CANYON CITY – Grant County officials are protesting the Forest Service’s restoration work on Camp Creek, north of Prairie City, saying the work smacks of a “double standard.”

Forest officials stand by the project, however, saying it will result in improvements to the creek habitat – with ripple effects benefiting other forest uses.

At the Grant County Court meeting on Aug. 17, County Commissioner Boyd Britton and County Judge Mark Webb both objected to what they saw in recent trips to the project site. Also visiting the site last week were several local ranchers and landowners and Curtis Martin, Oregon Cattlemen’s Association president-elect.

Britton said the ongoing work at Camp Creek was leaving behind soil compaction, bank erosion, heavy equipment tracks into the creek, and forest debris and logs in the water. He said it looks far worse than anything he’s seen from a commercial operator on the forest.

“If a logger were to do any of the things they’ve done, they’d be in jail,” Britton said.

He also questioned why the Forest Service seems to get such restoration projects done quickly, while getting a biological opinion for cattle grazing takes “forever.”

Webb said the situation underscores the fallacy of the streambank alteration standard used to show fish are harmed by cattle grazing.

He said he hasn’t seen a single “exceedence” of standards by cattle ranchers that comes near the level of what is being accepted in the Camp Creek project.

Webb said he plans to talk with the governor’s office and other agencies about his concerns and also to determine “what the sign-off is, and what’s acceptable.”

John Gubel, Malheur National Forest Blue Mountain District ranger, said that given the location and extent of the project, the Forest Service anticipated there might be concern as the work got under way. The project spans a large stretch of Camp Creek, and is visible from a relatively high-traffic road at this time of year.

“Right now it’s a construction zone,” he said. “And it looks like a construction zone.”

However, he said the work is “going according to plan.”

That planning dates back to 2007, when the Forest Service drafted a Camp Creek Watershed Action Plan, looking at fish passage, roads, wildlife habitat and other issues. The main efforts this summer are removing old log weirs from the creek and replacing old culverts with fish-friendly versions.

Gubel said the weirs were put in years ago to create pools for fish, but “the science has changed since then.” The weirs had negative impacts, spreading out the streams and increasing water temperature.

In addition to removing weirs, this summer’s work includes replacing five culverts – two on Camp Creek and three on tributaries into the creek. Crews also installed downed trees – taken from the nearby Magone Lake boat ramp project – on banks to provide shading and deter erosion.

All of the in-stream work had to be completed in the regulated season, July 15-Aug. 15. Other work can continue outside that period. Work this fall will focus on revegetation, Gubel said.

The Camp Creek plan was compiled with review and support from about a dozen agencies, including Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Grant Soil and Water Conservation District, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and the Bureau of Reclamation. A biological opinion for aquatic resources governs portions of the work.

Gubel, who met with the project’s critics at the site last week, said he understands the frustration of permittees, who are dealing with stringent standards. However, he said the work on Camp Creek should eventually benefit all the resources. If the Forest Service can show improvements in Camp Creek habitat, that could help sustain – and perhaps even expand – the grazing program in the area, he said.

“We’re looking at a short-term impact to produce long-term results,” he said. “Down the road I think this is going to pay huge dividends.”