| The Umpqua |
The News-Review |
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Grant to aid Smith River salmon Restoration effort: More than $540,000 in state lottery dollars, private support committed to improve salmon habitat |
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| By JEFF WILLIS The News-Review |
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DRAIN - More than $540,000 in Oregon lottery dollars and in-kind private
support will breathe new life into local efforts to improve salmon
habitat on the upper Smith River. The Roseburg-based Umpqua River Watershed Council received a grant of $482,000 from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board in Salem. Private sector partners have agreed to contribute $56,000 in staff, equipment and materials. The project will make improvements on a patchwork of government and private lands in the 49,400-acre upper Smith River watershed, 10 miles northwest of Drain. Bob Kinyon, coordinator for the watershed council, said the Oregon Salmon and Watershed Restoration Plan serves as the framework for the project. The plan promotes moving beyond regulatory prohibitions and toward enhanced watershed quality through partnerships between private citizens and businesses. The Roseburg district of the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Douglas County will work together with private sector partners, including Roseburg Resources, a division of Roseburg Forest Products; Seneca Jones Timber Company of Eugene and Weyerhaeuser Co. "I'm excited about this for several reasons," Kinyon said. "In the past, we've had to apply for funding on a small projects basis. We needed to take advantage of economies of scale on a project this large." |
Without the government and private industry partnership, Kinyon added,
the administrative task would be more costly and complex. The watershed council will coordinate efforts to open 12 miles of salmon habitat lost due to poor culvert design. Improvements will include adding logs and boulders to streams for juvenile salmon and spawning adult fish. Sedimentation and erosion should be reduced by 75 percent, according to the watershed council's projections, by improving existing roads and decommissioning 10 miles of road in an area served by 330 miles. "All the partners bring a lot of experience to the table and are key to the success of the program," said Todd Payne, timberlands manager for Seneca Jones Timber Co. "We work in a collaborative way, that's what makes these projects work so well." Ken Bierly, spokesman for Oregon Watersheds Enhancement Board, praised the watershed council and its project partners for their cooperative and creative approach. "This is an example of people voluntarily finding solutions and addressing priority problems," Bierly said. "It's a good investment, and we're pleased we can help." __________ · You can reach reporter Jeff Willis at (541) 957-4218 or by e-mail at jwillis@oregonnews.com.
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