Upper Kootenai

Watershed Restoration Project

Business Plan

September 2001

United States

Department

Of Agriculture

Forest Service

Kootenai National Forest

I.  Executive Summary

Mission: To protect, maintain and restore watershed health, and ecosystem condition through application of ecosystem management principles while providing for a range of uses, values, products and services.

Situated in the northwestern corner of Montana, adjacent to the Canadian and Idaho borders, the Upper Kootenai Watershed is over 1.4 million acres.  The Upper Kootenai Watershed (subbasin) has some of the most productive and biologically diverse forestlands in Montana.  The area has the lowest elevation, wettest, most productive habitats.

Because of past management activities, the Upper Kootenai subbasin has significantly changed conditions as compared to the historical situation.  Today, forest stands are dominated by short-lived seral species, such as Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, grand fir and western hemlock, rather than the long-lived species of white pine, western larch, ponderosa pine and whitebark pine.  Major causes of these changes are the introduction of white pine blister rust, fire suppression, and past timber harvest practices.

The Upper Kootenai has been chosen as a large-scale watershed restoration project.  This project consists of integrated analyses and activities to improve the terrestrial and aquatic conditions of the Upper Kootenai subbasin and to provide for social and economic opportunities.  The Upper Kootenai subbasin accounts for more than 64% of the Kootenai National Forest (see Figure 1).   Seventy-nine percent of the subbasin is National Forest System land.  The other 21% of the land base is in corporate, private, state and other federal ownerships. 

Many projects are being implemented or are under analysis within the Upper Kootenai.  The Forest is currently completing a Subbasin Review to characterize the ecological and social conditions in the subbasin and provide a context for future projects in this subbasin. The goal of this review is to complete a description of the status of ecosystem diversity, identify risks to ecological sustainability and prioritize areas for future analyses and projects.  The Subbasin Review will be completed by November 1. 

The Upper Kootenai Subbasin Review is a mid-scale look at ecosystem processes.  It serves to bridge the gap between broad-scale information and decisions and finer-scale analyses (Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed Scale, or EAWS).  The subbasin review is not a detailed mid-scale analysis.  It is a review of mid-scale issues and a priority-setting tool to identify and prioritize where to do more detailed finer-scaled analysis.  The results of the subbasin review establish the context for subsequent decision-making processes, including planning, project development, and regulatory compliance.

Once the review is complete, the Forest will develop partnerships for addressing and implementing the future analyses and projects.  Potential partners have been identified and information shared to facilitate the subbasin review and future implementation as a large-scale watershed restoration project.

Figure 1. Location of Upper Kootenai Subbasin

II.  The Land, the Water, the Ecosystem and the People

Many watershed assessments and site-specific project analyses have been completed within the Upper Kootenai Subbasin.  These assessments have identified the following conditions:

1.     There has been a change in the dominant hydrologic processes due primarily to snowmelt modification and surface water rerouting due to compaction and road building.  Management activities can reverse this trend.

2.     Key streams are no longer in dynamic equilibrium and are trending towards instability.  Even minor runoff events cause significant channel impacts.

3.     Watersheds contain populations of native fish and bull trout, and it is crucial these be maintained and/or increased.

4.     There is a decline in early and late seral forests and in forest landscape diversity.

5.     There has been an increase in densely stocked mid-seral stands with fire intolerant species.

6.     There is a major decline in fire adapted early seral tree species resulting in a forest that is more stressed, more sensitive to drought and at greater risk from insects and disease.

7.     There has been significant decline in whitebark pine habitat.  This is a fire dependent species and an important food source for grizzly bear. 

8.     Wildlife habitat has been significantly reduced with encroachment of forest in high elevations.

9.     Recreation use is steadily increasing in the area, especially for fishing, driving for pleasure, snowmobiling, hiking and hunting, and wilderness travel.

10.  Heavy recreation use has significantly impacted the major roads, wearing the protective gravel road surface, rerouting surface flows and increasing sediment delivery to adjacent drainages.

