| Natural Resources Impacts |
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| Overview |
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Oregon has a tremendous opportunity to enhance our natural environment and create jobs through the federal Recovery Act. The natural resource funding opportunities contained in the Recovery Act will move Oregon forward in conservation and recovery efforts, energy conservation, and job creation and preservation. Some key programs that are being funded in the natural resource area include:
- The U.S. Forest Service will be spending $137 million on projects across Oregon over the next three years.
- $44.7 million will be spent to upgrade sewer and irrigation projects across the state.
- $28.5 million will be used on safe drinking water projects across the state.
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| Projects |
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Aquaculture Grants - This grant program is authorized by Section 102(d) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for distribution to eligible aquaculture producers that suffered financial losses associated with high feed input prices during the 2008 calendar year. Two producers received these funds in Oregon.
Biomass Grant – The Oregon Department of Forestry will apply its forest industry knowledge to bridge a known gap between small woodland owners and biomass processers to foster greater use of biomass material from small woodlands. The Stewardship Foresters will begin by working with area landowner groups to disseminate relevant information to landowners and educate them on the costs and treatment options available. Another major part of this effort will be to coordinate with other government organizations and private biomass companies to build an infrastructure of information that can be made available to landowners.
Brownfields Clean-up - Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, Brownfields Clean-up grants identify property in which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cleaning up and reinvesting in these properties protects the environment, reduces blight, and takes development pressures off green spaces and working lands.
Cascade LIDAR – The Cascade Range LIDAR Acquisition project will provide digital elevation models (DEMs) to use as an accurate and precise base for detailed geologic mapping and to radically improve our landslide, earthquake, coastal change, and tsunami inundation hazard assessment maps. LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data give us much better images of surface geomorphology, allowing identification of features associated with landslides. LIDAR is an inexpensive, fast, and better way to obtain superior details of the true shape of the earth’s surface, as compared with decades-old topographic maps.
Clean Diesel - This award is being used to fund the installation of verified retrofit exhaust emission control technologies on 200-280 heavy-duty diesel engines. Retrofitted fleets will include municipal vehicles from Lane and Washington counties and the cities of Lake Oswego and Milwaukie; Portland-area Trimet transit buses; and publicly owned school buses in the Beaverton and Klamath County school districts. Oregon faces a variety of health and environmental impacts related to exposure to diesel emissions. These projects will help meet Oregon's clean diesel goal and to cost-effectively reduce exposure to diesel emissions in the most populous and toxic laden areas in Oregon.
Clean Water – This award provides funding to the state of Oregon to capitalize its revolving loan fund for the financing for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and associated infrastructure, green infrastructure, nonpoint source projects, estuary projects and program administration. The primary purposes of the award are to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery through the investment in infrastructure projects that will improve water quality and will provide long-term economic benefits.
Fish Passage - The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Malheur National Wildlife Refuge will contract to design and construct fish screen and passage facilities to reconnect 60 miles of native fish (redband trout) habitat. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is partnering with the Refuge by providing design and construction oversight for passage at three dams and screening on five water diversions in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
Forest Health - These projects are intended to increase the health, vigor, productivity, sustainability and prevent, contain and control invasive plants on State Forest lands in Oregon. This will be accomplished by pre-commercial thinning and an integrated approach to invasive plant management. Most work will be conducted by private contractors. Work will take place on state-owned forestlands in Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Coos, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Tillamook and Washington counties. These projects aim to perform pre-commercial thinning on 5420 acres, treat invasive plants on 4890 acres, and survey and monitor Swiss Needle Cast on 6890 acres. In addition, 2220 miles of road and trails will be treated to reduce invasive plant species.
Fuels Mitigation - These projects will address hazardous fuels mitigation needs on 3894 acres of State Forest lands in Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Marion, Linn and Tillamook counties. The lands to be treated are adjacent to Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) communities. Projects will reduce hazardous fuel loading and restore ecosystems back to more natural fire regimes. Treatments will improve overall stand health, reduce hazardous fuels, improve ingress and egress road conditions for residents and recreationists as well as provide for improved firefighter timely response and safety.
