COZY VALLEY PROPERTYThis series of projects were designed to enhance the Cozy Valley ecosystem by improving remediation to the waterways throughout the valley, affecting the Cozy Valley creek and pond, to support greater biodiversity for local wildlife.
Watershed: Chehalis River Basin
Sub-basin: Scatter Creek Tributary: Cozy Valley Creek Habitat type: Riparian, Wetland Acreage: 50 acres Wildlife usages: water fowl, raptors, amphibians, salmonids, raccoons, deer, beaver, river otter
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COzy valley pond / cozy valley creek Projects: phases I & II
Project description: This project was developed with the holistic approach to enhance upper headwater reaches for both salmon and terrestrial wildlife, with the goal to continue enhancing further downstream with similar restoration methods. Cozy Valley is a remnant prehistoric glacial lake. The outline of the valley shows the outer edges of this lake, and the remaining soils indicate heavy peat and organic materials. This supports the idea that the valley was underwater for many years. The Cozy Valley tributary is a stream system that evolved through time and was a meandering stream that drained the surface water from Crawford Mountain.
Once pioneers arrived in this area, and settlers started to use the valley floor, it became heavily ditched and drained to support early agricultural practices. One hundred years ago, the idea was to remove the water a quickly as possible, keeping the fields dry and usable for more months in the year. Amazingly, the fish and wildlife continued to try and use these ditches, and changed the life uses in these specific reaches.
With the existence of fish and wildlife use, and heavy agricultural practices are no longer necessary, and it was recognized that in-stream enhancements and restoration was important. The long-term goal for this project was to create more complexity within the stream system for more natural salmon habitat, and to slow down the high velocities in the straightened ditches by adding large snags and a diverse mixture of native trees, shrubs, and plants for a true riparian zone, thus creating future shade and terrestrial wildlife habitat. The end results would take decades to physically come to fruition, but the sooner we got started, the sooner the habitat would be fully functional and self sustaining.
Now, the pond is thriving with beaver and amphibians, the trees and shrubs are emerging and some have grown to 10 to 20 feet (dependent on species), and the large woody debris has slowed down the system, creating more pools and habitat for fish.
Issues Project Addresses: The Limiting Factors within the project watershed area include temperature, fecal bacteria, sedimentation, and connectivity.
Phase I completion date: In-stream construction competed September 2002 (with ongoing monitoring)
Acreage: Approximately 12 acres
Phase II completion date: In-stream construction competed December 2004 (with ongoing monitoring)
Acreage: Approximately 5 acres
Milestones:
Once pioneers arrived in this area, and settlers started to use the valley floor, it became heavily ditched and drained to support early agricultural practices. One hundred years ago, the idea was to remove the water a quickly as possible, keeping the fields dry and usable for more months in the year. Amazingly, the fish and wildlife continued to try and use these ditches, and changed the life uses in these specific reaches.
With the existence of fish and wildlife use, and heavy agricultural practices are no longer necessary, and it was recognized that in-stream enhancements and restoration was important. The long-term goal for this project was to create more complexity within the stream system for more natural salmon habitat, and to slow down the high velocities in the straightened ditches by adding large snags and a diverse mixture of native trees, shrubs, and plants for a true riparian zone, thus creating future shade and terrestrial wildlife habitat. The end results would take decades to physically come to fruition, but the sooner we got started, the sooner the habitat would be fully functional and self sustaining.
Now, the pond is thriving with beaver and amphibians, the trees and shrubs are emerging and some have grown to 10 to 20 feet (dependent on species), and the large woody debris has slowed down the system, creating more pools and habitat for fish.
Issues Project Addresses: The Limiting Factors within the project watershed area include temperature, fecal bacteria, sedimentation, and connectivity.
- Temperature issues within the drainage are due to long reaches of Cozy Valley Creek that run though old agricultural ditches which have minimal shading. The edges of the ditches are covered with Reed Canary grass, Black berry, wetland sedges and rushes. This issue is being addressed on the Creekside property (the entire east end of Cozy Valley) with a restoration project of in-stream enhancements and planting native riparian vegetation, which took place in the summer and fall of 2002.
