Governor Kulongoski Awards More Than $280,000 in Environmental Grants
Governor announces third round of Governor's Fund for the Environment awards
(Portland) – Governor Ted Kulongoski today awarded seven Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment grants during a ceremony in Portland . These grants will aid farmers, vintners, students, local governments, and landowners in being stewards of our natural resources.
Established in April 2005 with a court-ordered settlement in a criminal pollution case, the Governor’s Fund for the Environment is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Governor Kulongoski and U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut created the Fund with the goal of establishing a sustainable revenue source that is dedicated to local environmental clean up and restoration efforts focused on preserving and protecting Oregon’s rivers, watersheds and fish and wildlife. The grant amounts vary each year based on the interest earned on the principal and new funds deposited through criminal fines and additional private and public donations.
“This fund continues to provide important resources for projects that restore habitats, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife and watershed functions,” said Governor Kulongoski. “With continued investment in the Willamette Basin, we can build on past restoration work towards our goal of a clean and healthy basin that will benefit all Oregonians.”
"We continue to be committed to making polluters pay for the harm that they cause," stated U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut. "Through our partnership with the Governor's Fund, polluters who are convicted of criminal activity will pay to protect Oregon's rivers, streams and habitat."
“These grants will restore streambeds throughout the Willamette Basin, improve water quality for people and wildlife, and provide a better home for several threatened and endangered species of fish, plants and wildlife,” said Foundation Executive Director Jeff Trandahl. “By gaining landowner cooperation in improving fish and wildlife habitat, we’re creating win-win solutions that will have lasting benefits for people and the natural resources we cherish.”
”Natural resources in the Willamette Valley will benefit greatly from the wisdom shared by Governor Kulongoski and U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut,” said Ren Lohoefener, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region. “The selection of this year’s grants truly reflects the partnership aspect of the Fund. It is only through working together that we will improve the health of aquatic and wildlife habitats and the species that live in them.”
Governor Kulongoski and Ms. Immergut created the Governor's Fund for the Environment in 2005. Since then, polluters have been ordered to pay more than $4.2 million to the Fund as part of community service sought by the U.S. Attorney in criminal cases. Earlier today, the U.S. Attorney announced the most recent payment, stemming from the largest vessel pollution case in Pacific Northwest history.
This year’s seven successful grant recipients, chosen from among 31 applicants, proposed projects that will identify and reduce pollution as well as restore and conserve fish, wildlife and plant resources and help enhance the quality of Oregon streams and habitats in the Willamette Basin. The grants range from $26,500 to $50,000, and total $283,548, with an additional $503,700 from matching funds and in-kind contributions.
The 2008 recipients of the Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environments grants are:
Lane Council of Governments: Grant $49,979; Match $35,510
Project: Linn Benton Farm Chemical Collection & Disposal
The Lane Council of Governments will protect ground and surface water by safely disposing of old agricultural chemicals located in Linn and Benton Counties. The project will create a collaboration of existing partnerships that will work with growers on collection and disposal of illegal and undesirable chemicals that, if released by flood or accidental release, would be hazardous to ground, surface, and drinking water in the Willamette River Basin. Studies by Oregon State University (OSU) have indicated that thousands of gallons of obsolete chemicals still exist on farms, and many growers either do not know how to properly dispose of them or are unable to pay the costs associated with disposal. The Lane Council of Governments will work with these growers to dispose of harmful chemicals and eliminate associated risks to ground and surface water and residents of the Willamette Valley. Project partners include OSU Extension, Allied Waste, Coffin Butte, various Soil and Water Conservation Districts and Watershed Councils, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
Salmon-Safe Inc.: Grant $26,500; Match $43,050
Project: Salmon-Safe Willamette 2008
Salmon-Safe will expand its pioneering partnership with the wine industry to further engage 150 Willamette Valley vineyards in protecting water quality and biodiversity while building markets for ecologically sustainable Oregon wine. The Willamette Valley is the heart of Oregon’s wine industry, home to more than half of the state’s 400 vineyards. Located on steep hillsides above the Yamhill River and other tributaries, the valley’s wine grape industry presents a major opportunity to reduce run-off impacting imperiled salmon throughout the Willamette Basin, where six runs of native salmon are threatened or endangered. This project seeks to extend Salmon-Safe certification to an additional 35 vineyards, working with vineyard managers to reduce run-off, protect existing non-farmed wildlife habitat, and cultivate ecological compensation areas to enhance native biodiversity, protect sensitive native oak woodlands, and reduce or eliminate pesticide use. Project partners include Oregon State University, Washington State University, University of Washington, NOAA Fisheries, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
City of Tangent, Oregon: Grant $50,000; Match $12,500
Project: Tangent Stormwater Master Drainage Plan
The City of Tangent, Oregon will perform hydrological engineering and biological assessment and planning that will preserve, restore, and protect natural waterways, riparian areas, and habitat within Tangent City Limits and downstream. A significant portion of the Lower Calapooia drainage flows through the City of Tangent into the Lake Creek tributary, a home to ESA listed spring Chinook and winter steelhead species. To provide these fish with a hospitable environment in the lower watershed, Tangent must protect the water it receives from the middle and upper Calapooia watershed and properly manage discharges into Lake Creek, Oak Creek, and the Calapooia. With this funding, the City of Tangent will be able to update and augment its Drainage and Stormwater Management Plan to address environmental and conservation issues, as well as define ecologically significant lands, former and existing wetlands, and other areas in need of protection and restoration. Project partners include Tangent City Council, Linn County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Calapooia Watershed Council.
