2017 2018 Annual Report - Curry Watersheds reports/Swcdannual_17-18.pdf2017-2018 Annual Report. urry Soil & Water onservation District. Fiscal Year 2017: Strategy and Partnerships.

2017-2018 Annual Report

Curry Soil & Water Conservation District

Fiscal Year 2017: Strategy and Partnerships

Our

Mission: To conserve,

protect, and

develop soil and

water-related

resources for

the economic

and

environmental

benefit of the

people of Curry

County.

In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018

Curry SWCD continued working with

our long-time partners, the Lower

Rogue Watershed Council and the

South Coast Watershed Council, to

implement an OWEB-funded Focused

Investment Partnership capacity-

building project to help formalize each

entity’s role in The Curry Watersheds

Partnership. The Partnership also

assumed joint management of a 501c3,

newly renamed Curry Watersheds

Nonprofit.

In the past, our close working

relationship could be confusing to

outside funders and cooperators, and a

bit disorientating in-house, too. Our

newly finalized joint Operations

Manual and 2-year Strategic Plan for

the Partnership will streamline shared

efforts and provide transparency and

ever-improving service to the Natural

Resource community of Curry County.

The energy kept flowing as Curry

Watersheds Partnership launched the

Siskiyou Coast Estuaries Partnership

(SCEP) in cooperation with the Wild

Rivers Land Trust and Oregon

Department of Fish and Wildlife for the

purpose of developing a more focused

approach to providing conservation

assistance in and around estuaries. See

page 11 for more information about

this part of the project.

Year 65—Curry SWCD: 1953—2018 The Oregon State legislature

authorized conservation districts in

1939, charging the new districts to

direct program assistance toward the

local protection of renewable natural

resources. Curry County approved

the creation of Curry County Soil and

Water Conservation District 14 years

later in 1953.

Curry SWCD is led by 5 volunteer

landowners, each elected to 4-year

terms.

The Curry SWCD Board of Directors

meets regularly on the 4th Tuesday of

each month at 7 pm. Meetings are held

at the SWCD office conference room:

29692 Ellensburg Avenue

Gold Beach, Oregon No person shall, on the grounds of race, age, color,

religion, national origin, disability, marital status,

familial status, parental status, sexual orientation,

genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or

because all or part of an individual’s income is

derived from any public assistance program be

excluded from participation in, or be denied

benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under

any activity of the Curry County Soil and Water

Conservation District.

Contents

District Expenses 2

Support Curry SWCD 3

Program Profiles

District 5

Cooperative 10

Partner Updates

Lower Rogue Watershed 16

South Coast Watershed 18

Board and Staff 20

2

Curry Soil and Water Conservation District Fiscal year 2017: July 1, 2017—June 30, 2018

3

2017-2018 Annual Report Supporting Curry SWCD—your donations at work

Your Tax Deductible* Donations

Private donations allow us to support our community in ways that

grant funds don’t always allow us to. The District does not collect a tax

so finding other funds beside grants is super helpful. We often use

private donations to participate in community education and

awareness events. Fun, learning, and helping out is the name of the

game!

Rogue River Cleanup The annual Rogue River Cleanup is a great event hosted by our

partner, the Lower Rogue Watershed Council. This was the 13th year of

the community coming together to clean up the Rogue River. The cleanup would not happen without

generous financial support from local businesses and amazing volunteers!! From volunteer boat drivers to

noxious weed pullers to BBQ helpers, community members of all walks came to together this year to pick up

trash, celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rogue as a Wild & Scenic River, and share a meal following all of

our hard work.

Party in the Park

In July 2017 the Curry Watersheds Partnership

again participated in the Rotary sponsored Party in the Park. The

event takes place in Buffington Park, Gold Beach. Each year the

Partnership aims to bring a fun educational theme to the carnival atmosphere.

This year we wanted to build on the STEM club’s success with their ROV project.

The launch of the Science, Technology, Education and Math (STEM) based

program was made possible in part by private donations. The club’s remotely

operated vehicles (ROV) were highlighted, and visitors to the booth were asked

to construct an ocean creature. The kids then got to have their picture taken

with their creature in our underwater explorer

photo booth. We used instant picture

technology (similar to the old Polaroid)

to capture their efforts and wow the

kids with technology that they haven’t

seen before. The magic of an instant

photo is as intriguing as it was 40 years

ago—Science is cool!

