Islands on the Sprague – The Klamath Lake Land Trust was granted $5,000 for a project that will begin restoring wetland habitat on the Sprague River in southwest Oregon. The Islands on the Sprague project is the restoration of a 15.56 acre parcel located downstream from the Klamath Lake Land Trust’s 316 acre property that Oregon Wildlife Foundation (OWF) helped restore with funding in 2014 and 2016. Restoration of the Islands on the Sprague area includes fencing to exclude cattle, planting of native trees and shrubs, and seeding with a mix of native grasses.
Youth Outdoor Day – Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) was granted $2,000 for the 2017 Youth Outdoor Day which takes place at E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area. The purpose of Youth Outdoor Day is to give kids the opportunity to learn about wildlife and habitat conservation, fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports through participation in volunteer-led educational sessions. OWF serves as the fiscal sponsor of this one-day event.
Lower Clear Creek Restoration – OWF granted $5,000 and secured an additional $10,000 in funding from Wilbur-Ellis for a project on Clear Creek in northeast Oregon by the Powder Basin Watershed Council. In 2010 the area around Halfway, Oregon experienced a flood event that caused significant damage to infrastructure and highlighted, to many residents, the poor health of their riparian areas. The Council is working with affected landowners to restore a 2 mile section of Clear Creek, designated as critical habitat for bull trout, an Oregon Conservation Strategy sensitive species.
American Bullfrog Age and Growth Study – Rombough Biological was granted $9,500 for a project that will employ histological methods to collect data on bullfrog population dynamics. This data is needed to successfully manage bullfrogs for the conservation of native amphibian populations and freshwater wetland habitats statewide.
Food Habits Study of Sierra Nevada Red Fox and Fisher – Oregon State University (OSU) Cascades was granted $5,000 to support a study of the food habits of Sierra Nevada red fox and Pacific fisher in Crater Lake National Park. OSU Cascades wildlife students will participate in field and lab work as part of this project.
Expanding Access to Environmental Education in Southern Oregon – Wildlife Safari in southwest Oregon was granted $5,000 to cover the costs of field trips for approximately 350 students from low-income schools.
Gilchrist Passing Lanes Wildlife Undercrossing – This project will design and construct a wildlife undercrossing near the town of Gilchrist on Highway 97 as part of an ODOT passing lanes project. ODFW was granted $10,000 to be used as match to secure Pittman-Robertson funding.
Applegate Oak Restoration – ODFW was granted $12,500 to treat 100 acres of oak woodlands in the Applegate WMU using prescribed fire. OWF funding commitment was used to meet the match requirement for Pittman-Robertson funds, leveraging an additional $37,500 in federal funding. This project will benefit multiple Strategy species, address a key Conservation Strategy Issue (returning fire to the landscape), and help restore an Oregon Conservation Strategy habitat.
Mid Coast Cougar Survey – ODFW’s Mid Coast Wildlife District was granted $10,000 in funding assistance to conduct a research project in the Alsea WMU to estimate cougar densities, home range sizes, and diet. The research includes capturing 10 cougars and fitting them with GPS collars to determine home range parameters, and utilizing scat detection dogs in a 15 kilometer x 15 kilometer grid to collect samples for population estimation and diet analysis.
Forest Carnivore Monitoring Project – The High Desert Museum was granted $5,000 for this project which uses remote cameras to collect data on the presence/absence and habitat preferences of several carnivore populations in the Deschutes National Forest, including Sierra Nevada red fox.
Wildfire Effects on Sage Grouse Ecology – OSU was granted $9,500 to continue their study of the impact of wildfire on sage grouse. This project targets high density sage-grouse populations within the perimeter of the Holloway fire. Since the spring of 2013, more than 100 female sage-grouse have been captured and marked with solar powered global positioning satellite (GPS) transmitters. The data collected from these collars and those into 2019 will help us understand the lag-effects of wildfire on sage grouse ecology.
Little Clatskanie River Large Wood Restoration – OWF served as the fiscal sponsor for and granted $9,500 in funding to, this ODFW partnership project on the Little Clatskanie River. Funding was used to mobilize equipment, transport logs, and place large wood debris structures across two stream miles of the river. This project, in collaboration with ODFW and Weyerhaeuser, was designed to recover habitat for ESA-listed fish species.
