CCA OREGON’S COMMITMENT TO HABITAT
Healthy habitat is the foundation of healthy fisheries. CCA Oregon is committed to restoring, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat across the state. Through dedicated habitat funds, we support on-the-ground projects that deliver real, measurable benefits for salmon, steelhead, and other Northwest fish and wildlife.
We are eager to partner with organizations, agencies, and individuals who share our commitment to science-based conservation and long-term stewardship.
Bernadette Dangelo, watershed technician with the Hood River Watershed Group, and intern Katie Maxfield spread mulch at the base of juvenile trees that will eventually grow and create shade along the East Fork of the Hood River. The mulch will act as insulation during the summer when temperatures soar into the upper ’80s and into the ’90s.
Cindy Thieman, Executive Director of the Hood River Watershed Group, points to instream wood structure that was placed to create spawning habitat for ESA listed winter steelhead, coho and spring chinook.
All images are credited to Pat Hoglund
East Fork Hood River
Habitat in Action: Hood River Project Creates Hope for Wild Salmon, Steelhead
CCA Oregon recently helped pay for mulch, native trees and shrubs that were planted long the East Fork of the Hood River, a tributary of the Hood River that empties into the Columbia River. This project will improve juvenile rearing and adult holding and
spawning habitat for ESA-listed winter steelhead, coho and spring Chinook.
Located approximately one and a half miles from Parkdale, Oregon under the shadow of Mount Hood, the East Fork of the Hood River enhancement project is close to completion. The cost of the restoration project is roughly $800,000. The majority of the funding was provided by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. CCA Oregon partnered with the Hood River Watershed Group, the organization in charge of the instream portion of the project.
“The East Fork Hood River is a really important stream for steelhead, in particular winter steelhead,” says Cindy Thieman, Executive Director of the Hood River Watershed Group. “It’s a priority for us to boost natural population growth.”
In the summer of 2025, the HRWG brought in heavy operating equipment to install large wood structures along 1.7 miles of the river. That helped increase the number of side channels, created deeper pools, helped slow water velocity and collected spawning gravel in key areas. It also helped connect or recreate 1.6 miles of side channels.
Big Elk Creek
Big Elk Creek flows 31 miles from the Coast Range to the Yaquina River, providing important spawning and rearing habitat for winter steelhead, fall Chinook, and sea-run cutthroat.
Historically, cattle grazed along the water’s edge which spurred blackberry growth all but eliminating any chance for trees to grow. From its habitat fund, CCA Oregon committed $14,000.00 to this project. CCA Oregon partnering with the Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District (LCSWD) where the money goes toward purchasing fencing, culverts, native plant species and paying workers to clear the land. More than a quarter mile of stream will be repaired with completion expected by June 2026.
“Knowing how important it is to have good spawning habitat, and the importance of the Yaquina River, we felt it was a worthy project to support,” Jack Smith, Habitat Committee chair said. “It’s a small slice of habitat, but a very important slice.”
Whetstone Creek
Whetstone Creek, a tributary of the Rogue River in southwest Oregon, has been shaped by decades of agricultural ditching, ranching, and mining, leaving the stream with elevated water temperatures, limited channel complexity, and degraded riparian habitat. Invasive grasses, blackberry, and teasel now dominate much of the streamside corridor, reducing cover for fish and limiting native plant growth.
To improve conditions for juvenile steelhead and other native fish, CCA Oregon has teamed up with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Western Oregon Stream Restoration Program with $2,500.00 of financial assistance that will help place large wood structures in the creek and floodplain to create fish cover, improve overwinter habitat, and encourage pool formation and channel complexity.
The project also includes mechanical brushing and targeted herbicide treatments to control invasive vegetation, followed by the planting of native trees and shrubs to rebuild a healthy riparian canopy. Funding will support this phased restoration work through 2026, helping reestablish native vegetation and improve habitat conditions along the creek for years to come.
