Austin Hot Springs

The Tribes are working with the Clackamas River Basin Council to restore riparian conditions that have been severely impacted by ongoing trespass at the site. Work will remove roads and vehicle access to the area and extensively plant site with native vegetation.

Red Hills

The Red Hills Land Management Plan was completed in 2021. Once a forest management plan is completed, future timber sales will then be completed to remove Douglas-fir trees in order to free up room for existing and future Oregon White Oak. Weed control and site access development will also be planned.

Pine Creek

• Continuing work on Lowland Restoration Project. This project is treating old farm fields of non-native plants and planting native bunchgrasses, riparian trees, and shrubs. This project is very large and will take years to complete. 2022 will be a monitoring year with weed control work.
• Juniper cutting continues for its fourth year in the Robinson Creek watershed. Juniper populations have greatly increased through a century of fire suppression. Projects like this have been shown to reduce fuel loads and increase water flows in creeks.

Middle Fork Forrest

• The second phase of the Vincent to Caribou project was completed in 2020. This project involved removing riprap from the river banks and adding large wood to the river for enhancing fish habitat. This project also connected side-channels by breaching a railroad grade in the floodplain. In 2021, a large deer- and elk-proof fence, along with thousands of trees were planted. Additional planting will continue at the site annually until a riparian forest is restored.
• The first phase of the Vinegar to Vincent reach was completed in late 2020, which included fencing, planting, and preparatory work for a very large project to restore the river back to its configuration before the railroad was constructed at the turn of the 20th century. Planting and plant management was the focus in 2021. In 2022, the river will be re-routed into the newly constructed channels, with additional planting, fencing and other elements being completed. The Tribes have partnered with the Bureau of Reclamation for design and technical assistance on this project. This project is managed by the Tribes’ John Day Watershed Restoration Program.