- Fecal bacteria issues within the project drainage area are due to a small farm at the west end of Cozy Valley. This farm has approximately fifty head of cattle grazing on a rotating field schedule throughout the year. During high seasonal flows, forty percent of these fields are flooded, delivering fecal bacteria directly into the system. The channels that pass through these fields are fenced with an approximate twenty-five foot buffer on either side of the stream, keeping the cattle directly out of the system. Delivery of fecal bacteria is mainly carried by surface water and high seasonal flows.
- Sedimentation is due to timber harvesting and poor road management in several surrounding locations adjacent to Crawford Creek and Cozy Valley. There are three known forty-acre sites which have been harvested within the last five years adjacent to the east end of Cozy Valley. There are also three roads that deliver sediment into the Cozy Valley watershed systems. A section of one road, directly perpendicular to Crawford Creek, was decommissioned during this proposed project. The remaining two roads are privately owned.
- Connectivity for the Cozy Valley Creek stream system was degraded in one main location due to an access road across the Cozy Valley Floor. This road/culvert issue was addressed with other project proposals in an effort to re-establish the connectedness of Cozy Valley Creek over a period of four years.
Phase I completion date: In-stream construction competed September 2002 (with ongoing monitoring)
Acreage: Approximately 12 acres
Phase II completion date: In-stream construction competed December 2004 (with ongoing monitoring)
Acreage: Approximately 5 acres
Milestones:
- August 2005: Construction started. Over 100 pieces of large woody debris were placed in the stream channel and 20 snags were installed along both the north and south tributaries.
- September 2005: 50 large 15ft to 25 ft trees were installed around both the north and south tributaries.
- June – October 2006: Launched annual Cozy Valley Stream Temperature Monitoring Program. Installed 6 to 10 hobo loggers throughout Cozy Valley Tributary to capture summer temperature data to monitor long term affects of tree planting and shade provisions.
- Ongoing: Continued Cozy Valley Stream Temperature Monitoring
- The information and data collected would be cataloged and used for Creekside educational programs. It is available for any State, Federal, or Tribal agency and other non-profit organizations that wish to use this information to aid in their efforts to successfully complete a stream enhancement project. The project site, data, and ongoing assessments of the project are used during tours and presentations sponsored by Creekside to further local and regional environmental education.
- The products of the monitoring component provide critical data and information which can be used to fill data gaps and assist in creating a long-term plan to reduce some limiting factors within the Scatter Creek Watershed, and improving the water quality throughout the Chehalis Basin.
Cozy Valley Culvert |
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Project description: This 2’ ft culvert under a primary access road was very small, and undersized. Due to the inefficiency of the undersized culvert it had created a seasonal flow and fish passage issue. The water could not pass through the culvert properly and became blocked. Replacing this culvert with a properly sized 10’ foot squash culvert helped the stream system flow and function as it would naturally, and allowed fish and aquatic wildlife mobility throughout the entire Cozy Valley stream system.
Completion date: Summer 2001 |
cozy valley creek phase I
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Project description: The plan for this 1500 linear foot section was to open the channel and place large pieces of wood and river rock in the channel to cause the creek to slow down and wind through the valley floor. This would create much better habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Once the in-stream construction was done during the summer months, we planted hundreds of native trees and shrubs to create a riparian zone. Once the trees and shrubs were established it would create shade for temperature control and diversity for local wildlife.
Completion date: September 2001 |
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Cozy Valley Pond |
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Project description: This pond is located at the end of Cozy Valley and is part of the Scatter Creek headwater system. The pond had no real diversity within the pond and no riparian zone around it for shade and temperature control. The plan was to have the pond assessed and engineered to have large pieces of wood and river rock placed in and around it to crate habitat for aquatic wildlife. Then, we would plant several hundred native trees and shrubs around the pond to create a riparian zone for shade, temperature control, and wildlife habitat. Historically and currently both juvenile Coho and Cutthroat salmonids use this pond for rearing, as well as local beaver, Blue Heron, salamanders, frogs, Black tailed deer, Roosevelt Elk, and lots of migratory birds.
