The MWMC is working with The Freshwater Trust and local watershed councils to improve the health of our rivers and streams. Our non-profit partners are looking to plant and maintain an attractive, resilient mix of native trees and shrubs in a buffer along the water’s edge at sites along the banks of the McKenzie, Mohawk, Middle Fork Willamette, Coast Fork Willamette and Row Rivers. They’d love to talk with you if you have a suitable site available.
In addition to replanting forests, our partners will also remove invasive vegetation such as Himalayan blackberry and install livestock exclusion fencing if needed. Projects include long-term stewardship to ensure the new riverside forests thrive. Not only is there no cost share or work share, but landowners also receive yearly lease payments for participating in the program.
What is the catch, you ask? There is none. The MWMC is funding this project as part of its NPDES Permit temperature control plan while also providing other benefits to our rivers. Forests along the river’s edge benefit fish and wildlife habitat and improve water quality by shading the water, filtering out excess sediments and nutrients, and eventually contributing large wood to build instream habitat complexity in the river. Shade is important because solar radiation can warm the water too much for our native cold-water fish such as salmon, trout and lamprey during critical times in their life cycles.