11.  There are high levels of invasive plant species.  Of concern are tansy ragwort, rush skeleton, hawkweeds, yellowstar thistle, aquatic weeds, purple loose strife, spotted knap weed and leafy spurge.

12.  Because of past management activities, many Upper Kootenai tributaries are producing more sediment than they did historically. Road networks with a high number of stream crossings have caused a serious increase in sedimentation.  Disruption to riparian areas has added to problems with sedimentation.  Increased sedimentation causes a decline in aquatic habitat quality, filling of pools, sedimentation of the channel bottom and braiding of the channel resulting in fewer hiding areas for fish and habitat that is too shallow.

The Upper Kootenai subbasin is located almost entirely within Lincoln County. The majority of land in Lincoln County is publicly owned, with 77 percent of the county administered by the Kootenai National Forest.  The economic viability of local communities is greatly dependent upon the ability of the federal lands to provide goods and services for these communities.  This opportunity is only appropriate and available if the watershed and ecosystem is in a healthy condition.  The Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration project provides an opportunity to respond to both the need for land conservation management and economic viability of local communities.

In addition, communities within the subbasin have been identified as urban wildland interface communities that are at high-risk from wildfire (see Federal Register 1/4/2001).  Restoration activities within the subbasin need to consider the urban wildland interface and aide in the reduction of wildfire risk to communities.

The Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project will meet the following specific objectives:

·       Improve hydrologic and channel conditions by reducing pollutant sediment delivery to streams, reducing rerouting of surface flow from roads

·       Protect populations and improve habitat of bull trout, west slope cutthroat trout and red band trout.

·       Reduce sediment delivery from road templates.

·       Move vegetation towards historical conditions.

·       Provide for restoration and maintenance of habitat for threatened and endangered terrestrial species, including grizzly bear.

·       Preserve and restore rare vegetation communities and habitats.

·       Use prescribed fire to bring vegetation into the historic range of natural variation and allow fire to play its natural role in the ecosystem.

·       Reduce the fire risk of local communities within the urban wildland interface.

·       Contribute to community economic stability by using timber harvest to achieve objectives.

·       Roads within the project will be maintained, brought up to Best Management Practices (BMP) standards, moved, obliterated, put into long-term storage, restricted, reconditioned, or reconstructed based on the need for the system and the identified risks to the watersheds.

·       Provide for a mix of motorized and non-motorized recreation opportunities.

·       Maintain and improve the trail system, both within and outside the wilderness.

The Watershed Restoration Project is an integral part of ongoing watershed and wildlife habitat restoration activities.   The development of an Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Partnership will provide for even more extensive collaborative watershed restoration and enhancement activities.

III.  Partnerships

The Kootenai National Forest is currently completing a subbasin review of the Upper Kootenai Watershed.  This subbasin review will provide a prioritization of future watershed-scale analyses and identification of restoration projects.  Once the subbasin review is completed, the Forest will develop an Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Partnership.  Potential partners include the following organizations and agencies:

·       Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

·       Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks

·       Bonneville Power Administration

·       National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

·       Trout Unlimited

·       Lincoln County Weed Board

·       Tansy Ragwort Cooperative

·       Montana Natural Heritage Program

·       Foundation for North American Wild Sheep

·       U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

·       Kootenai River Network

·       U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

·       Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe

·       Libby Area Conservancy District

·       Cutthroat Trout Foundation

·       Lincoln County

·       Sanders County

·       Local schools

·       Local Home Owners Associations/ Land Owners

·       Avista

·       The Nature Conservancy

·       Yaak Valley Forest Council

·       Montana Natural Heritage Program

·       University of Montana

·       Plant A Tree Foundation

·       Plum Creek Timber Company

The intent is to build partnership capacity by looking for connections in the community with similar interests and connect these local interests with national organizations.  Contacts with schools and universities for environmental educational opportunities are a high priority.

IV.  The Customer and Public Benefits

The customers of the Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project are many and varied.  They include the residents of local communities, many of which directly derive their livelihood and lifestyle from management of the subbasin.  Also included, as customers are adjacent landowners, Native American Tribes, and visitors to the Kootenai National Forest. 

