222-6019-22248
Project Location
Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District was awarded $123,511 to remove encroaching juniper and thin dense and diseased conifer stands to improve the overall health, function, and wildlife habitat available on hillsides adjacent to Butte Creek.
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) awarded $123,511 to Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District for the Butte Creek Watershed Restoration Project at their October 25-26, 2022 board meeting. The award was one of 80 grants totaling $11,574,321 provided to local organizations statewide to support fish and wildlife habitat and water quality projects.
Project Need
“The proposed restoration project would have a positive impact on water quantity, quality, and provide beneficial habitat for terrestrial wildlife. Thinning the overstock conifers and eliminating the Western Juniper from the landscape will allow for more infiltration of moisture from precipitation into the watershed,” says Brooke Moore, Conservation Technician II
Proposed Project Work
The Butte Creek Watershed Restoration Project will remove encroaching juniper and thin dense and diseased conifer stands to improve the overall health, function, and wildlife habitat available on hillsides adjacent to Butte Creek. It is expected to begin in the winter of 2022-23 and be completed by December 2026.
Funding for these grants, awarded by the OWEB Board, comes from the Oregon Lottery and Federal Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery funds provided by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.
Since 1999, the Oregon Lottery has provided over $500 million to OWEB’s grant program that helps restore, maintain, and enhance Oregon’s watersheds. Combined, the Lottery has earned over $9 billion for watershed enhancements, public education, state parks, and economic development. For more information about the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org.
For additional information about this project contact Wheeler SWCD. For additional information about OWEB and its grant programs, contact Eric Hartstein at eric.hartstein@oweb.oregon.gov. A listing of all awarded grants is available at: https://www.oregon.gov/.../2022-Spring-OS-Board-Awards.pdf
