achievement of conservation outcomes that are bestfor the resources that we manage. The SAP processes seek to bring together all the partners within a given geography to identify those long-term goals that everyone can work towards. These partnerships allow for the sharing of knowledge, the pooling of resources, the division of labor, and perhaps, most importantly, better long-term ecological outcomes. Let’s face it, restoration funding is a limited resource. Working individually, that limitation can lead to competition and the slicing up of the funding pie into smaller and smaller pieces so that nobody has enough, and nobody is satisfied. Conversely, through partnerships, we can work collectively to find common goals,divide labor amongst specialists, incorporate lessons learned, and ultimately produce the highest quality projects that will stand the test of time. Pacific OceanRogueRiver789 Alder Street CentralPoint, OR 97502info@rogueriverwc.orgThank you to our guestauthors for sharing theirvaluable insights andperspectives. All graphicsare by RRWC staff unlessnoted otherwise.AcknowledgmentsPhoto Credit Eiko Jones