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*IRS Code, Section 170(c)(1) defines contributions or gifts to a state or any of its political subdivisions (i.e.,

conservation districts) as "charitable" contributions for tax purposes, and therefore tax deductible.

Financial contributions from private donors allow Curry SWCD to leverage grant sources and to improve

program support and delivery. We accept donations through estate planning, in person, via mail, or

online at www.currywatersheds.org. Any amount helps!

Landowner Participation

Conversations with landowners help us to

understand our community’s concerns and to

prioritize future restoration and outreach

projects. Curry SWCD works with landowners

to find solutions to resource issues — water

quality protection, habitat enhancement, soil

health, noxious weed impacts, and other

concerns. Participation is always voluntary, and consulting with our District or Watershed Council staff

creates no obligation. If you would like to discuss natural resource conservation on your property, or if you

would like to know more about any of the programs described in this report, give us a call or stop by the

office at 29692 Ellensburg Avenue in Gold Beach.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering is a great way to donate! Time is

valuable and we appreciate it if you are willing to

share yours. Do you have special skills, time, and love

for our rural environment and way of life? We have

many ways that you can contribute. Our education

team is always looking for community members to

help supervise field trips and share their science and

outdoor skills. The South Coast and Lower Rogue

Watershed Councils are both guided by all-volunteer

boards. They meet monthly to discuss the councils’

priorities, the status of on-going projects, and to lend a community voice to the work we do. The District is

the fiscal and administrative sponsor for the councils, and since many of our projects are in partnership with

the councils it allows us to do work driven by the needs of the community. Feel like you have something to

offer? Stop by our office, give us a call, or

send us a message.

Rogue River Cleanup Volunteer appreciation BBQ.

Photo: Kyla Fitz-Gerald

Curry SWCD Supporting Curry SWCD cont.

http://www.currywatersheds.org

5

Vegetation Management Program

District Programs


Early Detection, Rapid Response for

Curry’s Most WANTED weeds Our vegetation management team continued this year to

address 7 priority weeds in Curry County, selected due to

their limited distribution in Curry County and potential to

create significant damage. The Early Detection Rapid

Response (EDRR) approach prevents the spread of

priority non-native invaders before they are beyond the

reach of containment. We monitored and controlled

localized infestations of Cape Ivy, Delairea adorate;

Japanese Knotweed, Polygonum custpidatum;

Himalayan Knotweed, Polygonum polystachyum;

Spanish Heath, Erica lusitanica; Jubata Grass,

Cortaderia jubata; Biddy-Biddy, Acaena novae-

zelandiae; and Matgrass, Nardus stricta.

Monitoring and controlling Cape Ivy, Delairea

adorate, is a top program priority due to its

manageable footprint in Curry County and

the weed’s potential for livestock toxicity and

significant forest damage.

We have treated more than 100 gorse infestation

sites in the past fiscal year alone. Treatment of gorse

demands follow-up due to this pest’s long seedbed

life in the soil and its ability to wreak economic and

habitat damage over very short periods. The two-

pronged strategy of Gorse WARS consists of both

perimeter containment and outlier eradication.

Containing core gorse infestation perimeters: We

focus on containing large swathes of Ulex europaeus

that are beyond practical control by addressing

strategic perimeter and riparian corridor sites.

Eradicating outlier “hot spots” : Like small outbreaks

of fire beyond the margin of a major conflagration,

these areas will be monitored and treated until they

are entirely suppressed.

Gorse Wars: The ongoing battle

Gorse, Ulex europaeus. Persistent and

aggressive, gorse spreads quickly to form large,

extremely flammable monocultures. At least 10

large gorse fires have threatened or destroyed

city infrastructure and residences since its

intentional introduction to Bandon in the 1870s.

6

Farm and Conservation Planning

Agricultural Water Quality Management: Spotlight

District Programs

Curry SWCD

In the summer of 2017 a livestock water system was installed on a ranch in the watershed of Willow

Creek, a tributary to Floras Creek. The water

system was designed to distribute water from a

spring to troughs located throughout the ranch for

livestock drinking water. The purpose of the water

system was to provide the landowner flexibility in

his grazing management, supply livestock with a

clean source of drinking water, and reduce the

impact of livestock on stream banks and surface

water in the stream from which livestock had been

drinking.

