Core Performance Indicators

Core Performance Indicators (CPIs) serve as the watershed’s vital signs—fundamental measures that assess overall basin health and track progress toward restoration objectives and basin-wide goals within the different biophysical tiers. The CPI categories directly align with all IFRMP restoration goals except Tier 2 Fisheries Actions, which fall outside the IFRMP’s scope. Given the Klamath Basin’s large size and nested sub-basins, the CPIs are applied across multiple spatial scales, from individual sites and reaches to tributaries, sub-basins, and the entire basin. 

Five CPI Categories

Tier 1 Fish Population Indicators

  • Focal fish species presence/absence and distribution
    • Focal Fish Species include:
      • Salmon: Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
      • Trout: Redband Trout, Bull Trout
      • Suckers: Shortnose sucker, Lost River sucker
      • Other Native Species: Pacific Lamprey, Eulachon, Green Sturgeon
  • Percentage of historical habitat occupies
  • Spawning and rearing presence
  • Population abundance and productivity
  • Life history and genetic diversity
  • Age structure/demographics

Chart of focal species for the CPI  fish population indicators

Tier 2 Biological Interaction Indicators

  • Prevalence of disease pathogens and mortality 
  • Presence of invasive aquatic species

Tier 4 Geomorphic Process Indicators

  • Sediment transport and storage
  • Channel complexity and stability
  • Floodplain connectivity
  • Riparian vegetation condition

Tier 3 Habitat Quality Indicators

  • Stream temperature regimes
  • Water quality parameters
  • Habitat connectivity measures
  • Cold-water refugia availability

Tier 5 Watershed Input Indicators

  • Flow regimes and water quantity
  • Water quality parameters
  • Nutrient and pollutant loading
  • Sediment delivery rates

Hierarchical framework illustrating how CPI categories align with IFRMP watershed restoration goals and objectives.