TEP Habitat Monitoring and Research

In addition to studying water quality, TEP also implements projects aimed at evaluating the status and trends of habitats and the abundance and distribution of the species that rely on them.

Rapid Bio-Assessment

TEP has contracted with Bio-Surveys to implement a Tillamook Bay Rapid Bio-Assessment (RBA). The RBA is designed to quantify the abundance and distribution of four species of juvenile salmonids from a watershed perspective. The full basin view of each species distribution and their spatial shifts in abundance provide valuable information for the development of a restoration strategy because they locate passage barriers, peak spawning and rearing reaches, temperature limiting habitats and upstream migration behaviors. The recently completed inventory was conducted for three years, between June and September, beginning in 2005, and encompassed approximately 340 stream miles. With the three year RBA now complete, the final reports and downloadable GIS layers are available here (year 3 GIS layers will be available Spring 2008).

Nestucca/Neskowin Watersheds Culvert Prioritization

Snorkeler surveying a tributary during the Rapid Bio-Assessment

In May 2006, the TEP completed the Nestucca/Neskowin Watersheds Culvert Prioritization and Action Plan, in close collaboration with the BLM, US Forest Service, and eight other watershed partners.

Most natural resource managers in the Northern Oregon Coast basins collect data on culverts to identify fish passage barriers. Data collected is difficult to compare across ownerships, making watershed scale prioritization efforts difficult. To ensure funds are spent on projects that give the biggest 'bang for the buck', TEP and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) identified the need to make fish passage throughout the Nestucca and Neskowin watersheds a priority.

BLM contracted with TEP to lead the collaborative effort that developed a large scale barrier prioritization across all land ownerships. High and medium priority fish passage barriers are identified in the Nestucca and Neskowin watersheds and the Action Plan offers strategies for their replacements, enabling watershed partners to leverage each other's resources.

TEP intends to develop a similar prioritization of the Tillamook Bay Watershed. Download the report here.

Netarts Bay Watershed Limiting Factors Analysis & Restoration Plan

Minimal quantitative data is available for the Netarts Bay Watershed. The Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP) recognizes this need, as well as the need to develop a plan that will guide future restoration efforts in the Netarts.

Fourteen culverts within the watershed are qualitatively classified as fish passage barriers in the Watershed Assessment, but they have not been quantitatively assessed. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) has conducted limited Aquatic Inventory (AQI) surveys within the watershed in support of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. Historical data shows that the Netarts Bay Watershed once supported healthy populations of coho, chum, steelhead, and cutthroat. The limited data available indicates that coho abundance within the watershed is likely lower than neighboring populations due to lack of available habitat. Netarts is also the southernmost extent of the Pacific Coast Chum ESU distribution, which once stretched into Central California. ODFW has evaluated the status of chum salmon within the watershed and has determined that their populations are not viable.

Restoration efforts have been stymied by a lack of rigorous data and improved AQI and culvert data will increase partner efforts to implement future on the ground projects.

TEP has hired a local contractor, Demeter Design, to complete the Netarts Bay Watershed Limiting Factors Analysis (LFA) and Restoration Plan in two phases. Phase I will include landowner contacts, aquatic habitat and culvert field surveys, and data analysis. Phase II will include development of the Limiting Factors Analysis and Netarts Bay Watershed Restoration Plan.

Eelgrass Mapping

TEP staff working on the eelgrass mapping study

Zostera marina (native eelgrass)

TEP is collaborating with EPA's Newport Lab on the development of a GIS-based eelgrass map of Tillamook Bay. Using high resolution aerial imagery, this map will provide key data on eelgrass distribution and densities. This evaluation will use a more sophisticated protocol than previous evaluations undertaken in 1975 (surface transects) and 1995 (multi-spectral, airborne).

Download parts 1 and 2 of related reports and maps here:

• Part 1
• Part 2

Exotic Species Detection Plan

The goal of this project is to develop a consistent approach for monitoring aquatic nuisance species (ANS) in the Lower Columbia River, Tillamook Bay and Puget Sound national estuaries. Together, NEP's and other partners in these basins will develop a regionally coordinated approach for monitoring ANS in the Pacific Northwest using models developed and tested in the San Francisco Bay watershed. Each partner is committed to developing practical monitoring programs for their basins that support the state aquatic nuisance species management plans, as well as regional, west coast, and national efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of harmful exotic species. Plans will focus on ANS detection, not eradication or control. Download the report here

Fish Use of the Estuary

The primary objectives of this study were to develop baseline information on fish use of Tillamook Bay estuary and to test and evaluate a sampling approach for long-term monitoring of fish abundance and distribution across major habitat types within the estuary. The sampling design for the long-term monitoring program was structured to allow testing of hypotheses regarding use of three regions of the estuary (lower, mid, and upper), two major substrate types (fine-grained and coarse-grained) and the effect sampling time (months, within months, and years) for relatively abundant anadromous salmonid and non-salmonid species. Download the report here.