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| High Priority Strategic Actions--Restore |
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Governor Kulongoski with kids beside the Willamette
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Below are high priority actions that will restore important watershed habitats needed to support viable fish and wildlife populations.
Action: Prioritize watershed restoration actions in the Willamette River Basin
Benefit: Shift from competitively selected investments to strategic investments to target restoration strategies with a high likelihood of success in areas where they will provide the biggest benefit.
Funding: $100,000, contract awarded
Key Partners: OWEB, watershed councils
Timeline: Completed December 2005
Target: OWEB uses prioritization in grant decision making beginning in 2006
Action: Protect existing healthy riparian vegetation and reestablish riparian vegetation, with focus on Willamette floodplain and major tributaries
Benefit: Shading to reduce temperature, filter runoff to improve water quality, reduce bank erosion to minimize private property loss and improve water quality, increase large wood instream to provide rearing habitat for salmonids, provide increased wildlife habitat
Funding: OWEB grants, CREP enrollments, 319 grants, R&E grants, TNC utility customer salmon habitat grants, seek enhancements to the CREP program for the entire Willamette as was done in the Tualatin, BPA habitat mitigation funds
Key Partners: OPRD, DSL, DOGAMI, ODF, ODA, local governments, willing landowners with support from soil and water conservation districts, local watershed councils, NGOs
Timeline: Restore 150 miles of riparian vegetation per year
Target: 750 miles of riparian vegetation restored by 2010
Action: Protect existing functioning floodplains and reconnect historic floodplains, with a focus on tributary confluence areas between Eugene and Salem
Benefit: Reduced stream temperature, less severe flooding downstream, improved water quality, improved habitat, increased natural storage of water
Funding: OWEB grants, CREP enrollments, 319 grants, R&E grants, WRP and WREP, TNC utility customer salmon habitat grants, BPA habitat compensation funds
Key Partners: OPRD, DSL, DOGAMI, willing landowners with support from soil and water conservation districts, local watershed councils, Willamette Partnership, land trusts and other NGOs
Timeline: Reconnect 200 acres per year
Target: 1000 acres reconnected by 2010
Action: Protect existing wetlands and restore historic wetlands with focus on the area between Eugene and Corvallis, and the area of Mission Bottoms
Benefit: Reduced stream temperature, improved habitat, increased natural storage
Funding: OWEB to negotiate a Wetland Reserve Enhancement Program agreement with NRCS for $4 million (NRCS- $3 million, OWEB- $1 million match) to restore up to 2000 acres, TNC utility customer salmon habitat grants
Key Partners: NRCS, OWEB, OPRD, The Wetlands Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, willing landowners, Willamette Partnership, soil and water conservation districts, watershed councils
Timeline: Enroll/restore 400 acres per year
Target: 2000 acres restored by 2010
Action: Protect existing and restore additional prairie, oak savanna and oak woodlands
Benefit: Improved wildlife habitat for at-risk species, prevent listings under the Endangered Species Act
Funding: Farm and Rangeland Protection Program, Grassland Reserve Program, Forest Legacy Program
Key Partners: NRCS, Defenders of Wildlife, Willamette Partnership, soil and water conservation districts, watershed councils, willing landowners
Timeline: Enroll/restore 300 acres per year
Target: 1500 acres enrolled by 2010
Action: Restore streamflows in high priority water availability basins (wabs) for instream uses, with emphasis on water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, recreational uses
Benefit: Improved water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, recreational uses
Funding: BPA mitigation funds, OWEB grants
Key Partners: Water Resources Department, willing water right holders, Oregon Water Trust
Timeline: Ongoing
Target: Transactions in 16% of high priority wabs by 2006.
Action: Increase measurement of water diversions over 5 cubic feet per second or greater than 10% of stream flow
Benefit: Better management of water resources in the WRB
Funding: Capitalize the Water Measurement Cost Share Revolving Fund
Key Partners: WRD, OWEB, large water right holders
Timeline: Secure initial funding in 2005 for Fund
Target: Add measurement devices to 8 diversions per year for 5 years
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