1999-010-00 PINE HOLLOW WATERSHED

ENHANCEMENT PROJECT

Sherman County Soil & Water Conservation District

Pine Hollow and Jackknife Canyons

• Located between river miles 60 and 85 from the outlet to the Columbia River

• Land Use consists of 80% rangeland and 20% cropland

• Land use practices include grazing, wheat farming, recreation, and CRP/CREP

• Natural Gas pipeline extends along the bottom 5 miles of Pine Hollow Canyon

Problems and Opportunities• Landowners want to do the “right” management

practices when it comes to conserving their land• Cost sharing on conservation projects creates a situation

that benefits both the landowner and the public• When properly managed, grazing is beneficial to riparian

health and vigor• Landowners must be able to afford the cost share

portion of a project, so projects do not always happen systematically

• Conservation projects must comply with existing laws, which can hinder progress and change timelines

• Sherman County SWCD and Pine Hollow/Jackknife Watershed Councils believe in a “Top-Down” approach to watershed restoration that addresses upland issues first so that riparian work is not lost to peak flow damage

Problems:

• Erosion resulting in stream sedimentation

• High peak discharges during storm events

• Streambank scour reducing riparian soil quantity and quality

• Reduced riparian vegetation due to degraded soil quality, drought, and management activities

• High summer water temperatures

• Reduced rangeland health because of juniper and sagebrush encroachment

• Gas pipeline maintenance has reduced channel stability and vegetation from mouth of Pine Hollow up

Opportunities:

• Decrease erosion and reduce peak discharges during storm events through water and sediment control structures

• Rest riparian areas that have been degraded by drought or management activities

• Regain riparian soil quality and quantity through vegetative improvements that trap sediment

• Reduce summer water temperatures with tree and shrub establishment to reduce solar radiation on streams

• Improve rangeland by clearing juniper and sagebrush, seeding native grasses, upland water sources, and pasture cross fencing

Terraces and WASCBs*

• Reduce peak flows by impeding water on its way through a watershed, reducing the likelihood of riparian flooding

• Reduces sedimentation by holding water long enough to precipitate out of suspension

• Designed to “leak” so that water is held temporarily and not permanently

• Relatively low cost and long lasting structures

*WASCB stands for Water and Sediment Control Basin

Terraces

WASCBs (Water & Sediment Control Basins)

Range Seeding

• Improves grass stands by reintroducing native grass species

• Replaces annual grasses that provide no nutritional value and very little erosion protection

• Increases infiltration of water into the soil profile and decreases overland water flow

• Provides cover and food for wildlife

Range Seeding

Brush Clearing

• Removes brush that competes with grasses for resources, especially water

• Can be followed by range seeding to stimulate re-growth of grasses to out-compete new brush growth

• Can be done mechanically or chemically, depending on accessibility and cost

Juniper & Sagebrush Encroachment

Mechanical Brush Control

Chemical Brush Control

Water Developments

• Water developments consist of a water source, pipeline, and a trough

• Water sources can be a developed spring or underground well

• Water is piped to a trough with an overflow system that returns water to the channel

• Water provided through these developments helps wildlife and provides off-stream water for cattle

Solar Pump for Water Development

Fencing

• Allows improved grass management for range health• Tool to increase efficiency in pasture management so

that grass species diversity, vigor and health can be easily maintained

• Pastures can be divided so that rotational grazing is easily implemented

• Both barbed and electric fencing are useful in pasture management

Pasture Fencing

Cross Fencing

Wildlife

Habitat improvements benefit all kinds of wildlife in the Pine Hollow and Jackknife Watersheds. Deer, Elk, Cougar, Bighorn Sheep, Game and Song Birds, Steelhead and Trout and many other species are found throughout the watershed coexisting with landowners. Wildlife are a part of what makes land in Sherman County appealing to landowners, and improving wildlife habitat is as important to local landowners as it is to the natural resource conservation community. That is why these practices benefit all stakeholders involved.

Thanks!