Newport News Times
Aug 24, 2007
ODFW repairs fish ladders on Schooner Creek to benefit trout
and salmon
Two fish ladders on the North Fork and South Fork of Schooner Creek are undergoing repairs to improve fish passage and habitat for trout and salmon.
On the North Fork of Schooner Creek four concrete walls were constructed and the streambed elevated to provide fish better access to the existing fish ladder that was constructed in 1986. The project will create more than three miles of habitat for cutthroat trout, steelhead and Coho salmon.
This $53,500 project is being funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
U.S. Forest Service and Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife in cooperation
with the Salmon-Drift Creek Watershed Council who will be donating hours
of volunteer time.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife employees and volunteers will replace
38 wooden boards in the South Fork fish ladder with more durable material.
The boards are in place to push water back upstream and help fish move
up the ladder. Water passes each board and dips back upstream in a recirculation
pattern. Improvements will also be made to the trash rack adjacent to
the fish trap at this location. Cutthroat, steelhead, Coho and Chinook
salmon migrate through the South Fork of Schooner Creek. The project at
a cost of more than $15,000 is funded by the U.S. Forest Service.