Hatchery Construction - US Corps of Engineers provided $70,000 of ARRA funds to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to replace the office and spawning building roofs at Bonneville Fish Hatchery. The project is scheduled to start in June or July of 2010. In addition, ODFW will receive $170,000 from US Corps of Engineers for modifications to Willamette Hatchery ponds and equipment. Funds will be used to purchase a backhoe, flatbed truck with fish transport and liberation tank, and upgrade holding ponds.
Hazardous Fuels Reduction - These projects are intended to provide hazardous fuels reduction treatments on a total of 3093 acres in Jackson, Josephine, Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Linn and Lane counties. A portion of this award will provide private landowners with financial incentives for reducing hazardous fuels on their properties. Fuels reduction work will take place around homes and on wildlands in the wildland-urban interface areas of the counties listed above. Projects will reduce hazardous fuel loading and restore ecosystems back to more natural fire regimes. Treatments will improve overall forest stand health, reduce hazardous fuels, improve ingress and egress road conditions for residents and recreationists as well as improve firefighters' ability for timely response and safety during emergency situations.
Industrial Weed Abatement - This project seeks to reduce, minimize or eliminate the potential for introduction, establishment, spread and impact of invasive species which displace and compete with native species. Work will be performed on approximately 580 acres of industrial forest lands in Linn and Lane Counties. This award provides temporary funding to replace industrial landowner noxious weed treatment programs that have been eliminated due to the downturn in the timber industry.
Leaking Tanks - This award provides funding for the cleanup of petroleum releases from leaking underground storage tank sites in Oregon. The overall purpose of the award is to invest in environmental protection. Individual projects are located statewide primarily in rural counties. The project is needed to perform site assessments and/or cleanup activities at thirteen leaking underground storage tank sites. Eight sites will potentially be cleaned up retaining or creating approximately 26 jobs.
Marine Restoration - The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission (ODCC), Oregon State Police (OPS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the commercial fishing industry are partnering to restore marine habitat off the Oregon Coast. This project will focus on recovering lost and derelict commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear from state and federal waters. The project accomplishes four main objectives: 1) substantially reduce the ecological and other impacts of derelict crab gear; 2) provide a model for an on-going, industry-driven program for crab gear removal; 3) provide additional income to coastal communities via grant-related activities; and 4) promote public support and stewardship through awareness of the project’s partnerships, activities, and benefits to society. As a natural consequence of fishing in the challenging conditions off the Oregon coast, about 10,000 -15,000 commercial crab pots are estimated to become lost or derelict each year.
Mt. Hood Assessment - The goal of the Mt. Hood Multi-Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Study is to deliver effective risk communication to improve public awareness and understanding of risk management and mitigation concepts associated with volcano and related hazards from Mt. Hood. The approach is qualitative, emphasizing spatially accurate information, transparent and reproducible methodologies, and direct and frequent consultation and collaboration with federal, state, and local stakeholders. Products include high-quality GIS-based hazard and vulnerability assessments, computer-based research and development in the fields of data visualization and analysis, and digital hazard layer integration and display for use by all stakeholders and the public.
Non-Industrial Weed Abatement - This project seeks to reduce, minimize or eliminate the potential for introduction, establishment, spread and impact of invasive species which displace and compete with native species. This project will assist small forestland owners with recognition, identification, and treatment of noxious weeds on their lands. Work will be performed on approximately 320 acres of non-industrial forestland in Linn and Lane Counties.
Water Quality Planning - This award supports water quality management planning activities that are authorized under the Clean Water Act. These projects support water quality and habitat restoration planning statewide and in selected basins. Funded projects include: 1) planning the transition to a watershed approach for addressing water quality issues in Oregon; 2) a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) assessment for mercury in the Willamette and Umpqua Basins; 3) evaluating and developing a regulatory approach for stormwater discharges to waterbodies with approved TMDLs; 4) assisting/mentoring watershed councils in the Lower Columbia River Estuary developing habitat restoration projects; and 5) water quality planning work to support implementation of the Bear Creek TMDL in the Rogue River Basin.
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| Project Categories |
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To learn more about projects near you, take a look at our Tracking the Dollars map to select specific projects or select one of the categories below to learn more about the types of projects funded. Projects can be divided specifically by the following categories:
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