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	Habitat Action Plans We Can All Be Part of the Solution The Tillamook Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) describes 30 habitat actions led by a wide variety of federal, state, county, and municipal organizations. Habitat actions focus on assessing and mapping key habitat types, prioritizing sites for protection and enhancement, and restoring and enhancing those sites determined to be high priority. Several actions also encourage protection and enhancement of key habitat through education, incentive programs, and revisions to local ordinances. Over the next ten years, these 30 focused actions will work to enhance and restore to healthy condition 200 miles of forested riparian habitat, 500 miles of lowland riparian habitat (0 – 500 feet in elevation), and 100 miles of upland instream habitat. They will enhance 100 acres of freshwater wetland, upgrade 50 percent of all tide gates, enhance 750 acres of tidal wetland, and ensure that there is no net decline in eelgrass beds in the bay. Over the same period these actions will seek to achieve Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's (ODFW) wild fish production and escapement goals. There is much to be done, but work is well underway. View the full CCMP for the details of each action plan, and see the Performance Partnership's project tracking to learn what has been done so far. Pivot will measure the success of these efforts over the life of the projects through habitat assessments, inventories, and surveys already established by the responsible agencies. Pivot will also examine water quality monitoring data over time for evidence of decreasing trends in instream temperature and suspended sediments. Citizen monitoring for fish presence and dissolved oxygen also will indicate whether these efforts are working. Just one of the habitat actions will be explored in detail here, but more can be learned about all of the CCMP actions from the Tillamook County Performance Partnership. Habitat Action 09 in Focus Controlling Livestock Access to Streams Habitat Action 09 (HAB-09) is a priority activity for which work is well underway. Controlling livestock access to streams helps prevent livestock impacts such as fecal contamination of the water, erosion of the stream bank, and loss of riparian vegetation. Cattle increase erosion of stream banks by breaking up the soil matrix with their hooves and removing vegetation (USDA 1978). The removal of riparian vegetation degrades instream and stream bank habitat by increasing stream temperatures, reducing refuge, and depleting detrital food sources for aquatic animals. Fencing that excludes livestock from riparian areas helps to restore riparian vegetation and minimize negative livestock impacts.   Click on the map to view a larger extent. Warning-Image Size: 40 kilobytes   HAB-09 seeks to strengthen the current riparian fencing and planting programs led by the Tillamook Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Tillamook County Creamery Association. It will also support continued public education on water quality. From 1995 to 2000, some 60 miles of stream-side fencing were installed by SWCD crews in voluntary cooperation with landowners. Through this action, SWCD and the Tillamook County Performance Partnership are working to identify and prioritize new sites for fencing and planting. Cattle watering locations away from stream banks also are being installed to ensure that livestock excluded from streams have plenty of water to drink. To strengthen these efforts, Tillamook County is considering amendments to its ordinance for protecting riparian resources. A background report on Tillamook County's process for protecting riparian resources is located on the Tillamook County Community Development's Planning Section Web site. What Benefits Will Habitat Action 09 Provide? Healthy riparian vegetation benefits fish and human habitats in many ways. Stream banks are stabilized by tree and shrub roots, reducing erosion. Abundant vegetation filters out sediment and pollutants, improving stream water quality. Riparian vegetation also shades streams and can help keep streams at the cooler temperatures needed by salmon species. The agencies leading this effort are documenting the success of the riparian fences using photos at specified monitoring stations to show the changes in riparian conditions. Image and Data Credits What's Next? See how we're mapping this action.