The major types of activities in the subbasin include boating, driving for pleasure, river rafting and kayaking, extended wilderness travel, summer day use (fishing, hiking, camping), firewood collecting and recreational gathering and hunting.  Timber harvesting occurs within the subbasin and is a primary tool used to meet resource objectives and contributes to community stability.

The activities to be implemented through this restoration project will help to improve ecosystem conditions intricately related to these activities and uses.  Restoration of big game habitat, watersheds and fisheries habitat will maintain and improve hunting and fishing opportunities.  Recreational opportunities will be maintained through improved ecosystem conditions.  Timber harvest to achieve restoration objectives will provide for continued jobs and income while meeting a national demand for wood fiber products.  Other restoration activities will also provide for local employment opportunities.  Restoration activities would also improve the protection of local communities from wildland fires.

Additional customers are those whose livelihoods and lifestyle are affected by the downstream delivery of water from the Upper Kootenai River.  This downstream water is used for irrigation, power generation, recreation use and domestic water supplies, affecting communities in Idaho, Washington, and Canada.  Restoration of the Upper Kootenai Watershed will improve the quality of water received downstream.

V.  Marketing and Sales

The Kootenai National Forest’s overall marketing strategy is to appeal to our target market’s demonstrated desire to sustain the health, productivity and diversity of the national forests, to meet the need of present and future generations.  We have a proven record of collaborative management and project implementation.  The Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Partnership will emphasize watershed health and restoration, sustainable forest management, recreation, education, and research using business principles.  We will establish this position by implementation of a four-part marketing plan:

·       Use the business plan as a basis for discussion with partners and communities to develop trust and financial support.

·       Expand our area of interest beyond the administrative boundaries of the Kootenai National Forest.  Enhance collaboration with the State, Tribes, landowners, and others. 

·       Be accountable to our customers.  Provide current information to our partners and customers.  Develop and distribute briefing papers, newsletters and the World Wide Web.

·       Celebrate successes of the restoration projects. 

A communication plan will be developed once the Partnership has been formed.

VI.  The Main Controversies

The Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project began in 2000.  This restoration project was a political decision to provide support to Lincoln County, Montana, which is highly dependent on management of the Kootenai National Forest.  In the Interior Columbia Basin Final Environmental Impact Statement (December of 2000), the Upper Kootenai subbasin was identified as a high restoration priority.  The analysis indicated the Upper Kootenai had a high priority for broad-scale landscape restoration, moderate priority for aquatic restoration, moderate for old forest areas, and high priority for economic restoration and moderate for tribal restoration.

Management of the national forest tends to be controversial.  Some of the general areas of controversy that we perceive may impact the Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project are as follows:

·       Road Access – Roads provide recreation access for hunting, camping, backcountry trails and winter snowmobile routes.  Roads also provide access for timber harvest.  Roads built on unstable lands have contributed to sedimentation downstream damaging stream channels with important fish habitat.  Stabilizing or removing damaging roads will create concerns by a large number of different interest groups.

·       Timber Harvest Levels – The rural communities within the Upper Kootenai subbasin have historically been socially and economically dependant on timber harvest.  Some of our customers would like timber harvest levels to be maintained or increased.  Timber harvest may be a tool to achieve some of the restoration activities.  Other interest groups believe harvest levels are too high, creating impacts to the values and uses associated with undisturbed conditions.  They perceive the forest may use restoration activities as a disguise or excuse for harvesting timber.

·       Management of Roadless Areas – The conflict over management or roadless areas has been well established for several decades.  There is increasing conflict with the concern over forest health and the desire to leave roadless areas unroaded.  Many years of fire suppression in these areas have resulted in stands that are no longer within their range of variability, increasing their risk to catastrophic fires or insect and disease.  Managing these areas to bring them back into their historic range of variability while retaining their roadless character will be difficult with potential for conflict.

·       Economic Stability – Lincoln County has been plagued with double-digit unemployment for several decades.  The county is highly dependent on management of the Kootenai National Forest.  Some of our customers see restoration activities as having potential for providing local jobs and income.  Others want to see management revert to “the way it was”, with much higher timber harvest volume levels.

