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| Restoring an Umpqua Tributary Helps Fish and the Economy |
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March 18, 2009
News media contacts:
- Lisa Winn, Project Manager, Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers, (541) 673-5756
- Carolyn M. Devine, OWEB Communications Coordinator, (503) 986-0195, carolyn.devine@state.or.us
$156,730 Habitat Restoration Grant will Translate into Green Jobs
Roseburg, OR— The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) has granted the Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers $156,730 to restore Harvey Creek – translating into potential new jobs and economy support for Douglas County.
Harvey Creek is a prime location in need of restoration. Historically, the lower end of this drainage was managed for timber production. All of the large logs that would normally fall and cross the creek have been removed. Without these trees, the habitat for coho, winter steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout is more challenging. The upper reaches of Harvey Creek, managed by the U.S. Forest Service, are very healthy and set the standard of healthy streams. "Harvey Creek is a high use refugia area for fish because it empties into the upper estuary of the mainstem Umpqua River. So for salmon swimming up stream, it is one of the first opportunities to escape extreme flows of the main river and find spawning habitat," said Lisa Winn, Project Manager.
The only way to place large woody debris back in to Harvey Creek is by helicopter. There is no road access. A Chinook helicopter will place 120 logs along two miles. This will employ the pilot as well as the on-the-ground crew. These restoration workers will purchase goods and services from the community while engaged in the work, helping the local economy while working to benefit fish.
This project will take place entirely on privately owned land. The owners are excited about the work. Landowners Darold and Shyrle McCrary said that they became involved “in the improvement of salmon habitat on our Harvey Creek property by getting into CREP [Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program]. We planted approximately 30,000 trees along both sides of the creek. We have also planted willows along the banks to prevent erosion. When we were contacted about further "in stream" fish habitat enhancement projects and large log placements, we were elated. We believe that this would make our desire to improve fish habitat complete. This, in our view, would make Harvey Creek the best fish habitat stream along the Umpqua River.”
This summer, other projects will also happen across the state. At the March 2009 OWEB Board meeting held in Salem, the Board voted to support over 100 projects, an investment of over $10 million. According to the University of Oregon's Ecosystem Workforce Program (EWP), these projects have considerable economic impact and job creation potential in addition to their environmental benefits. Every dollar invested in watershed restoration multiplies through the economy and helps sustain local communities. The EWP analysis concludes that the average impact of each $1 million invested by OWEB results in 15 jobs and an additional $1.86 million in total economic activity that stays in Oregon. Examples of projects in other regions include the following.
Along the coast, the MidCoast Watersheds Council will contract with local workers to restore a tributary of the Alsea River. Local contractors will plant 13,600 trees, install 8,399 feet of fencing to keep livestock out of the creek, place 162 large logs in the creek to simulate log jams, and replace two culverts. Their work will help restore over three miles of a stream improving it for fish habitat.
Not far from Hood River, the Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) will remove a washed-out forest road that runs along Neal Creek for the benefit of fish, downstream landowners, and the economy. "The positive impact of removing the road is huge. We'll be creating better habitat for fish such as winter steelhead, we'll be protecting property and helping people downstream, and we'll be hiring people from the local community to do the work. They live here, they shop here. The money they earn stays in the area," said Anne Saxby, District Manager of the Hood River SWCD.
In the Willamette Valley, The Nature Conservancy will employ local contractors and nurseries to restore some of the rarest ecosystems in Oregon, native prairies. Much of the work is living wage kind of jobs: heavy equipment operators, logging, weed spraying that in turn helps drive demand for the production of durable goods like bobcat tractors and chainsaws. This work also supports rural economies, including the nursery industry that has been especially hit by the drop in home construction.
The Wheeler Soil Water and Conservation District (SWCD) will receive funding for the second phase of the Middle John Day / North Fork restoration project. The majority of OWEB funding will go directly for project management and on-the-job engineers. "All of the contractors that we hired to do this work are from Central Oregon and a lot of the money they earn goes right back in to their communities. In addition, 75% of the materials used for these projects come from Oregon," according to Gabe Williams, Project Manager at the Wheeler SWCD.
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) administers a grant program funded from the Oregon Lottery as a result of a citizen initiative in 1998. These funds will support the capacity of local citizen groups to carry out a variety of restoration projects; promote understanding of watershed needs; provide technical skills to those working to restore our lands, and monitor the effectiveness of these environments. OWEB fosters collaboration and partners with citizens, local governments, state and federal agencies, tribes, and industries. For more information, visit the OWEB Web site at www.oregon.gov/OWEB.
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