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

The Mid-Valley River Connections (MVRC) partnership collaboratively evaluated and identified projects focused on the restoration of critical fish habitat within each watershed. Each watershed council had previously identified several restoration projects within the five-watershed region, but prioritizing the order of implementation and weighing outcomes was beyond the current capacity for project management. Through this process, the council collaboration successfully identified a plan for region-wide habitat restoration recovery of Upper Willamette River Chinook salmon and winter steelhead. The combined experience of the councils, in addition to the consultation results, provided the group with the knowledge, skills and ability to collect the data, organize project design, and recruit leverage and outside assistance to complete a $9.9 million restoration proposal. A key component of this project was the recruitment of expert consultation from ICF & Jones to provide the needed evaluation of the initially identified projects and provide valuable decision making for each of the councils resulting in the prioritization of the areas highest in need and most likely to provide return of identified species habitat. Multiple councils with the collaborative were experiencing a lack of capacity from loss of directors or project managers. Through this project, each council gained valuable knowledge of proposal planning and project prioritization. The fifth member of the group, the North Santiam Watershed Council, was able to utilize the experience of the fellow members to create their own project list to add to the proposal for a re-submission in 2025.

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.