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Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

Special Investment Partnerships (SIP)
Overview

 
Fish passage barrier in Crooked River near Prineville.

The OWEB Board has targeted long-term, large-scale restoration commitments to address explicit ecological outcomes in specific locations  
 
SIP efforts are limited to areas of the state where the following criteria can be met:
  1. Significant ecological benefits - of regional significance and locally supported - can be reasonably achieved from the investment. 
  2. Funding from OWEB is crucial for the effort to succeed by bringing in other funders and maintaining momentum for implementation.
  3. Strong partnerships are committed to the outcomes and have the relationships necessary to obtain the long-term ecological outcomes.
  4. The effort is embedded in the economy and is part of the local custom and culture.
  5. The outcome is significant enough to capture the imagination and raise awareness outside the local community.
  6. The background work, including planning, partnership building, and funding exploration, has been completed and the partners are capable of raising the level of implementation.

Partnership Process
OWEB does not act on an application for a partnership effort.  A Board Subcommittee first discusses partnership proposals and has staff develop partnerships that can meet the above criteria.  This more collaborative process is important to develop a long term funding relationship with a group of local partners.  The deliberations among the Subcommittee revolve around issues of the strength of partnerships, interest of additional funders, significance of outcomes, strength of support in the local community, and available OWEB funding.
 

2007-2009 SIP
In September 2007, the Board reserved $12 million for SIP for the 2007-2009 biennium. Partnerships were established in the Upper Deschutes and Willamette basins.  Additional SIP were considered in the Rogue basin, the Klamath basin, coastal lands, and for forest/rangeland biomass utilization.
 
OWEB staff presented progress reports to the Board at several quarterly meetings.  The reports provide background material and describe potential projects.


SIP Staff report – September 18-19, 2007
SIP Staff report – January 16-17, 2008 - Attachments
SIP Staff report – March 19-20, 2008
SIP Staff report – May 20-21, 2008
SIP Staff report – September 16-17, 2008
 

Established SIPs
 
Upper Deschutes
 
Willamette Basin

Contact
 
For more information contact Ken Bierly, OWEB (503) 986-0182 or ken.bierly@state.or.us.