VII.  The Competition

There are many competitors for the Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project, both nationally and locally.  They include other units in the Forest Service competing for limited funding.  Other land management agencies, local governments and private individuals also compete for partners to share in their resource management projects.  There is also competition for local community involvement.

There are other national large-scale watershed restoration partnerships.  Most of these have been operating as restoration projects longer than the Upper Kootenai.  They have built their partnerships and are going forward with restoration projects.  The Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project is still in the planning phase.

Competitions at the local level are the many competing community interests.  The asbestos cleanup (EPA Super Fund site), economic development, forest plan amendment for grizzly bear management, forest plan revision, and even the swimming pool project for Libby all compete for local publics’ time and involvement.

The Upper Kootenai presents a unique opportunity to combine local economic dependency with restoration opportunities.  There are opportunities for combining timber harvest with restoration activities.  Communication and education is key to effective management and restoration. Once the subbasin review is complete and the partnership built, the Upper Kootenai will be well positioned to compete for limited funding and local community involvement. 

VIII.  Measurement and Accountability

To complete the base analysis for the Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project and prioritize future analyses and projects, the Forest is currently completing a subbasin review.  Once the subbasin review is completed, the Forest will form the Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Partnership.  The Forest Supervisor is accountable for both of these actions.

Restoration activities will be monitored for each project.  Activities to monitor will be determined as project level analysis is completed.  The Ranger for the District implementing the project will be accountable for completing and monitoring the project.

On a broader scale, there are measurements that transcend individual projects.  These measurements are tied to the outputs from all of the projects.  They include water yield, riparian system function, effect on local economies, and educational opportunities and customer satisfaction. 

The table below outlines areas of measurement and the position accountable for accomplishment.

IX.  Operational Plan

The Forest is completing a Subbasin Review to prioritize future watershed scale analyses and identify potential projects. 

The following projects in the Subbasin were completed in fiscal year 2000:

·       Removal of a dam and stabilization of the channel on Graves Creek, a priority bull trout stream.

·       Stream improvement work accomplished on 17 miles of streams.

·       Decommissioned 40 miles of road by removing culverts, bringing stream crossing to natural profile and recontouring some roads.

·       Roadwork on 73 miles to replace undersized culverts, add 32 new culverts, install more drainage structures and out sloping roads to reduce sediment delivery to streams.

·       Prescribe fire was used to enhance 3200 acres of wildlife habitat.  Another 3700 acres of natural fuel reduction was accomplished, 990 acres were associated with the wildland urban interface.

·       Approximately 28,000 acre was burned by wildfire in the Upper Kootenai.  All fire lines and roads associated with these fires were rehabilitated to prevent any potential erosion.

·       Treated 900 acres for noxious weed control.

Future projects:

• There are numerous restoration projects that were identified in existing watershed assessments in the Upper Kootenai Project area that have not been funded.  These projects will be accomplished as funding (Large-scale Watershed Project) becomes available.
• Continue to use Trust Fund (KV, 10% fund) from commercial restoration projects to finance watershed improvements associated with those projects.  Use these funds to do stream restoration and improve road facilities to reduce impacts on watershed.
• Continue the partnerships with the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MDFWP) and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to restore and improve wildlife habitat.  This will be accomplished with the use of prescribed fire and some mechanical treatments.  Currently an Environmental Assessment has been completed to treat 60,000 acres of habitat.
• In accordance with the National Fire Plan (NFP), key point three, Hazardous Fuel Reduction; work with local governments and landowners to reduce risk of wildfire to communities.   Continue to work with local governments in fire planning efforts.

·       Continue to work with local landowners and homeowners associations to extend fuel reduction across private and Forest boundaries.