McKenzie Watershed Council: Grant $40,370; Match $261,710
Project: Camp Creek Basin Study
The McKenzie Watershed Council will implement a watershed monitoring and restoration program using high school students to examine water quality and riparian conditions and develop restoration projects based upon monitoring data. Current and historical human activities have altered aquatic and riparian habitat in the Camp Creek basin. Timber harvest activities, road building, rural growth, agricultural development, and other human settlement related uses have all affected water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in the basin. The objective of the Camp Creek basin study is to implement a long-term monitoring program involving high school students who will examine the relationship between regional land use patterns and water quality. The study’s short-term goal is to collect 2-3 years of baseline habitat and water quality data that will be used to identify restoration sites and develop remediation plans. The long-term goal is to improve water quality and fish and wildlife habitat in the Camp Creek basin and McKenzie River watershed. The watershed level design of the project will help to effect these long-term changes on a large scale. Partners include Springfield Public Schools and Thurston High School.
Long Tom Watershed Council: Grant $43,424; Match $12,950
Project: Coyote Creek Community-Based Restoration and Recovery
The Long Tom Watershed Council will provide education and technical assistance to landowners to develop restoration projects that address critical water quality and habitat issues in Oregon's Coyote Creek sub watershed, a key native species recovery area. This project addresses the need for landowner education and engagement, as well as the specific design of restoration projects and management actions, in the Coyote Creek sub watershed of the Upper Willamette Basin. The Long Tom Watershed Council will provide education and technical assistance to landowners to design projects and enroll in incentive programs that address critical water quality and habitat impairments. The vast majority of land in the area is privately owned, and habitat-friendly management of land and water is a necessity in order to recover stream health and protect sensitive, threatened and endangered species in wetland, prairie and oak savanna habitats. Therefore, private landowner stewardship action is crucial to ecological recovery. Project partners include the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, City of Eugene, Oregon Youth Conservation Corps, McKenzie River Trust, and the Nature Conservancy.
The Nature Conservancy: Grant $29,185; Match $38,480
Project: McKenzie River Flow Restoration
The Nature Conservancy will identify natural flow regimes and reoperate dams on the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers to restore aquatic and terrestrial habitat for Chinook salmon, cutthroat trout, bull trout, and Oregon chub. In addition to these fish species, the Willamette River Basin’s wetlands and floodplains support other imperiled species such as the western pond turtle and the Fender’s blue butterfly. With a view towards benefitting the important aquatic species of the basin, this project will create a stakeholder information and participation process for the development of natural flow targets for the McKenzie River that will better meet the ecological and water quality objectives of the region. Implementation of initial flow releases from the Corps of Engineers dams on the Coast Fork and Middle Fork of the Willamette River, and the Corps of Engineers and Eugene Water and Electric Board dams on the McKenzie River will enhance critical habitat through improved water quality and river dynamics.
North SantiamWatershed Council: Grant $44,000; Match $99,500
Project: Santiam Tributary Landowner Restoration Planning
The North Santiam Watershed Council will assist landowners in restoring two Santiam Basin tributaries by providing outreach, technical assistance, and design consultation. Restoration projects on two creeks, Stout Creek and Crabtree Creek, will restore riparian habitat through erosion control, placement of large woody debris, and native plantings. The limiting factors existing for both creeks include erosion, lack of habitat complexity due to lack of large woody debris and channelization, lack of shade, and noxious weeds. A total of 4 stream miles stretching through the properties of 10 landowners will be evaluated by qualified contractors who will plan restoration projects preventing erosion, planting native vegetation, and reconnecting side channels. Project partners include Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
Contacts:
Krystyna Wolniakowski, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 503-702-0245
Joan Jewett, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 503-231-6120
Dwight Holton, U.S. Attorney’s Office, 503-727-1128
Rem Nivens, Governor’s Office, 503-378-6496
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