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Get Lost! Lost Lake Trail Race 2018

Runners gathered at Lost Lake in the Okanogan Highlands on Sunday, July 15, 2018, to participate in the first annual Get Lost! Trail Race event. The event was a fundraiser for OHA, and offered half-marathon and 7-mile distances, in addition to a free 1k kid’s race. Twenty-six runners participated in the adult distances, which included varied terrain and ascended Strawberry Mountain for a panoramic view of the highlands.

The women’s 7-mile winner, Stella Crutcher of Tonasket, stated, “This was my first trail race, and the course was mentally and physically challenging to say the least. Whether it be the course’s 850-foot climb within the first 1.5 miles, or the mental challenge of completing the race.” The morning mountain run treated runners to cooler temperatures and wildflowers provided a serene backdrop to the challenging course. “The landscape was very beautiful and it encouraged me to keep on running.” Crutcher explained. The men’s half-marathon winner, Jason Llewellyn of Chesaw, spoke highly of the race, stating, “Running the 1st annual Get Lost trail race was an awesome experience,” later adding, “The volunteers from OHA did an amazing job putting this all together. What an awesome organization to be a part of!”

Permit Needs Enforcement

Water quality at the Buckhorn Mine is regulated by the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, under the Clean Water Act. The continuous water quality permit violations at the Buckhorn Mine started shortly after mining operations began and have increased to the present day. The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) has the responsibility to uphold and enforce the discharge permit. Over the past decade, OHA has regularly suggested corrective actions that would increase understanding of the contaminant flows at the mine site and lead to long-term solutions to the water quality problems.

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Birds

Raising the water level to the historic floodplain facilitates wildlife access to the creek!

Deer

Many White-tailed Deer and an occasional Mule Deer have been seen around the project site.

 

Before & After

Our most recently installed planting plot in May 2019 was a joint effort from multiple partners!

Planting plots and stream, before and after construction
This terrace, or inset floodplain, will be planted with native riparian plants. 

Planting Plots

Ten planting plots on the upper floodplain (shown below in white and yellow) are being intensively managed for weed control and planted with native species appropriate for the drier soil hydrology. In addition, terraces, or inset floodplains within the incised channel (shown in green below) are being planted with native riparian species suited for the wetter soil conditions.

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This riparian planting plot includes plants that tolerate a variety of hydrologic conditions, and the reed canarygrass and thistle are smothered with cardboard and bark.

These planting plots may someday provide willow and red osier dogwood for beaver, and spruce that can fall into the stream to improve structure and habitat in the channel.

BDAs at High Water

Beaver Dam Analogue (BDA) #8 was installed up against the incised banks of Myers Creek. During high water of spring 2017, the stream pushed its force around the BDA and into the bank, widening and lengthening the channel as needed. This sediment was then carried downstream, where it was captured by other BDAs and settled on the streambed. As a result, the streambed is now closer to its floodplain!

The ultimate goal of this project is to reconnect the stream with its floodplain, and foster the ecological benefits associated with that connection. The following video is taken at the upstream end of the structures that our team installed in the summer of 2016.

Below you can see that large wood is changing the movement of the stream, causing it to spill out over its banks and inundate the floodplain in a broad area on both sides of the creek. This is the least incised portion of the project area, and thus the first to reconnect. It is very exciting to see this degree of success during the first high flows after in-stream construction.