The next phase of the Willow Springs Preserve stream restoration has started! The Land Trust has been working with our restoration partners at the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council since 2021 to restore Whychus Creek at Willow Springs Preserve.
This month, crews are back on site starting to build the natural structures in Whychus Creek that will be used in the restoration. Many of these look like log jams or piles of branches in the stream, but they are constructed with vertical wooden posts that are angled against placed logs in order to provide stability. Bushy juniper trees that have good contact with the riverbed are also be used to help the structures remain in place during the next several years of large flow events (although they will eventually also wash away). In addition, other large trees will be placed upstream of these log jam structures, with the idea they will form a more durable log jam during high flow events. The ultimate goal with these structures is to slow flows, collect sediment, and promote some of the natural side-to-side movement that a strong functioning creek would do naturally over time.
Smaller dam-like structures are also being constructed. They are building them on side channels where they will imitate beaver dams, create pools, and help connect Whychus Creek to the surrounding meadow.
We look forward to sharing more updates as we move towards a healthy, biologically diverse Whychus Creek at Willow Springs Preserve!
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