Priest Lake Ranger District reopens Hughes Meadow area

NORDMAN — The Priest Lake Ranger District reopened Forest Service Road 662 into the Hughes Meadow area after closing it for construction work for the Hughes Meadow Aquatic Restoration Project.

By partnering with the Kalispel Tribe, Priest Community Forest Connections, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the construction phase was completed ahead of schedule, US. Forest Service officials said in a press release.. A channel was completed to reestablish the historic channel that will improve habitat for native plants, fish, and wildlife.

The Hughes Meadow Restoration Project is a restoration effort to improve the meadow ecology by rerouting Hughes Fork back into its original meandering channel through the meadow and allow for a more natural hydrological regime. During World War II, the stream was diverted into a human-made ditch to accommodate an airstrip in Hughes Meadow. However, the ditch lacks the habitat structure and diversity necessary to support the spawning and rearing requirements of bull trout. Additionally, water temperatures in the meadow exceed the thermal tolerance of bull trout during warm and dry summer months creating a thermal barrier to bull trout migration.

The collaborative effort to restore the Hughes Fork will improve the habitat structure and diversity necessary to support the spawning and rearing requirements of bull trout

For information on the Hughes Meadow Restoration Project, contact the Priest Lake Ranger District at 208-443-2512