Completion date: Spring 2004 |
Cozy Valley Creek Phase II
Project description: This 3000 linear section of Cozy Valley Creek was a continuation of the Phase I, adjacent downstream. Again, it is a remnant old agricultural ditch, which had no diversity or habitat for local aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. There was no riparian zone for shade or temperature control.
To continue on with the project would be to use the same methodologies as in Phase I. To open up the stream channel, we added large wood pieces and river rock during the in-stream construction in the summer months. In the fall and winter we planted hundreds of native plants and shrubs to create a natural riparian zone.
The in-stream construction was completed in the summer of 2005. The riparian plants were planted in the fall of 2006. There were over 5000 trees and shrubs planted along both north and south sides of both channels. These riparian plants are part of a larger mitigation site in Thurston County. So while these trees will enhance our stream system here in Cozy Valley, it will as help to resolve other habitat issues in the county.
Completion date: Summer 2005 - Fall 2006
To continue on with the project would be to use the same methodologies as in Phase I. To open up the stream channel, we added large wood pieces and river rock during the in-stream construction in the summer months. In the fall and winter we planted hundreds of native plants and shrubs to create a natural riparian zone.
The in-stream construction was completed in the summer of 2005. The riparian plants were planted in the fall of 2006. There were over 5000 trees and shrubs planted along both north and south sides of both channels. These riparian plants are part of a larger mitigation site in Thurston County. So while these trees will enhance our stream system here in Cozy Valley, it will as help to resolve other habitat issues in the county.
Completion date: Summer 2005 - Fall 2006
Emergent wetland forest
Project description: An adjacent two acres were planted with approximately 2000 more native wetland trees and shrubs to re-establish an emergent wetland forest. This section is just downstream of the Cozy Valley Pond in a small, lower gradient area of the valley.
Completion date: April 2009
Completion date: April 2009
BPA Mitigation project
Project description: This project was developed with the holistic approach to enhance upper headwater reaches for both salmon and terrestrial wildlife, with the goal to continue enhancing further downstream with similar restoration methods. Cozy Valley is a remnant prehistoric glacial lake, the outline of the valley shows the outer edges of this lake, and the remaining soils indicate heavy peat and organic materials. This supports the idea that the valley was underwater for many years. The Cozy Valley tributary is a stream system that evolved through time and was a meandering stream that drained the surface water from Crawford Mountain.
The goal is to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat within the Cozy Valley Creek watershed, a sub-watershed of Scatter Creek. Once managed as pastureland, the property is now maintained solely for fish and wildlife habitat with the vision of restoring the original stream channels and surrounding emergent wetlands to a pre-settlement condition.
The first phase of the project was funded by USFWS and was designed to enhance instream habitat for 3,000 feet of Cozy Valley Creek over a two year period. Under existing conditions, the hydrology of the valley had been fundamentally altered through the rechannelization of the creek and its tributaries, and the transformation of riparian forest and shrubland to pasture. Subsequently, the wetland functions of the valley have been largely eliminated except during the wettest winter days, and the main channel was no longer shaded. Phase I activities worked to restore the valley’s original hydrologic scheme through bank regrades, culvert removal, and instream enhancement with wood and gravel in addition to creating a 50 foot streambank buffer.
The additional phase throughout the valley floor continues to emulate the surrounding eco-scape and estimations of the historic conditions which will promote sustainability and function in the valley.
The 4th phase, funded by BPA, built upon the successes of the first phase by encouraging the redevelopment of natural wetland functions through planting over 1400 native plants, trees, and shrubs and add wildlife habitat enhancements throughout the 2 acres.
Completion date: December 2009 (with ongoing monitoring)
The goal is to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat within the Cozy Valley Creek watershed, a sub-watershed of Scatter Creek. Once managed as pastureland, the property is now maintained solely for fish and wildlife habitat with the vision of restoring the original stream channels and surrounding emergent wetlands to a pre-settlement condition.
