We had a good day yesterday at Hidaway which is tucked away in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon. It was sunny and warm, a balmy 35F degrees compared to the sub-freezing single digits we’ve had this week in Pendleton. We drove in from the forest service road before the permit expires on Monday with team member, John. Due to road conditions, we parked and hiked 2.5 miles down to the river, contouring the mountainside, and descending over 600-feet in elevation. All downhill in…and all uphill out!

The $470,000 Hidaway Creek Restoration project (to help the native Steelhead populations recover) is slated to be installed this coming July. The project has been jumpstarted by cutting trees and staging them for the summer install in the creek. This winter portion of the project cost $140,000: $20k to get the feller/buncher, bulldozer and excavator on and off site. After that, $15k a day for equipment and their operators —eight days on site to complete the staging. This work is being done during the winter as the ground is frozen and mostly covered in snow which protects the soil from disturbance and does the least amount of damage.

During the day we spotted two coyotes and three deer along with snow-hare prints and other prints we couldn’t identify. John came across a canine print as big as his fist (he’s a big guy) and suspects it was a wolf. If so, this would be the first wolf on site although some locals swear they’ve seen them nearby. We haven't "caught" a wolf on camera yet, or a beaver. But we’re ever hopeful. Beavers are the keystone indicator species that will indicate the success we’ve been working towards…a healthy river ecosystem.