Salmon License Plate Funds Open 16 Miles of Streams to Fish

(SALEM, Ore.) - Fish will return to 16 miles of streams and erosion will be reduced on 7.5 miles of road as a result of three projects restoring fish habitat and improving water quality with grant funding from more than $219,000 in salmon license plate revenues.

The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board approved the three grant applications at a meeting Wednesday in Eugene. "The salmon license plate gives Oregon vehicle owners an opportunity to help fund projects that will significantly help increase fish populations," said Tom Byler, OWEB executive director.

Salmon plate purchasers pay an extra $30 every two years above regular passenger vehicle registration fees. Half the fee goes directly to fix road-related impacts to salmon and trout streams by improving water quality, fish habitat and fish passage through OWEB grants. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department invests the other half in salmon habitat and related projects in state parks. Since the beginning of the salmon license plate program in 1997, OWEB and OPRD have each received more than $2.5 million. For more information about salmon plates and instructions for purchasing, call OWEB at 503-986-0178 or visit www.salmonplate.org.

The projects, arranged by geographic regions, include: (Note to Editors/Reporters: Dollar amounts are rounded to nearest hundreds and subject to final staff review.)

Southwest Oregon—Coos County: Dellwood Mainline Road Sediment Reduction Salmon plate funds allocated by OWEB: $50,200 Total cost: $107,300 For more information: Mark Grenbemer, OWEB–541-776-6010 ext. 231

The project continues efforts to reduce sediment runoff from industrial timber roads in the South Coos watershed with a focus on the Dellwood Mainline road, which runs along the South Fork Coos and Williams rivers. The project will add 43 culverts along a 7.5-mile section of road. The culverts will be spaced at regular intervals to carry water from roadside ditches under the road surface to drain on the downhill slope. Sediment adversely affects water quality in the South Fork Coos River watershed.

Sediment from high-use forest roads, particularly those adjacent to streams, is a major contributor. The South Fork Coos River provides key anchor habitat for coastal Chinook and coho salmon. This project is one of many in the watershed involving Weyerhaeuser, the Coos Basin's largest landowner. Weyerhaeuser is in the process of making large-scale improvements to reduce road-related impacts to watershed health. The other partner in this project is the Coos Watershed Association, wh ich is the applicant.

Willamette River Basin—Benton County: Powell Creek Fish Passage Restoration Salmon plate funds allocated by OWEB: $101,500 Total cost: $136,700 For more information: Wendy Hudson, OWEB–503-986-0061

This project will replace two culverts on Beaver Creek that block access for juvenile and adult cutthroat trout to high quality spawning and rearing habitat.

The new culverts will open 11 miles of stream to fish. Partners include the Marys River Watershed Council (the grant applicant), the Benton Soil and Water Conservation District, Benton County Public Works, and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Eastern Oregon—Grant County: Butte Creek Culvert Replacement Salmon plate funds allocated by OWEB: $67,700 Total cost: $112,300 For more information: Karen Leiendecker, OWEB—541-426-0342

This project will replace a culvert on Butte Creek, a tributary to the Middle Fork John Day. The streambed has eroded at the downstream end of the culvert, creating a one-foot drop, which blocks travel by juvenile salmon during low-waterflow periods. Butte Creek contains steelhead and bull trout. Replacing the culvert will open five miles of stream to fish. The existing culvert will be replaced with a 14-foot-wide, bottomless arched culvert. Partners include the North Fork John Day Watershed Council (the grant applicant), the U.S. Malheur National Forest and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.

The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board is a state agency led by a policy oversight board. The agency provides grants and services to citizen groups, organizations and agencies working to restore healthy watersheds in Oregon. OWEB actions support the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds, created in 1997.

Funding comes from the Oregon Lottery as a result of a citizens' initiative in 1998, sales of salmon license plates since 1997, federal salmon funds and other sources. For more information, visit www.oregon.gov/OWEB or call OWEB in Salem at 503-986-0178.