Reese Creek Restoration

Reese Creek is a tributary of Muddy Creek, located Southwest of Finley Wildlife Refuge. Habitat quality in the creek has been hurt by historical land-use practices that removed riparian trees and in-stream woody debris and decreased floodplain connectivity. These impacts decreased habitat quality in the creek for aquatic organisms. The Marys River Watershed Council has been working to restore and enhance in-stream and riparian habitat. This work benefited the nearby riparian ecosystem and native species like cutthroat trout, Pacific lamprey, and freshwater mussels. Organizations including the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board have supported the restoration project. 

Reese Creek supports a remarkable ecosystem, including one of Oregon’s most sensitive species: native freshwater mussels. These mollusks live buried in the streambed where they filter water for other downstream users and serve as a food source for species like otters and raccoons. Their presence indicates excellent water quality as they can’t survive in polluted streams.

But Oregon’s freshwater mussels are in trouble. Habitat degradation has made successful reproduction nearly impossible for many populations. When the Watershed Council planned restoration work in Reese Creek, protecting the resident mussel population was a top priority.

The solution required our team to carefully relocate every mussel from the work area to ensure none would be harmed during construction. Once restoration was complete, the relocated mussels could return to their enhanced habitat. This operation demonstrates our commitment to protecting stream life while improving creek health. 

In their natural state, many Willamette Valley streams meandered and spread across their floodplains. Historical beaver removal, riparian logging, and stream channelization narrowed and incised streambanks. Channel incision is when a stream digs itself into a trench below the level of the historic floodplain. When a stream becomes incised, it lowers the water table, increases erosion, and is less able to manage extreme flows. The Watershed Council conducted a series of 25 bank pullbacks and floodplain terrace excavations to provide the creek with more room to move. Bank pullbacks repair incised banks by digging out a more gentle gradient to meet the floodplain. This will help mitigate flood concerns, increase water quality, and provide more high-quality habitat for aquatic species.

The Watershed Council also installed large woody debris structures alongside the bank pullbacks to strengthen them and encourage further habitat complexity. The large woody debris structures anchor the new pullbacks and provide habitat for aquatic species. The Watershed Council planted over 23,000 plants in 14 acres of riparian forest. These new forests will help shade the stream, limit erosion, and be a source of large woody debris in the future. Additionally, we replaced an undersized culvert to restore fish passage through the stream. Together, these actions help to protect and enhance habitat for freshwater mussels, cutthroat trout, juvenile steelhead, and aquatic insects.