The first phase of the project was funded by USFWS and was designed to enhance instream habitat for 3,000 feet of Cozy Valley Creek over a two year period. Under existing conditions, the hydrology of the valley had been fundamentally altered through the rechannelization of the creek and its tributaries, and the transformation of riparian forest and shrubland to pasture. Subsequently, the wetland functions of the valley have been largely eliminated except during the wettest winter days, and the main channel was no longer shaded. Phase I activities worked to restore the valley’s original hydrologic scheme through bank regrades, culvert removal, and instream enhancement with wood and gravel in addition to creating a 50 foot streambank buffer.
The additional phase throughout the valley floor continues to emulate the surrounding eco-scape and estimations of the historic conditions which will promote sustainability and function in the valley.
The 4th phase, funded by BPA, built upon the successes of the first phase by encouraging the redevelopment of natural wetland functions through planting over 1400 native plants, trees, and shrubs and add wildlife habitat enhancements throughout the 2 acres.
Completion date: December 2009 (with ongoing monitoring)
Sampson Farm Acquisition
Project description: The purpose of this project was to protect and conserve a crucial portion of an intact, properly functioning, and biologically significant habitat located at the east end of Cozy Valley that is adjacent to the confluence of Cozy Valley Creek and Northcraft Creek.
Northcraft Creek is a highly productive salmon system which supports all life cycles of Coho, Cutthroat, and Steelhead salmonids.
The Sampson property is a total of 80 acres of wetland and upland forest habitat, which has been used for agricultural purposes as a small beef cattle operation. There are several headwater tributaries to Scatter Creek which cross this property and then drains into the confluence of Northcraft Creek at the at the west edge of the property. All of these tributaries currently and historically are used for both adult and juvenile Coho and Cutthroat salmonids. (Northcraft Creek, which runs adjacent to this property, is primary spawning habitat for Coho and Cutthroat salmonids.)
This property is extremely valuable in the conservation sense because of its location and potential restoration possibilities. Currently Heernett Environmental Foundation owns approximately 800 acres of protected lands which is surrounding this specific piece of property. Upstream of this property is a successful, ongoing, stream restoration project which has been underway for the last three years. Adding the Sampson property to the Heernett preserve was a tremendous asset to the water quality enhancement of Scatter Creek system.
One of the limiting factors in the Scatter Creek watershed is temperature. To have the ability to acquire this parcel, protect it, and with our ten year plan enhance the property to include creating sinuosity, water retainment areas, encouraging proper wetland function, and establishing a riparian zone would greatly improve the water quality for the headwaters as well as the entire Scatter Creek watershed.
Completed: April 2008
Northcraft Creek is a highly productive salmon system which supports all life cycles of Coho, Cutthroat, and Steelhead salmonids.
The Sampson property is a total of 80 acres of wetland and upland forest habitat, which has been used for agricultural purposes as a small beef cattle operation. There are several headwater tributaries to Scatter Creek which cross this property and then drains into the confluence of Northcraft Creek at the at the west edge of the property. All of these tributaries currently and historically are used for both adult and juvenile Coho and Cutthroat salmonids. (Northcraft Creek, which runs adjacent to this property, is primary spawning habitat for Coho and Cutthroat salmonids.)
This property is extremely valuable in the conservation sense because of its location and potential restoration possibilities. Currently Heernett Environmental Foundation owns approximately 800 acres of protected lands which is surrounding this specific piece of property. Upstream of this property is a successful, ongoing, stream restoration project which has been underway for the last three years. Adding the Sampson property to the Heernett preserve was a tremendous asset to the water quality enhancement of Scatter Creek system.
One of the limiting factors in the Scatter Creek watershed is temperature. To have the ability to acquire this parcel, protect it, and with our ten year plan enhance the property to include creating sinuosity, water retainment areas, encouraging proper wetland function, and establishing a riparian zone would greatly improve the water quality for the headwaters as well as the entire Scatter Creek watershed.