Bonney Butte Raptor Migration & Education Project – HawkWatch International was granted $3,015 for their Bonney Butte Hawkwatch program. HWI has monitored the fall migration of raptors and provided raptor education programs at Bonney Butte for more than 23 years. In 2017 they expanded their education and outreach efforts to reach more individuals from the local community by hosting a new raptor migration festival.
Evaluating the Effects of Aspen Restoration on Landbird Populations – Northwest Avian Resources was granted $4,500 for the 2018 continuation of a mark/recapture study to evaluate the effects of aspen forest restoration on landbird populations. Their study design incorporates a control and treatment site, and includes pre-treatment and post-treatment sampling. Aspen restoration involves conifer thinning, prescribed fire, and containerized planting as needed. The study is designed to measure changes in avian populations during and following this significant aspen restoration effort.
Wildlife Movement in Response to Barriers Study – Portland State University (PSU) was granted $4,800 for a study to better understand how wildlife responds to migration barriers within an urban environment. PSU researchers will capture and track native frogs to determine habitat suitability for and barriers faced by red-legged frogs. Telemetry tracking will occur Fall 2017 through Summer 2019 and timed to fit species-specific movement patterns.
Supporting Landowner-driven Oak Conservation – Willamette Partnership was granted $5,000 to support baseline assessment and the development of site-specific conservation plans for 128 acres of oak habitat across private land on four Willamette Valley vineyards that are signatories to Willamette Partnerships’s Oak Accord. This project will help ensure that landowners have the information they need to successfully implement restoration projects and ensure they meet the net benefit standard for oak habitat across the Willamette Valley.
Forest Creek Fish Passage Restoration – Applegate Watershed & Partnership Council was granted $10,000 to remove a dam from Forest Creek in Jackson County. The dam is an abandoned diversion structure that impedes passage for adult anadromous fish, and blocks passage entirely for juveniles to get to miles of high quality spawning and rearing habitat upstream.
Nye Creek/Sam Moore Park Water Quality Improvement Project – The City of Newport was granted $30,000 in funding support from the Pacific Seafood Environmental Enhancement Fund for a project to address long-standing water quality issues in Nye Creek and on Nye Beach.
Willamette Valley Oregon Vesper Sparrow Study – American Bird Conservancy was granted $5,000 in funding support for a study to better understand the population decline of Oregon vesper sparrow and recommend conservation actions.
Sandy River Delta Turtle and Amphibian Survey – Sandy River Basin Watershed Council was granted $3,900 in funding for a survey of painted turtles and red-legged frogs on the Sandy River delta. Funds will be used to train volunteer surveyors, provide boat transportation, and publish ODFW Native Turtle Identification Cards for distribution to Sandy River delta visitors and school groups.
Maxfield Creek Phase I – Luckiamute Watershed Council was granted $7,500 to restore degraded riparian corridors across 26.5 acres along 1.95 miles of Maxfield Creek; a tributary to the Luckiamute River near Philomath. Project components include removal and control of invasive species, native plant installation, and establishment.
Adopt-a-Lek Program – ODFW was granted $10,000 in funding support for the Adopt-a-Lek program. Adopt-a-Lek has been instrumental in completing greater sage grouse lek attendance surveys in southeast Oregon for 13 years running.
Effects of Salinity on Coastal Breeding Amphibians – OSU was granted $2,397 in funding support for a study of how salinity affects the abundance and presence of Pacific treefrog, Northern red-legged frog, and roughskin newt at 12 select sites along the Oregon coast. The data collected is part of a graduate project and will be shared with the property owners, published in a thesis (to be available online), and presented at conferences in the spring and summer of 2018.
Denman Wildlife Area/Jackson County Coverboard Surveys – ODFW was granted $4,380 in funding support for a project that will monitor key species in oak woodland and riparian strategy habitats on the Denman Wildlife Area, and then at select locations throughout the Rogue River valley. Funds will be used to purchase temperature recording devices and materials for the construction of cover boards. Cover boards are artificial structures that are placed on the ground as a surrogate for downed wood or other cover that is then periodically flipped over and searched.
Western Gray Squirrel Survey Project – Gorge Ecology Institute was granted $3,000 in funding support for a project to survey select areas in Wasco County for western gray squirrels. Formal surveys have never been conducted in this area despite the relative abundance of Oregon white oak woodlands; preferred squirrel habitat.