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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2020)
Upper Grande Ronde Initiative Focused Investment Partnership The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) has developed the Focused Investment Partnership (FIP) funding opportunity to address natural resource issues of significance to the state. The Upper Grande Ronde Initiative (a partnership between the Grande Ronde Model Watershed, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, USDA Forest Service, and the USWCD) was awarded a FIP grant in 2016 to support habitat improvements for spring Chinook salmon and steelhead in the Upper Grande Ronde River Basin. The Upper Grande Ronde FIP is now entering the third and final biennium of the grant and will help this local partnership plan, develop, and implement coordinated restoration and conservation projects strategically with multi-year funding. Outcomes for this FIP grant are intended to improve and increase habitat quantity, quality, and diversity for all life stages of spring Chinook salmon, summer steelhead, and other aquatic species in Catherine Creek and the Upper Grande Ronde River. Partners of the Upper Grande Ronde Initiative are committed to the restoration of aquatic habitat by protecting and restoring watershed processes, cold water refugia, and diverse instream and floodplain habitats. The results of this effort over the last four years have been positive and effective at meeting project goals. The Union SWCD plays an important role in the partnership through established relationships with local landowners and agricultural producers. With knowledge of agricultural history, practices and technical programs in the basin, the USWCD strives to offer technical assistance to landowners and sponsor projects to facilitate initial project discussions, design, and implementation with partners and funding agencies. This is ultimately achieved through collaboration with landowners to develop conservation projects that have both ecological and land management merit while engaging in variety of habitat and upland restoration. Union SWCD Partners BOR-Bureau of Reclamation BPA-Bonneville Power Administration CTUIR-Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation DEQ-Department of Environmental Quality DSL-Department of State Lands EPA-Environmental Protection Agency FSA-Farm Service Agency GRMW-Grande Ronde Model Watershed NACD-National Association of Conservation Districts NOAA-Fisheries-National Marine Fisheries Service NRCS-Natural Resources Conservation Service OACD-Oregon Association of Conservation Districts ODA-Oregon Department of Agriculture ODF-Oregon Department of Forestry ODFW-Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife OSU Extension-Oregon State University Agriculture Extension Service OTEC-Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative OWEB-Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board TCCWMA- Tri-County Cooperative Weed Management Area Union County-Planning and Public Works USACE-United States Army Corps of Engineers USFS-United States Forest Service USFWS-United States Fish and Wildlife Service WRD-Water Resources Department The District prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, age, color, national origin, gender, religion, political beliefs, disability, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means when working with the District should contact us. Page 7
