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| City of Wilsonville receives State Land Board award for creek restoration project | ||
| 04/10/2007 | ||
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For immediate release 07-10 More information: Julie Curtis, State Lands – 503-378-3805, ext. 298 Kerry Rappold, City of Wilsonville – 503-570-1570 Project in Memorial Park praised for community involvement
Salem - The State Land Board today recognized the City of Wilsonville’s Lower Boeckman Creek Fish Passage and Stream Restoration Project in an awards ceremony honoring exemplary wetland and stream projects throughout Oregon. In presenting the 2006 Stream Project Award, Governor Ted Kulongoski, chair of the Land Board, commended the city for reaching out to local students at Wilsonville High School and to the Friends of Trees, a local nonprofit dedicated to planting and caring for trees in urban areas. “This project exemplifies the spirit of cooperation we seek in Land Board awardees, and was truly a community effort,” he said. The restoration involved removing an old metal culvert within the creek, a tributary of the Willamette River, and replacing it with a timber pedestrian bridge that spans the creek. The primary goal was to allow passage for Chinook salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout. A $75,000 grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board supported the project, said Kerry Rappold, the city’s natural resources program manager. The design team included OBEC Consulting Engineers, Pacific Habitat Services, and Habitat Concepts. “This is our first project involving the restoration of fish passage,” said Rappold, “so it’s very exciting for us to receive this award.” He noted the project will not only improve fish passage and native plantings along the creek, but will provide long-term educational opportunities for local students, who will monitor the creek’s restoration on an ongoing basis. The project’s new trail is ADA-accessible, and provides a public overlook. According to Rappold, partnerships with the Student Watershed Research Project and Friends of Trees have been “very important to the success of the project. Local students and citizens have gained awareness and understanding of stream restoration, and will have a vital role to play in the long-term stewardship of the area.” The State Land Board Awards were created in 2003 to promote and recognize responsible, sustainable stewardship of natural resources. To be eligible, stream and wetland projects must have received a removal-fill permit from the Oregon Department of State Lands and must meet or exceed all permit conditions. The State Land Board consists of Governor Theodore Kulongoski, Secretary of State Bill Bradbury and State Treasurer Randall Edwards. The Department of State Lands administers diverse natural and fiscal resources. Many of the resources generate revenue for the Common School Fund, such as state-owned rangelands and timberlands, waterway leases, estates for which no will or heirs exist, and unclaimed property. Twice a year, the agency distributes fund investment earnings to support K-12 public schools. The agency also administers Oregon’s Removal-Fill Law, which requires people removing or filling certain amounts of material in waters of the state to obtain a permit. ####
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