Aquaculture Grants - This grant program was 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 applied 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 began 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 was to coordinate with other government organizations and private biomass companies to build an infrastructure of information that is available to landowners.
Brownfields Clean-up - Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, Brownfields Clean-up grants identified 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 protected the environment, reduced blight, and took development pressures off green spaces and working lands.
Cascade LIDAR – The Cascade Range LIDAR Acquisition project provided digital elevation models (DEMs) to use as an accurate and precise base for detailed geologic mapping that radically improved our landslide, earthquake, coastal change, and tsunami inundation hazard assessment maps. LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data gave 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 was used to fund the installation of verified retrofit exhaust emission control technologies on heavy-duty diesel engines. Retrofitted fleets included 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 helped 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 provided 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 were to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery through the investment in infrastructure projects that improved water quality and provided long-term economic benefits.
Fish Passage - The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Malheur National Wildlife Refuge contracted 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) partnered 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 increased the health, vigor, productivity, sustainability and prevented, contained and controlled invasive plants on State Forest lands in Oregon. This has been accomplished by pre-commercial thinning and an integrated approach to invasive plant management. Most work was conducted by private contractors. Work took 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 performed pre-commercial thinning, treated invasive plants, as well as surveyed and monitored Swiss Needle Cast on thousands of acres across Oregon. In addition, a couple thousand miles of roads and trails were treated to reduce invasive plant species.
Fuels Mitigation - These projects addressed hazardous fuels mitigation needs on State Forest lands in Douglas, Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, Marion, Linn and Tillamook counties. The lands treated are adjacent to Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) communities. Projects reduced hazardous fuel loading and restored ecosystems back to more natural fire regimes. Treatments improved overall stand health, reduced hazardous fuels, improved ingress and egress road conditions for residents and recreationists as well as provided for improved firefighter timely response and safety.
Hatchery Construction - US Corps of Engineers provided $15,000 to replace the office and visitor center roofs at Bonneville Fish Hatchery. The project involved replacement of 4,900 square feet of flat roof and removal of dry rot.
Hazardous Fuels Reduction - These projects were intended to provide hazardous fuels reduction treatments on thousands of acres in Jackson, Josephine, Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Linn and Lane counties. A portion of this award provided private landowners with financial incentives for reducing hazardous fuels on their properties. Fuels reduction work took place around homes and on wildlands in the wildland-urban interface areas of the counties listed above. Projects reduced hazardous fuel loading and restored ecosystems back to more natural fire regimes. Treatments improved overall forest stand health, reduced hazardous fuels, improved ingress and egress road conditions for residents and recreationists as well as improved firefighters' ability for timely response and safety during emergency situations.
Industrial Weed Abatement - This project reduced, minimized or eliminated the potential for introduction, establishment, spread and impact of invasive species which displace and compete with native species. Work was performed on hundreds of acres of industrial forest lands in Linn and Lane Counties. This award provided temporary funding to replace industrial landowner noxious weed treatment programs that had been eliminated due to the downturn in the timber industry.
Leaking Tanks - This award provided funding for the cleanup of petroleum releases from leaking underground storage tank sites in Oregon. The overall purpose of the award was to invest in environmental protection. Projects were located statewide primarily in rural counties and performed site assessments and/or cleanup activities at 18 leaking underground storage tank sites.
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 partnered to restore marine habitat off the Oregon Coast. This project focused on recovering lost and derelict commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear from state and federal waters. The project accomplished 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 was 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 was qualitative, emphasizing spatially accurate information, transparent and reproducible methodologies, and direct and frequent consultation and collaboration with federal, state, and local stakeholders. Products included 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 reduced, minimized or eliminated the potential for introduction, establishment, spread and impact of invasive species which displace and compete with native species. This project assisted small forestland owners with recognition, identification, and treatment of noxious weeds on their lands. Work was performed on approximately hundreds of acres of non-industrial forestland in Linn and Lane Counties.
Water Quality Planning - This award supported water quality management planning activities authorized under the Clean Water Act. These projects supported water quality and habitat restoration planning statewide and in selected basins. Funded projects included: 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. |