The downloadable ZIP file contains an Esri shapefile.

The Nez Perce Soil and Water Conservation District (NPSWCD) completed the Lapwai Creek stream habitat inventory and assessment. The data collected provides land managers with a tool to evaluate and prioritze stream improvements in order to develop steelhead habitat restoration projects. 

The study area is within the jurisdictional bourndaries of Nez Perce and Lewis counties, State of Idaho, and the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Encompassing 174,600 acres, the Lapwai Creek watershed is located within the Clearwater River Basin.

During the summers of 2003 through 2007, streams were inventoried. Coordination with over 200 landowners occured prior to field data collection.

All methods were collected according to the Stream Assessment Methodology (Rasmussen, 2006). This protocol was adapted fron the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service Stream Visual Assessment Protocol.

The Stream Visual Assessment Protocol (SVAP) consists of fourteen parameters.  Each criterion is given a numerical rating on a scale of 1 to 10, where the highest number represents the best condition.  An index is created by totaling the values of all criteria evaluated and dividing by the number of criteria evaluated (USDA, 2004).  This index is then divided into a four component ranking system consisting of poor, fair, good, and excellent.

These data were contributed to INSIDE Idaho at the University of Idaho Library in 2015 & 2016.