|
Yellowbanks Creek I.
On Saturday March 11, 1995, twenty North Idaho Flycasters removed a fish
passage problem on Yellowbanks Creek by building a dam and installing a
fish ladder. The dam reduced an 18-inch waterfall to a passable height
and the fish ladder eliminated the fast flowing water and thus provided
resting pools in a smooth sided culvert, which runs under the lake road.
These conditions, prior to being corrected impeded cutthroat and rainbow
trout making spawning runs upstream from Hayden Lake in Yellowbanks
Creek. Yellowbanks Creek along with Hayden Creek is one of the primary
spawning creeks that feed Hayden Lake and so, is very important to the
survival of Westslope Cutthroat and Rainbow Trout in the lake. |
 |
 |
|
NIFC members moving some of the large boulders necessary to
build the pond down stream of the culverts. A local contractor
donated the use of his backhoe and his time to move some of the
larger rocks. |
|
 |
 |
|
Installing the fish ladder to hold rocks to create the
resting pools so fish can navigate the culvert.
|
The completed pool raising the level of the water so that
spawning fish can pass through the culvert from Hayden Lake
into Yellow Banks Creek.
|
|
|
Yellowbanks Creek II.
High water floods deposited bed load in the mainstream channel above the
culverts and blocked the non fish ladder culvert with a large boulder.
Restoration work removed the freshly deposited bed load from the main
stream channel, removed the large boulder from the non fish ladder
culvert, built up the existing road where the stream currently exists,
which prevented the stream from reclaiming the road once reconstructed
and increase the efficiency of the culverts. These efforts benefited the
run of cutthroat and rainbow trout that utilize Yellow Banks Creek by
stabilizing the stream channel and decreasing the amount of subsurface
flow that occurs during the spawning run and out migration of fry. Idaho
Department of Lands funded excavator work that removed the excess bed
load from the stream channel and build up of the road surface. This was
accomplished in April 1996. No funds were available to purchase the rock
needed for bank barbs. The purpose of the bank barbs was to prevent the
stream from shifting towards the road again, which could cause erosion
of the road fill. NIFC funded this project by providing 20 yards of
riprap, then provided the work party that re-vegetated the restored
creek channel banks with local vegetation. By this effort the stability
of this section of the creek was improved and the impressive run of
cutthroat and rainbow trout will continue. |
| |
 |
 |
|
Yellow Banks normal course, dry due filling by eroded gravel
from an adjoining road.
|
The water flows again after removal of the intruded gravel
and installation of gravel barbs to stop erosion.
|
 |
 |
|
An spawning Rainbow Trout now able to use Yellowbanks Creek
|
A huge spawner uses the recovered creek bed.
|
|