Completed: April 2008
Sampson Wetland Enhancement Phase I
Project description: Approximately 50 acres of Cozy Valley lowlands, the Sampson parcel, is the last parcel in which Cozy Valley Creek travels through before the confluence of Northcraft Creek. This project is an extension of several upstream salmon enhancement projects, which will complement the long-term success of all the habitat improvements throughout Cozy Valley. The ideal result will be a functioning, and sustainable water storage/juvenile refuge component n the headwaters that would benefit the entire Scatter Creek system. This 30% design project is a crucial part of the larger project to increase and maintain adequate flows for wild salmon. This wetland complex/refuge will hold/retain low flows to hydrate the valley benefiting upstream salmon habitat, while high flows expel into Northcraft Creek during spawning, which is imperative for juvenile salmonid survival in Scatter Creek. The completed final project incorporates approximately 10+ acres of submerged wetlands, a 50-100 foot riparian zone, 10-15 snags and a variety of large woody debris and river rock throughout the complex.
Williams Mitigation Project – Cozy Valley Phase III
Project description: This project was developed with the holistic approach to enhance upper headwater reaches for both salmon and terrestrial wildlife, with the goal to continue enhancing further downstream with similar restoration methods. Cozy Valley is a remnant prehistoric glacial lake, the outline of the valley shows the outer edges of this lake, and the remaining soils indicate heavy peat and organic materials. This supports the idea that the valley was underwater for many years. The Cozy Valley tributary is a stream system that evolved through time and was a meandering stream that drained the surface water from Crawford Mountain.
The goal of the Heernett Environmental Foundation is to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat within the Cozy Valley Creek watershed, a sub-watershed of Scatter Creek. Once managed as pastureland, the Heernett property is now maintained solely for fish and wildlife habitat with the vision of restoring the original stream channels and surrounding emergent wetlands to a pre-settlement condition.
The first phase of the project has already been funded by USFWS and is designed to enhance instream habitat for 3,000 feet of Cozy Valley Creek over a two year period with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2003. Under existing conditions, the hydrology of the valley has been fundamentally altered through the rechannelization of the creek and its tributaries, and the transformation of riparian forest and shrubland to pasture. Subsequently, the wetland functions of the valley have been largely eliminated except during the wettest winter days, and the main channel is no longer shaded. Phase I activities will work to restore the valley’s original hydrologic scheme through bank regrades, culvert removal, and instream enhancement with wood and gravel in addition to creating a 50 foot streambank buffer.
The second phase, funded by Williams, would build upon the successes of the first phase by encouraging the redevelopment of natural wetland functions through planting over 5000 native plants, trees, and shrubs and add wildlife habitat enhancements throughout the 7 acres. The original buffer would be extended to 100 feet, and snags added to promote raptor use. In addition, two more culverts would be removed or replaced to facilitate water flow and fish passage.
The goal of the Heernett Environmental Foundation is to restore and enhance fish and wildlife habitat within the Cozy Valley Creek watershed, a sub-watershed of Scatter Creek. Once managed as pastureland, the Heernett property is now maintained solely for fish and wildlife habitat with the vision of restoring the original stream channels and surrounding emergent wetlands to a pre-settlement condition.
The first phase of the project has already been funded by USFWS and is designed to enhance instream habitat for 3,000 feet of Cozy Valley Creek over a two year period with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2003. Under existing conditions, the hydrology of the valley has been fundamentally altered through the rechannelization of the creek and its tributaries, and the transformation of riparian forest and shrubland to pasture. Subsequently, the wetland functions of the valley have been largely eliminated except during the wettest winter days, and the main channel is no longer shaded. Phase I activities will work to restore the valley’s original hydrologic scheme through bank regrades, culvert removal, and instream enhancement with wood and gravel in addition to creating a 50 foot streambank buffer.
The second phase, funded by Williams, would build upon the successes of the first phase by encouraging the redevelopment of natural wetland functions through planting over 5000 native plants, trees, and shrubs and add wildlife habitat enhancements throughout the 7 acres. The original buffer would be extended to 100 feet, and snags added to promote raptor use. In addition, two more culverts would be removed or replaced to facilitate water flow and fish passage.