Luckiamute Watershed Council

The Luckiamute Watershed Council (LWC) has received a grant from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to survey salmon throughout the Luckiamute Watershed between June and October of 2008.

LWC has contracted with Bio-Surveys, a biological consulting firm with 15 years experience completing surveys and Rapid Bio-Assessments (RBA). The RBA consists of snorkel inventories to map the distribution and abundance of salmonid juveniles (coho, steelhead, cutthroat, and chinook). This survey will help identify those streams with the highest potential for recovery and provide baseline information on known fish populations.

The LWC is partnering with WOU to complete this project. WOU students will call landowners to describe the survey and request permission for a crew member to walk through the property and survey the stream. The surveying involves walking upstream and snorkeling every fifth pool, requiring only brief access to properties.

Similar surveys have been conducted in the Tillamook, Salmon River, Yaquina, Alsea, Siletz and Siuslaw Watersheds over the last six years. These surveys have been instrumental in identifying high priority reaches for restoration.

LWC will share the survey results in a public presentation in Spring 2009. For more information, please contact LWC's Project Manager, Michael Cairns, at (503) 838-4275 for further information or email at michael.cairns@yahoo.com

For the full Itemizer Observer article by Gail Oberst please click the link below:

Click here to go to the Itemizer Observer article

April 22nd is the launch of a first-of-its kind statewide campaign called "Stop the Invasion", which includes a documentary, publications, volunteer opportunities, a coordinated effort to identify, prevent and control invasive species, and research to gauge the awareness and attitudes of Oregonians toward the problem.

"This campaign truly represents the highest level of collaboration amongst the government, nonprofit, and private entities in Oregon," said Governor Ted Kulongoski. "This is an excellent example of what can happen when people work together to leverage resources to make a difference in Oregon's native fish and wildlife resources, economy, and quality of life."

The campaign launches on April 22 at 8:00 pm with the premiere of Oregon Public Broadcasting's "The Silent Invasion," a one-hour documentary on invasive species created to raise public awareness and encourage people to take action in their own communities. The weekly series Oregon Field Guide will continue to focus on invasive species in a number of stories during the year.

Click here to go to the Oregon press release

On our only sunny Saturday in weeks, when most right minded citizens would be home tending to their own winter dreary landscapes, some pretty amazing people turned out to enjoy a potting party in my back yard. For example there were two college students from Eugene, An OSU faculty member who also does photography for National Geographic, a retiree using a walker because of a recent knee replacement, an under employed natural resources man, a tree farmer, an editor, an elderly woman, and a couple of "gentleman" farmers. My neighbors pitched in by loaning us their wheel barrows to load the special potting soil into when the trucks delivered it to the front of the property. In the pot yard behind the house, with the sun on their shoulders, working in pairs, they potted more than 1000 native tree and shrub seedlings. A chrysalis of an unknown butterfly shared the picnic table for the lunch break. Carefully protected from accidents by an inverted glass bowl, it began to wiggle around in the sunlight. For safety sake the table was quickly returned to the shade-can't have a butterfly around before the flowers start to bloom.

The plan for the growing plants is to place them in permanent spots of damaged riparian areas of streams in the Luckiamute/Ash Creek watershed. Thanks to everyone who pitched in on Saturday!
Written by Jo Yeager, LWC member

The Mid-Willamette West Small Grant Team will soon have a new round of funding in March. Landowners may work with the Luckiamute Watershed Council to be eligible for these funds. Project development is underway now. Grants are up to $10,000 and projects require a minimum of 25% cash or in-kind match. Applications are due between March 18th and March 31st. Decisions will be made by the Team in mid-April.

Past projects include stream restoration, invasive species removal, pasture management, wetland enhancement, and in-stream log placement. If you are interested visit the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board website for guidance, or contact the Luckiamute Watershed Council's Project Manager, Michael Cairns, at 503-838-4275.

On a sunny Saturday in October, Boy Scout troop #150 converged on Mountain Fir Park to improve habitat along Ash Creek. The effort was a contribution to the LWC's summer work, which removed the old mill dam and restored the riparian habitat. Phillip Beardsley, working for his Eagle Scout Badge, designed five interpretive signs to inform park users of the important role this stream plays in providing habitat for native fish and wildlife. The project involved working with City and LWC staff to design the signs, gather supplies, and lead his fellow scouts in service activities at the park. With Phillips leadership, Sign Works of Oregon produced the signs, Weyerhaeuser donated the materials, and the troop provided the labor to install them on October 27-28. The 17 member troop also removed garbage, installed wood duck boxes, pulled weeds, and planted trees, with the help of their troop leaders. Michael Cairns, LWC projects manager, stated "It's great to see young members of our community putting their energy and enthusiasm into cleaning-up a local creek. I'm amazed at how much they can get done in a day! They sure are a pleasure to work with." All told the troop spent 268 hours working on this project. Thank you Phillip and Troop #150!


Phillip and Michael discussing sign placement


Troop #150 at Mountain Fir Park

Click here to view additional pictures from the event.

Click here to go to the LWC Ash Creek Project page

Click here to go to the Statesman Journal newspaper article