Quinault Indian Nation continued the Upper Quinault River Restoration Program during the 2024-2025 biennium. The project is the 5th phase of river restoration activities initiated in 2008 to restore natural river and forest processes that create and maintain high-quality salmon habitat in the upper Quinault River. including Phase 5 work, 117 logjams have been constructed since 2008 in the upper Quinault River. The intent of the project is to reduce channel migration rates by replacing functions once provided by enormous old-growth trees that were removed from the river and surrounding floodplain during the near valley-wide logging in the early 1900s. The stable large wood structures help stabilize Quinault blueback (sockeye) spawning areas and provide spawning and rearing habitat for all salmon species – while also reducing risks to infrastructure and public and private property associated with bank erosion, channel migration, and flooding. Reforestation and invasive plant control also continued throughout the upper Quinault floodplain and tributaries in 2024 and 2025, which complements the ELJ effort by protecting and promoting the formation of stable, forested islands and terraces throughout the floodplain. More specifically, the following project elements were completed during the 2024-2025 biennium as part of Phase 5 of the Upper Quinault Restoration Program: * 15-yr Retrospective Geomorphic Assessment of entire project reach using current orthophotographs, lidar data and field data to assess effectiveness of past work, prioritize future work and incorporate lessons learned into this and future design phases. The first draft of this product was completed in 2025 and used during the design of Phase 5. * Permit-ready design plans and applications were completed in the 1st quarter of 2025 and submitted to regulatory agencies for review. The project team worked closely with NOAA, Corps and Services staff to coordinate a complicated permit pathway. These permits were approved by June 2025 and provide coverage for 5-10 years worth of work in the current priority reach, with over 150 logjams approved in this permit package. While this was a much more complicated permitting process than is typical of the UQR project, this will save all funding and regulatory agencies and the project team time and money in the future. * Final design plans and specifications were completed in the 1st quarter of 2025. These bid ready documents from Natural Systems Design were extremely detailed and provided a solid basis for bids. They also made it easy for the contractor to understand what is needed to access the site, divert water, install water diversions and construct Engineered logjams as designed. * Two construction-related advertisements (RFP/ITB) for contracts were developed in the first quarter 2025 and finalized in April: 1. Wood material procurement - RFP for materials in early March with the low bidder selected in April 2. The Construction Invitation to Bid (ITB) package was drafted in March and finalized for advertisement on April 23rd with bids closing on May 21st. The preferred contractor was selected in June and pre-construction planning started that month. * ELJ installation was completed successfully between July 15th and September 15th, 2025 within the permit-approved work window. NSD and QIN staff worked effectively with the Construction Contractor (Rognlins Inc.) and materials contractor (C&C Timber) to construct a total of 14 Engineered logjams (10 RCO funded, 4 NOAA funded) and 1 stabilized natural jam in the lower end of the high priority Gilbertson Julas Reach of the Upper Quinault River. * Invasive plant surveys and treatment were completed during the summer of 2024: - Survey of ~9 miles (~190 acres) of Upper Quinault mainstem and Big Creek floodplain habitat for invasive plant presence and density estimates - Treatment of ~133 acres of Reed Canary Grass infestations in the Upper Quinault mainstem and Big Creek floodplains. * Native vegetation was planted on 24 previously constructed ELJ's (3.5 acres) in spring of 2026 as the final action of the Phase 5 project. Phase 6 work will continue during the summer of 2026 with the installation of about 20 more logjams within the Gilbertson Julas Reach.