The water system was designed to be entirely

gravity-fed; water from a spring was piped to a

2,500-gallon storage tank located approximately 30

feet lower in elevation. The tank was plumbed with

2,500-gallon storage tank placed within a livestock

exclusion area to protect it from livestock.

Installation of a lateral line and upright to supply water to a trough (left). Troughs are installed on hardened pads to

prevent excessively muddy conditions that can result from heavy use (right). Fence posts and 2”x6” lumber are used to

protect the troughs from livestock damage.

7

District Programs, continued

Agricultural Water Quality Program: Offstream watering cont.

Offstream water systems provide better access to clean

drinking water for livestock.

Offstream water systems improve grazing distribution for

more productive pastures, facilitate the exclusion of

livestock from streams, and protect surface water.

a float and lever valve to stop the flow of water to the tank when it is full. From the storage tank,

water flows downhill through a combination of PVC and polyethylene pipe to six troughs located

throughout the hillside pastures. Float valves attached to the troughs stop flow when the troughs are

full and prevent overflow. The trough locations were strategically chosen by the landowner to support

his management of livestock and pastures. Construction of the water system was implemented by the

landowner and Curry SWCD staff.

The availability of water throughout the pastures reduces the tendency of livestock to congregate near

their drinking water source. It also facilitates a rotational grazing strategy, in which the livestock are

moved regularly. Such a strategy can result in improved forage utilization by livestock and increased

forage productivity as plants are allowed time to recover after grazing.

The livestock water system also has benefits for streams and surface water on the property. Prior to

construction of the water system, livestock would access a nearby stream for drinking water where

their activities had the potential to contribute to bank instability and degraded water quality. Because

the livestock now have access to drinking water in the troughs, the landowner placed livestock

exclusion fencing along the stream. This fencing keeps livestock from accessing the stream and allows

the stream and riparian vegetation to function more naturally.


8

Curry SWCD

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Technical Assistance

District Programs

FY 2018 our CREP Tech completed work funded by the last

biennium’s Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board grant. The

cumulative progress last biennium included 15 assessments, 21

new applications, and 17 approved contracts including re-

enrollments.

In summer of 2018 we began evaluating 17 CREP contracts in

Coos and Curry Counties to prepare for their September 2018

expiration. Advance screening combined off-site aerial photo

assessment with on-site evaluation to confirm that the 10 to 15

year-old contract boundaries were correctly located and that

projects were eligible for re-enrollment. All were updated and

recommended to FSA for continue dprotection of sensitive

riparian areas. Ten of the 17 eligible contracts were submitted by

their owners for re-enrollment and received all of the inventory

and evaluation required for the NRCS planning process.

The projects whose owners elected not to re-enroll are an

interesting reflection of the challenges faced by conservation practitioners in our region:

3 of the 7 owners are retiring from active land management, and the future of their operations is

undetermined. Operator succession is a major factor in our region for preserving our agricultural economy

and its associated habitat/resource benefits.

One owner found that his 0.6-acre project did not seem worth

extra paperwork, but he will keep his buffer in shape and

appreciates the help planning, fencing, and planting. The

operator is receiving Coos SWCD planning assistance for more

ranch improvements.

One Curry County landowner elected not to re-enroll to make

room for new instream projects by one of our watershed

partners. CREP is a great way to restore and set aside riparian

areas, but is not compatible with the earth-moving operations

required to reconnect floodplains and increase linear salmonid

habitat.

This pasture is well buffered by the thriving

grasses, shrubs, and trees established in a 2012

CREP project. The landowners elected to re-

enroll for a further 10 year obligation to exclude

riparian grazing and control noxious weeds (in

this case, mostly Himalayan blackberry brush) to

minimize sediment runoff to Middle Creek, a

tributary to the NF Coquille River.

9

Welcome Monitoring Program Coordinator

Robbie Lascheck

District Programs, continued

Watershed Technical Assistance


Curry SWCD technical staff work closely with partner agencies to provide assistance in watershed

protection and restoration planning. Assistance includes cooperative projects among Watershed

Councils, SWCDs, and NRCS, as well as assisting other agencies and contracting out District services to

entities including Curry Watersheds Nonprofit.

Summer 2018 saw the addition of a new staff member: Curry Watersheds Partnership Monitoring Program Coordinator Robbie Lascheck.

