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| State Land Board gives 2005 Stream Award for Wallowa River restoration project in Lostine, Oregon |
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| 04/11/2006 |
More information: Julie Curtis – 503-378-3805, ext. 298 06-09
Jeff Oveson - 541-663-0570
Doug McDaniel - 541-569-2394
The State Land Board today recognized a multi-agency, public-private project to restore fish habitat along a stretch of the Wallowa River. The 2005 Stream Award honors the Wallowa River/McDaniel Habitat Restoration Project.
According to Governor Ted Kulongoski, chair of the Land Board, "This project represents the very best of partnership development for which Oregon is known. It’s an exemplary effort to restore the Wallowa River along private land."
Property owners Doug McDaniel and Gail Hammack worked with a variety of public agencies and organizations to undertake the project in 1998 to restore a half-mile, channelized reach of the Wallowa River, and reestablish native vegetation in the area. The project was completed in August 2005.
The primary purpose of the project was to improve instream habitat diversity and water quality for adult and juvenile summer steelhead and spring Chinook salmon. Project components included reconstructing the original channel; reestablishing native plant material on the streambank and in adjacent wetlands (nearly 31 acres total); fence construction and conservation easement; and planning for weed monitoring and maintenance.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists recently observed steelhead spawning in the newly restored channel, which will result in several thousand juvenile steelhead, according to project proponent Jeff Oveson of the Grande Ronde Model Watershed. “Although it’s great to see positive results so quickly, we anticipate that the long term benefits will be enormous to a number of species,” said Oveson. “A project of this magnitude simply cannot be undertaken without professionals like Vance McGowan of ODFW and Allen Childs of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla.” McGowan and Childs have implemented numerous successful rechannel projects and are planning several more with a variety of different landowner and funding partners.
Project partners included the landowners, Wallowa Resources (project sponsors), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (lead technical agency), USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Grande Ronde Model Watershed Program. Funding for the project was provided by the Bonneville Power Administration and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board.
In addition, students from Whitman College gained field experience when they assisted with replanting native vegetation. "It was not only a plus for the project to have their in-kind donation of labor, but it provided the students with a real-life restoration experience which is invaluable to their education," said Oveson.
"This project was an unbelievably positive experience for everyone involved," said landowner Doug McDaniel. "Not only has it achieved our vision of restoring this stretch of the Wallowa for fish habitat, it absolutely adds to the value of our property. It returns the natural value of the land that was lost when the channel was relocated many years ago," he said.
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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