• Continue to develop stewardship projects like the Treasure Interface Project where, in essence, the Forest is trading commercial goods for restoration work.  The local landowners and the Forest Service are cooperating to reduce the threat of wildfire to their property and Forest land developed this project.  This project will commercially thin 705 acres, where the product value will be traded for stream restoration work, noxious weed eradication, some non-commercial fuel reduction projects, aspen planting, ski trail extension, road improvements, recreational improvements, nesting platforms and boxes.
• Under NFP, key point two, rehabilitation and restoration, continue to restore the ecological processes associated with frequent, low intensity fire regimes on the drier vegetation types to reduce natural fuel loadings.  Commercial treatments may be necessary to reduce fuels in some areas to achieve low intensity fires.
• Increase the scope of the invasive plant treatment program within the project area.
• Work in cooperation with both Lincoln and Sanders Counties to develop restoration projects where we are partners in restoration projects.  This would be in conjunction with Public Law 106-393, Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act of 2000.

X.  Governance

How the partnership will be governed will be decided shortly after the partnership is formed.

NEPA decisions on restoration projects will be made at the appropriate level, District Ranger or Forest Supervisor.  The District Ranger will make major implementation decisions.  Individual project leaders, working under the direction of the District Rangers, will have authority for normal project implementation decisions. Mark Romey, Operations staff officer, will serve as project liaison with the Regional and Washington Offices.

 XI.  Risks

As with any venture, risk or the potential of failure exists to varying degrees in a number of aspects of the project.  Recognition and management of these risks is key to successful completion of the project.  The risks inherent to the project, as well as preventative measures and contingencies, are discussed below.

Inadequate/Inconsistent Funding

Lack of adequate funding from the Forest Service and partners is the largest, most serious risk to completion of this project.  Timely and effective implementation of the selected actions is crucial to achieving project objectives.  Delays or significant reductions in funding will significantly reduce the likelihood of achieving the objectives of the project.  Significant reductions in funding would also erode the relationships and cooperation that will be built in developing the partnership.

NEPA Risk

Appeals or litigation could significantly delay implementation activities.  Clear, consistent documentation and proactive public involvement have been the most effective methods for reducing the potential NEPA related delays.

Workforce Changes and Fire Delays

Key players could be unavailable to the watershed restoration project prior to completion.  Serious delays or reduced capability of the Team could result from personnel changes or fire assignments affecting team members.  Current and complete records plus cross training and full involvement of team members will minimize effects of loss of key players.

XII.  Financial Plan

Below is an average annual projected expenditure of the four main programs that fund restoration work in the Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project area.  Included is the projected FS-WO (Large-Scale Watershed Restoration Program) contribution.   It is expected that by using the Subbasin Review, completed in FY2001, the Forest will be able to bring more partners onboard which will reflect an increase in partnership dollars

*These dollars do not include any Trust Fund monies (KV, 10% road & trail), which can be substantial in the Upper Kootenai Project area.

*Also not included are the National Fire Plan monies the Kootenai N.F. received in FY2001/2002.  This amount equates to $1104M spent on the project area for restoration ($123M in reforestation; $198M in assessment work; $92M Fisheries & Watershed restoration; $92M invasive plant treatment; $34M in trail restoration; $183M for road & watershed restoration; $13M admin. forest product permits; $343M fuel reduction, $26M in boundary management).

*This figure does not include the substantial amount of NFTM and SSSS monies spent on commercial restoration projects within the Upper Kootenai Project area that contribute to the restoration of this watershed.

FY 2002 – 2006 Proposal

The tables on the following pages (pg 16-20) show the restoration projects for the Upper Kootenai Subbasin for fiscal years 2002 through 2006.  These projects have decision documents and were developed through landscape assessments of planning sub units. These projects are currently unfunded. 

*(in thousand $)

*(in thousand $)

*(in thousand $)

*(in thousand $)

*(in thousand $)
XIII.  Our Concerns

Several challenges face us as we undertake the Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project.  These include:

·       Maintaining, strengthening and broadening our partnership base and achieving involvement from local publics that are already busy with other projects.

·       Retaining an available, focused and committed team in the face of workforce downsizing and implementation of other large projects, such as forest plan revision.

·       Obtaining consistent and adequate funding to accomplish the proposed actions over the life of the project

Despite these substantial challenges, the Kootenai National Forest is committed to succeeding in this endeavor.  The Upper Kootenai Watershed Restoration Project offers substantial benefits in terms of ecosystem sustainability, water quality and yield, and economic opportunities.