OWEB Funds 22 Projects Supporting Coastal Coho

Photo Courtesy: pl8ster.net

(Newport) - Oregon's commitment to recovery of coastal coho salmon was boosted Thursday through votes of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to fund 22 projects in coastal rivers and streams in the amount of $2 million.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries announced in mid-January that Oregon coast coho populations from Seaside to Cape Blanco do not warrant listing under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Key factors in avoiding a listing have been actions within the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The plan, established in 1997, guides the work of a wide spectrum of landowners, agencies and organizations dedicated to improving watershed health and salmon populations.

OWEB has contributed to the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watershed goals and coho recovery by funding restoration, monitoring and education projects, supporting local coastal watershed councils and providing staff technical support in all facets of the plan.

Watershed councils, supported primarily by OWEB funding, have been established statewide, with several operating in the north and central coastal regions.

Watershed councils are locally organized, voluntary, non-regulatory groups established to improve the condition of watersheds in their local area.

The councils will continue to work with soil and water conservation districts, private landowners and state and federal agencies in the coastal coho study area. A thorough conservation and recovery plan for coastal coho, based on the findings of the assessment, will be developed by late 2006.

Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds support through Oregon Lottery funding is provided by Oregon law until at least mid-2014.

Since creation of the salmon license plate in 1997, plate sales have generated more than $2 million to pay for road-related projects that improve salmon habitat. Some of the plate-funded projects are located in north and south coast waters.

For information about salmon restoration projects and guidance for purchasing a salmon plate, visit www.oregon.gov/OWEB or call OWEB in Salem at 503-986-0178.