In 2013, Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF) supported fish, wildlife, habitat and public access projects with just under $100,000 in grant assistance. The following is a summary of those awards.
Praire Springs Wildlife Watering Project - $5,000 to help the Grant Soil and Water Conservation District develop fall/winter elk and mule deer habitat near Dayville by reseeding a portion of the range with dryland alfalfa and installing a solar-powered watering system.
Muddy Horse Spring Restoration - $2,500 in funding assistance was granted to a landowner that is enhancing riparian habitat for wildlife in the Upper South Fork of the John Day River. The project includes enhancement of aspen stands through the release of encroaching Juniper, exclusion of livestock from the riparian area, and the development of a separate watering pond to serve both wildlife and livestock.
Feral Pig Removal - $5,000 to support Wildlife Services in their effort to control feral swine in Wasco, Jefferson, and Sherman Counties.
Fish Camp for Kids - $10,000 to Camp Angelos for their summer residential camp for girls and boys ages 9-14.
St. Clair Spring Development - $2,500 in funding support to a landowner for protection of Poison Creek from livestock and wildlife damage through development of an upland spring. This project and Muddy Horse are part of the same Upper South Fork John Day Watershed Council initiative.
Western Pond Turtle Habitat Enhancement - $5,000 was granted to Wallama Restoration Project to enhance nesting habitat for Western pond turtles at Fern Ridge South Marsh and additional work adjacent to Fall Creek and Hill Creek reservoirs (all locations in Lane County).
Eastern Oregon 4-H Natural Resource Camp - $4,000 to Grant County 4-H for their Natural Resources Camp which serves youth in grades 7-9 from throughout the NW.
8th Annual Ladd Marsh Bird Festival - $1,000 to the Friends of Ladd Marsh to support their annual bird festival.
Columbia Gorge Pika Watch - $3,000 in support to the Columbia Gorge Ecology Institute's Pika Watch program. Information about the low elevation pika populations in the Columbia River Gorge is lacking. Through this program, volunteers are trained to identify pika and then, armed with binoculars and gps units, go into the field to stake out pika hotspots. They record their location, listen, and look for pika. Confirmed sightings are uploaded to website for analysis by biologists.
"Fired Up About Oregon's Forests" - $2,500 to the High Desert Museum to support the participation of elementary schools in their program about forest fires and forest fire prevention.
Grassland Bird Survey - $5,000 was granted to ODFW to support a survey of grassland birds in rural Yamhill and Washington Counties.
Spring Park Natural Area Enhancement - $5,000 in funding support was granted to Willamette Riverkeeper to lead the stewardship and education activities that are part of the larger Spring Park Natural Area Enhancement project. Willamette Riverkeeper is working to engage the Milwaukie community in this restoration project through educational programming and recruitment of volunteers to plant trees/shrubs and monitor the ecological health of the area.
Progress Lake Liberation Pipe - $1,000 to ODFW for installation of a pipe system to faciliate the safe stocking of Progress Lake in Washington County.
Informational Kiosk - $1,650 was granted to Chintimini Wildlife Center for construction of an informational kiosk at the entrance to their wetland and education center.
Marquam Beach Access - $4,000 in funding support to the Human Access Project for their efforts to create safe access to a beach area under the Marquam Bridge on the west side of the Willamette River near downtown Portland.
School Backyard Habitat Gardens - $5,000 was granted to West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District to install two on-site Backyard Habitat Certified wildlife gardens at Portland-area schools.
Skeletochronology of Columbia Spotted Frog - $5,000 to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for an aging study of Columbia Spotted Frogs. The information from this study will help wildlife managers better understand spotted frog growth, survival, and age-of-maturity variation based on habitat.
Large Wood Purchase - $5,000 in funding support to ODFW for development of a log bank on Oregon's mid-coast. This developing cache of large wood will be used for future fish habitat projects along the central coast.
Emergency Stabilization and Rehabilitation - $10,000 was pledged to the Wasco County Soil and Water Conservation District to support their efforts to stabilize and rehabilitate areas within The Dalles municipal watershed badly burned during the Blackburn Fire in August of this year. Without action, there is signficant risk of alluvial erosion into the City of The Dalles watershed which includes Mill Creek.
Suter Creek Restoration - $9,500 was pledged to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife for a cooperative project with the landowner that will place large woody debris and boulders in and along Suter Creek to enhance fish habitat. Suter Creek lies within the Eagle Creek subbasin of the Clackamas River basin.
Deer Creek Willow Planting Day - $1,500 in funding support to Ilinois Valley Soil & Water Conservation District for their project to start willow and plant, using school groups, along Deer Creek to reduce bank erosion, provide shade, cover, and a food source for wildlife.
South Meadow Floodplain Native Plantings - $5,000 was granted to Friends of Buford Park & Mt. Pisgah for their project to plant native forbs, grasses, shrubs, and trees to restore diverse praire, savanna, chaparral, and riparian forest habitats on 38 floodplain acres along the Coast Fork Willamette River within the Howard Buford Recreation Area.