Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES) is awarding $300,000 in grants through its RiverHealth Stewardship Program to 12 organizations dedicated to the protection of local watersheds.
The grants will support a variety of activities that restore habitat, manage invasive plant species, organize community volunteer events, provide watershed science education, and remove trash from waterways while enhancing water quality.
The following organizations will receive a combined total of $300,000 in grant funds:
- Bob's Red Mill ($27,000) - Will restore 4.5 acres of wetlands in the Mt. Scott Creek watershed by removing invasive species and litter and installing native plants. Project will include an employee work event and installation of of bird boxes
- Clackamas River Basin Council ($30,000) - Will improve and protect six acres of riparian habitat and 1,200 feet of river and stream on two new sites along Sieben Creek, and mainstem of the Clackamas River. Project also includes stewardship classes and volunteer work parties.
- Columbia Land Trust and Portland Audubon ($17,250) - The Backyard Habitat Certification Program works with residents to reduce or eliminate use of pesticides, remove priority weeds, and plant native vegetation. These actions keep synthetic chemicals out of streams, cool the land and water, and help pollinators and birds survive and thrive.
- Friends of Trees ($30,000) - Will build upon previous restoration efforts and volunteer engagement in the Rock Creek watershed, conduct outreach to recruit future restoration properties and engage youth through hands-on environmental education. Will include volunteer plantings at Mitchell Creek (Johnson Creek watershed) and Rock Creek Headwaters.
- Happy Valley Heights HOA ($27,903) - Three homeowners associations will collaborate on riparian and streamside treatments to restore watershed health in Happy Valley. This work will also be coordinated with the larger Watershed Action Plan for Mt. Scott Creek, with support from the North Clackamas Watersheds Council.
- Johnson Creek Watershed Council ($28,620) - Will engage more than 200 volunteers in stewardship or educational activities. Will conduct the annual Johnson Creek Cleanup, Watershed Wide event at the Mitchell Creek site, and Science in the Park. Will also work to increase participation of private landowner riparian restoration in the CreekCare program.
- North Clackamas School District ($16,035) - Located at Oregon Trail Elementary on a strip of riparian forest along a tributary to Rose Creek in Happy Valley, this project will use the site to connect students and community to the benefits of improving watershed health. Will include class visits, art projects, volunteer cleanup and planting events, and student work parties with Sabin Schellenberg Career and Technical Center for Forestry and Natural Resources
- North Clackamas Watersheds Council ($29,992) - Will expand its riparian restoration program to 80 acres, focusing on contiguous habitat in Mt. Scott Creek, lowering stream temperature, reducing erosion, and improving water quality. Will also expand online workshops that build landowner understanding of watershed function into the field, and build knowledge of how actions on one property affect the watershed as a whole.
- Rivers of Life Center ($25,000) - Will unify elements of a three-year investment at Eagle’s Landing, enhancing an existing riparian and educational corridor. Work will include adding native plants, which will provide cover to streams damaged by the 2021 ice storm and heat dome, removing English Ivy, establishing denning areas for native animals and nesting platforms for raptors.
- The Wetlands Conservancy ($28,250) - Will provide stewardship at Hearthwood Wetlands, enhancing more acreage over previous efforts. Will work with Wisdom of the Elders to utilize traditional ecological knowledge and engage volunteers to weed, plant, and pick up trash at this Kellogg Creek headwaters.
- Tualatin River Watershed Council ($29,950) - Will address limiting factors such as high water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen and elevated suspended sediments by engaging with private landowners on four tributaries of the Lower Tualatin River to remove invasive plant species and plant native vegetation. Will also conduct eDNA sampling to determine if Pacific lamprey, steelhead, Coho, or cutthroat utilize these tributaries.
- World Salmon Council ($10,000) - Implement Salmon Watch, a unique environmental education program that combines classroom and online curriculum, field learning, and community service, incorporating innovative learning activities designed to enhance students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Also, enables students to explore their natural heritages and develop a sense of stewardship and future career exploration through learning about watershed health and the lifecycle and habitat needs of Northwest salmon.
Original source can be found here.
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