How were stakeholders and landowners involved in the development of the UKBWAP?

 

To ensure the UKBWAP has broad buy-in and applicability within the UKB, it was critically important to solicit stakeholder involvement and feedback during the development of the UKBWAP. Stakeholders were kept informed and/or provided feedback during UKBWAP development. These stakeholders included federal, state, county, and city agencies, Tribal entities, private landowners and irrigators, non-profit groups, funding agencies, politicians, educational institutions, and private consultants and companies. This diverse list of stakeholders was split into four categories to facilitate appropriate outreach and communication:

 

1. UKBWAP Team: UKBWAP Team consists of the organizations committed to writing and producing the UKBWAP

2. Technical Reviewers: This group consists of individuals considered experts in a specific field. These reviewers provided technical oversight and comments on the draft UKBWAP

3. Landowner Reviewers: This group consists of private landowners who provided feedback on the draft UKBWAP. UKBWAP Team representatives reached out to members of this group individually during the plan development process to keep them informed about progress and to solicit their feedback

4. Informed Stakeholders: This group was kept informed about the process and received the web address for the UKBWAP website

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How do I use the UKBWAP?

 

Although the UKBWAP includes extensive narrative, conceptual models, and appendices, the primary component of interest to most parties is the Interactive Reach Prioritization Tool (IRPT), which provides a web-based interactive map identifying priority areas for restoration based on degree of impairment. The IRPT is intended to be the most accessible, and frequently accessed, portion of the UKBWAP, while the narrative and appendices offer additional guidance and information. The IRPT can be accessed through the IRPT Info page. 

 

The section titled “How to Use the Watershed Action Plan” in Chapter 1 provides additional detail on an example workflow for the UKBWAP. You can access that section directly here. 

 

The UKBWAP is not intended to be read cover-to-cover as many sections (particularly Chapter 3) are repetitive and highly technical, to ensure that accurate and scientifically-sound information is presented for each impairment and project. Rather, the narrative of the UKBWAP exists to provide additional support and documentation for the critical components (IRPT, appendices) of the UKBWAP.

 

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Why was the UKBWAP developed?

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The UKBWAP was developed because landowners, Tribes, Federal and state agencies, NGOs, and others identified the need for a plan to strategically prioritize restoration actions in the UKB. 

 

The purpose of the UKBWAP is to inform effective and prioritized voluntary restoration activities in the UKB, with the goals of improving the following through restoration of floodplain, riparian, wetland, and riverine process and function:

 

• Water quality, as addressed in the Upper Klamath Lake (UKL) Drainage TMDL (ODEQ 2002) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Recovery Plan for the Lost River suckers and Shortnose suckers (Deltistes luxatus and Chasmistes brevirostris) (USFWS 2012)

• Habitat for Lost River and Shortnose suckers, as addressed in the USFWS Sucker Recovery Plan (USFWS 2012)

• Habitat for Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus), as addressed in the USFWS Klamath Recovery Unit Implementation Plan for bull trout (USFWS 2002)

• Habitat for adfluvial/resident Redband Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss newberrii), a Federal species of concern, an Oregon state sensitive vulnerable species, and a cultural and subsistence resource for The Klamath Tribes

• Habitat for returning anadromous salmon and lamprey after the pending removal of four mainstem Klamath River dams, as addressed in the Implementation Plan for the Reintroduction of Anadromous Fishes into the Oregon Portion of the Upper Klamath Basin (ODFW and The Klamath Tribes 2020)

• Open water wetland habitat for Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa), an ESA-listed amphibian native to parts of the UKB

 

Owing to the complexity of anthropogenic influences on the biotic and abiotic factors across a watershed, the UKBWAP attempts to tease out discrete and scientifically-sound linkages (i.e., direct and indirect relationships as illustrated in the conceptual models) presented in existing management guidelines in the UKB as the basis for addressing impairments with landscape applicability and relevance. In other words, the diversity of needs in time and space for the species listed above are such that achieving these goals, combined with those of the UKL drainage TMDL, result in a focus on ecosystem restoration, primarily restoration of wetland, riverine, floodplain, and riparian process and function.

To meet the goals described above, the UKBWAP provides the following:

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• Identification of specific impairments to floodplain, wetland, riverine, and riparian process and function

• A reach-scale watershed condition assessment that prioritizes reaches based on degree of impairment for landowner recruitment and subsequent implementation of restoration activities

• Science-based guidance regarding the selection and implementation of restoration projects necessary to address impairments

• Monitoring regimes tied to quantifiable restoration objectives at multiple scales

• A process of adaptive management to refine condition assessments, restoration actions, and monitoring as new information becomes available

 

Finally, many of the goals of the UKBWAP, particularly those related to water quality, require large-scale coordinated restoration within the watershed.

 

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How were the metrics developed and prioritized?

 

Information about metric development and prioritization can be found in "Condition Metrics Methods" in Chapter 4 of the UKBWAP narrative. 

 

For a very detailed description of geospatial models and methods used for metric development, please see Appendix D.

 

Both documents can be downloaded on the Downloads page. 

 

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What if I disagree with a metric score in the UKBWAP?

 

If you have additional data or information that you think could be helpful for the UKBWAP, please use the Contact Us page to tell us about it. We will follow up with you to get any additional info that we need. 

 

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Will the UKBWAP be updated as more data or information becomes available?

 

Yes, annual updates are planned for the UKBWAP narrative, appendices, and the IRPT.

 

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How can I download data?

 

Data will be available to download soon. In the meantime, please email us using the Contact Us page and we will alert you when data downloads are ready. 

 

If you are an ArcGIS Pro desktop user, you can view data through the Catalog pane. Choose the 'Portal' tab and then select the ArcGIS Online icon. Use the search bar to search for UKBWAP. For more directions on ArcGIS portal connections, visit the ArcGIS Pro help page. 

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Who do I contact if I want to do restoration on my property?

 

Many of the groups involved in developing the UKBWAP also work closely with private landowners to implement voluntary restoration projects. These projects are usually implemented at no cost to the landowner. If you'd like to find out more about restoration opportunities for your property, please use the Contact Us page to send us a message. 

 

If you would rather reach out to an organization directly, you can use the following contact information. 

 

Klamath Watershed Partnership, 541-850-1717

 

USFWS, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, 541-885-8481

 

Trout Unlimited, 541-273-2189

 

The Klamath Tribes, 541-783-2219

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