Mid-Valley River Connections: Advancing Restoration in the Mid-Willamette

The Luckiamute (LWC), Marys River (MRWC), Calapooia (CWC), and South Santiam (SSWC) watershed councils seek Technical Assistance funding to support future restoration implementation across the four basins. This project will leverage the partnership of the Mid-Valley River Connections (MVRC) network to advance project planning and proposal development of priority restoration actions to address limiting factors for salmon, steelhead and cutthroat. The MVRC currently lacks the capacity to compile a project portfolio and application materials appropriate for the scope and scale to compete for new funding opportunities that would support a large-scale, multi-year funding package. Funding from this project will provide the MVRC with dedicated capacity to prioritize, scope project details, refine project budgets, and pursue landowner engagement and access needed to craft quality restoration projects across the four watersheds.

The restoration projects developed as a result of this TA project will be designed to address the limiting factors outlined in the Upper Willamette River (UWR) Conservation and Recovery Plan for Chinook Salmon and Steelhead. By addressing the limiting factors of habitat quality / quantity and water quality, the resulting restoration projects will improve upon and expand the available high-quality habitat for UWR Chinook salmon, UWR steelhead, and other native species. By providing technical assistance and project development capacity for the mid-Willamette watershed councils to move priority projects to implementation-ready status and secure funding for implementation, this TA project advances the WCs’ ability to secure resources and get restoration work on the ground more quickly. In the face of the urgency of climate change and diminishing numbers of returning salmonids, the MVRC feels this is the best way to get restoration projects on the ground for the benefit of salmon and steelhead.