The changes made Sandy River increasingly inhospitable to fish. As a result, today’s fish population is only 20 percent to 40 percent of its historic number. But recent research suggests that removing natural debris from the rivers is also counterproductive for flood mitigation. "Removing the roughness elements actually increases the velocity of the water," says Mark McCollister, director of Habitat Restoration at The Freshwater Trust, "and that causes greater flood risk downstream."

The Freshwater Trust is a not-for-profit organization that devises and implements plans to restore freshwater ecosystems. The organization is currently working in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to restore the Sandy River basin. To restore the rivers to their original status, the team first determines the waterways’ natural rhythm using LIDAR (laser-based, airborne mapping technology) at critical sites. Then, they coordinate efforts to recreate that rhythm, mostly by carefully downing trees into the water to create spawning pools. Over the last three years, McCollister and the team have been working patiently to map, engineer, and reintroduce natural obstacles back into Still Creek, the latest site targeted for restoration.

Planning for the entire region’s rehabilitation took 10 years — half of that time was spent on the Salmon River alone. Salmon and steelhead are returning to their native habitats, but the team’s efforts to restore the basin are ongoing. "Some people come out and say this is the most beautiful stream they’ve ever seen," says Greg Wanner, a supervisory fish biologist with the USDA Forest Service. "But looking from a fish’s eye, you see a river that needs some love."