Fish Passage

Fish Passage Barriers

While the Tryon Creek watershed has high habitat quality, there are several physical barriers to fish passage throughout the watershed that prevent native fish from thriving. Tryon Creek Watershed Council advocates for removal of these fish passage barriers. Many culverts within the watershed are difficult or impossible for fish to pass through. In 2014, Tryon Creek Watershed Council led a project to remove the Stone Bridge culvert, a fish passage barrier located within the Tryon Creek State Natural Area and replaced it with the Nettle Creek Bridge. Many culverts remain throughout the watershed. Three strategic barriers to a thriving native fish population are the Boones Ferry Road culvert, 4th Avenue culvert, and Highway 43 culvert.

Nettle Creek Bridge

Before and After!

Boones Ferry Culvert

The small, aging culvert is an obstacle to water flow and fish and wildlife passage. This exciting project was achieved during 2020 and early 2021 after many years of planning and advocacy. Learn more at the BES project page, or watch a video below that talks about the impetus for the project and expected results.

TCWC was lucky to be in the loop as this project moved forward, and have been eager to support the establishment of native plants on-site. We were able to go on a project walk-through during construction (here) in November 2021, held a community planting with Friends of Tryon Creek and OPRD (here) upon project completion in May 2022, and 1 year post-project were able to tour the project with BES and provide additional restoration through Cascade Education Corps (here) – photos from all of these are in the slideshow below!

  • November 2020: Multi-partner tour during construction. The view facing South along Boones Ferry Rd
  • The main stem of Tryon Creek runs under the Boones Ferry bridge just past the confluence with Arnold Creek
  • The main stem of Tryon Creek runs under the Boones Ferry bridge just past the confluence with Arnold Creek
  • TCWC Coordinator Alexis
  • Arnold Creek (L) and main stem Tryon Creek (R) meet to flow under the Boones Ferry bridge
  • Along the main stem of Tryon Creek, weirs have been installed. The banks have coir matting which will be interplanted with native plants to stabilize soils and revegetate the creek corridor.
  • TCWC & FOTC colleagues waving hi
  • Five stakeholders in Boones Ferry project stand along Tryon Creek in front of the recently constructed bridge: Jennifer Devlin, Christa von Behren, and Colleen Mitchell from the Bureau of Environmental Services, Alexis Barton from Tryon Creek Watershed Council, Amy Stout from Friends of Tryon Creek, and Nicole Geeting from Oregon Parks & Recreation District
    Group photo, from L to R: Jennifer Devlin (BES), Christa von Behren (BES), Nicole Geeting (OPRD), Alexis Barton (TCWC), Colleen Mitchell (BES), Amy Stout (FOTC)
  • Along the main stem of Tryon Creek, weirs have been installed. The banks have coir matting which will be interplanted with native plants to stabilize soils and revegetate the creek corridor.
  • Main stem of Tryon Creek
  • Along the main stem of Tryon Creek, weirs have been installed. The banks have coir matting which will be interplanted with native plants to stabilize soils and revegetate the creek corridor.
  • The main stem of Tryon Creek runs under the Boones Ferry bridge just past the confluence with Arnold Creek
  • Along the main stem of Tryon Creek, weirs have been installed. The banks have coir matting which will be interplanted with native plants to stabilize soils and revegetate the creek corridor.
  • Arnold Creek (L) and main stem Tryon Creek (R) meet to flow under the Boones Ferry bridge
  • May 2021: Project completion! Planting at Boones Ferry Culvert Project with TCWC & FOTC. The view from the pathway near our project area, showing the confluence of Tryon and Arnold Creeks
  • Rocky soil made for hard work – thank you, volunteers!!
  • Believe it or not, the railing was lined with plants *twice*!
  • View from the bridge of the work area (SW Arnold Rd is up to the left, & Arnold Ck to the right)
  • Willow stakes leafing out and ducks joined us for a while too
  • Hardy natives like fringecup & geum were installed from 4″ pots
  • Some sword ferns were also installed
  • Note the biodegradable erosion control matting that is interplanted with native plants.
  • May 2022: 1 year post-project completion! BES staff provided a tour for TCWC & Cascade Education Corps, who replanted the slope above the wetland.
  • Amin Wahab from BES provided the tour
  • Fish art under the bridge
  • Amin Wahab from BES provided the tour
  • Cascade Education Corps students planting the slope above the wetland & project area, after the tour
  • Looking downstream from the bridge
  • Confluence of Arnold & Tryon Creeks on-site
  • Confluence of Arnold & Tryon Creeks on-site
The problem & the solution! Photos compiled from the Bureau of Environmental Services video linked above.

4th Avenue/East Fork Culvert

Tryon Creek Watershed Council is working towards the removal of this barrier at the edge of the Tryon Creek State Natural Area.

Highway 43 Culvert

The Highway 43 culvert blocks fish passage about a quarter mile upstream from Tryon Creek’s confluence with the Willamette River. Efforts have been underway for over two decades to replace this culvert, a complicated and expensive project. Despite this culvert restricting fish access to the watershed, the Tryon Creek watershed supports a healthy coastal cutthroat trout population, and the lower portion of the creek below the Hwy 43 culvert is a cool water refuge for native fish off the Willamette River, including Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and Steelhead trout.

Tryon Creek Watershed Culvert Assessment Project poster

By PCC GIS student Andrew Sheehan. Click to view larger.

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