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Know before you go: Boaters and floaters should be aware of hidden hazards in the upper Grande Ronde River.
Release Date:
Contact(s): Peter Fargo, 541-523-1231
LA GRANDE, Ore. (May 8, 2020) – The Grande Ronde River is many things to many people. For some, it looks like a big, beautiful water park. When warmer temperatures prevail in the spring and summer, you can see folks floating by on all kinds of watercrafts, from hard kayaks and canoes to inflatable rafts and tubes. While traveling down a wild river always has its inherent risk, conditions in the upper Grande Ronde are now different, and more hazardous, in several locations.
Over the years, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has been working with many partners to restore fish habitat upstream of La Grande and all the way into the headwaters. Highly skilled local contractors have played important roles in these projects, supporting the local economy while improving fish habitat. Their work has reintroduced features that characterize a natural river: large logs and boulders, side channels, deep pools, gravel bars, and a variety of riparian vegetation. Rivers with these conditions can better support fish populations, and they also attract a host of other wildlife to the area.
Unfortunately, the same features that make a river more wild and welcome to fish and wildlife can be more dangerous to boaters and floaters – at least in the near term. While the water may look peaceful and inviting, there are many hazards above and below the surface. Logs placed in and across the channel, and embedded in river banks, have many sharp stubs and branches that could snag a watercraft or clothing and trap a person underwater. River currents are powerful and unpredictable, and they need to be treated with added caution and respect when combined with recent restoration features.
River users should be extremely cautious around recently restored and all sections of the Grande Ronde River. Open this map to see where restoration work has been completed or is ongoing, including near Bird Track Springs and over eight miles of the Middle Upper Grande Ronde adjacent to the 51 Road. Boaters and floaters are advised to avoid these areas to allow the river time to recover and moderate the risk of constructed restoration features. “DANGER” signs have been posted upstream of Bird Track Springs, and additional signs will soon be posted at other sites.
The next major river restoration project in the area will be at Longley Meadows, one mile downstream of the Bird Track Springs project. The Longley Meadows project is scheduled to begin this year with construction activities taking place through 2021. Future updates and closure information will be available on the National Forest website, www.fs.usda.gov/wallowa-whitman.