In 2014, Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF) supported fish, wildlife, habitat and public access projects with just over $60,000 in grant assistance. The following is a summary of those awards.
NE Oregon Red Fox Study - Owl Ridge Natural Resource Consultants was granted $5,000 to support a genetic study to understand the distribution of native Rocky Mountain red foxes and invasive red foxes originating from illegal fur farm releases in NE Oregon.
Adopt-a-Lek Program - A grant of $5,000 was made to ODFW to hire a Volunteer Coordinator that will recruit, help train, and coordinate volunteers as sage grouse lek monitors.
Wetlands Interpretive Center - Wildlife Safari was the recipient of a $5,000 grant to help construct a Wetlands Interpretive Center on their property. The Center will enhance the educational experience of field trip groups and Wildlife Safari visitors by providing detailed information about their wetlands, cover for viewing opportunities, and an outdoor lecture shelter for field trip groups.
Oakquest - Urban Greenspaces Institute was the recipient of $5,544 to engage 50+ volunteers to learn about and map threatened oak habitat across the Portland metro region in summer 2014.
Portuguese Canyon Aspen Protection - A grant of $4,300 was made to The Mid John Day-Bridge Creek Watershed Council for a project to protect a remnant quaking aspen stand in Portuguese Canyon and plant two acres of aspen at a separate site on the north side of the same property.
Fish Camp - Camp Angelos was granted $5,000 for their Fish Camp residential program scheduled for July 6-11, 2014. Between 90 and 100 boys and girls ages 9-14 were expected to participate.
Ladd Marsh Sandhill Crane Satellite Tracking - $5,000 was granted to Friends of Ladd Marsh to capture sandhill cranes and fit them with PTT tags to learn where they move seasonally, including over-wintering sites, and where non-breeding birds spend their summer
Youth Outdoor Day - ODFW received $2,000 in sponsorship support for their 2014 Youth Outdoor Day at EE Wilson on May 31st.
Harborton Frog Shuttle - Sauvie Island Partnership was granted $846 to purchase supplies for an intensive all-volunteer effort to save a remnant population of red-legged frogs by shuttling them across two small roads, a four-lane highway, and two sets of railroad tracks to the Harborton wetland where they lay their eggs.
Wildfire Effects on Sage Grouse Ecology - Oregon State University received $18,500 to purchase GPS transmitters and ARGOS fees for the 2015-16 field season. In the summer of 2012 several wildfires burned more than 1 million acres of Oregon sage grouse habitat. This project will assist Biologists to understand the spatial response of sage grouse to catastrophic wildfire as well as impacts on sage grouse demography.
Western Snowy Plover Nest Exclosure Study - The Institute for Natural Resources at Portland State University was granted $4,259 for a project to camera monitor snowy plover nest exclosure sites on the Oregon coast.
Lower Deschutes River Scientific Investigation and Action Plan - The Deschutes River Alliance received $5,000 in funding to acquire monitoring equipment that will enable them to continuously monitor nutrient loads in the lower Deschutes River.