The facility includes a fish ladder leading from the base of the dam to a fish collection and sorting area. From there, adult salmon, bull trout and other resident fish are loaded onto trucks and transported to release locations above Cougar Reservoir. The facility’s design incorporates the best features of trapping facilities at other locations, including Bonneville Dam and the Cowlitz River in southern Washington. The Corps operates and maintains the facility according to guidelines developed collaboratively between the Corps, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/CRP/) and other agencies. ODFW determines which fish species, and how many, are moved above the dam for natural spawning. ODFW biologists are on site daily conducting research and monitoring during operational months of May through October, when spring Chinook enter the South Fork McKenzie River.