Robbie says sometimes he doesn’t know what he wants. He’s equally happy wading around in a stream or wetland as he is wading through copious amounts of datasets and reports. As you can imagine, this meant that his path to get here wasn’t the most direct route. After a failed attempt at art school (don’t try to make your hobby your career unless you’re 100% certain that’s what you want), Robbie realized that his true passion was for the environment. He attributes this to growing up in the foothills of the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho, where he spent a majority of his formative years taking full advantage of the majestic beauty of the mountain lakes and crystal clear rivers that carve their way into this rough and rugged landscape.

This passion for the environment led him on a meandering path, starting in Fort Collins, Colorado where he was first exposed to the exciting, expansive, and somewhat daunting world of environmental sciences at Colorado State University. From there he traveled to Oregon, where he immediately fell in love with the myriad of amazing people and places here (many of which he’s still discovering). Over the past 10 years in Oregon he’s lived in Bend, Eugene, and Portland, received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from the University of Oregon, and Master of Environmental Management from Portland State University, and worked directly with state, regional, and local agencies and groups on a variety of natural resource monitoring projects. These experiences have given him an extensive toolset of skills and experiences related to natural resource monitoring, data analysis and management, GIS, and others that he’s able to apply to his position as watershed monitoring program coordinator.

In addition to administering the regular business of the district, Curry SWCD acts as fiscal sponsor,

employer, and contracting agent for the South Coast Coordinating Watershed Council and the Lower

Rogue Watershed Council. SWCD also provides coordination, leadership, and support for cooperative

projects spanning multiple concerns.

Administration

10

Curry SWCD Cooperative Programs

Sediment Abatement Road sediment abatement education, inventories, and projects address the delivery of sediment into

surface waters from poor road surface conditions and crossings, substantial sources of water quality

impairment that are often difficult for landowners to remediate on their own. Sediment abatement is

incorporated into many projects with multiple benefits.

Watershed (habitat) Restoration Our shared Watershed restoration program identifies habitat restoration opportunities and implements

restoration projects with multiple benefits, especially where agricultural uses and habitat values can be

made more compatible. In FY 2018 our partnership continued to restore instream and riparian habitat on

working lands by remediating gully formation on hillside pastures, by upgrading road crossings to provide

fish passage, by restoring streamside vegetation, and by implementing instream habitat projects that

included large wood placement and other channel modifications.

Data Management and GIS Program Proper collection, storage, and management of data generated through our programs is critical for the

purpose of refining focus areas, reporting on progress, identifying potential target areas, evaluating

project performance, and designing future projects. The database is maintained by SWCD staff with

occasional assistance from specialists, and is funded through cooperative projects with our local

Watershed Councils.

OWEB Small Grant Program Curry SWCD provides coordination for the local OWEB Small Grant Team, which awards funds for projects

to improve fish habitat. Small Grants are a great tool to provide shorter turn-around for locally prioritized

riparian fencing and restoration, fish habitat and passage improvements, off-stream watering facilities,

and sediment abatement projects.

Curry SWCD cooperates with the Lower Rogue Watershed Council, the South Coast Watershed Council, and

the Curry Watersheds Nonprofit in the Curry Watersheds Partnership. Curry SWCD acts as the employer of

record and fiscal sponsor for all four entities. We share staff, outreach opportunities, and office space in

Gold Beach as well as a vision for sustainable economic and ecological progress in Curry County.

Monitoring data and analysis is the basis for prioritizing restoration projects and allows us to ensure that

project work is being properly maintained. Monitoring means we can account for the money spent on the

ground and track changes and improvements as work is accomplished. Water quality and project

effectiveness monitoring inform and support all of our partnership’s ongoing restoration efforts.

Monitoring Programs (Water Quality, Project Effectiveness)

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Our Focused Investment Partnership initiative:

The Siskiyou Coast Estuaries Partnership

Cooperative Programs, cont.

Over the years we have become increasingly aware of the importance of estuaries to the health of

numerous wildlife species in general and to salmonid populations in particular. So we were highly

interested when the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) launched its new Focused

Investment Partnerships (FIP) program in 2015 and identified estuaries as one of the program’s

ecological priorities. The FIP program allows successful applicants up to $12 million in funding over a 6-

year period of time. We know full well the challenges of gathering sufficient grant funds together for

complicated projects, so the ability for our partnership to access this kind of dedicated funding can’t be

overstated enough. However, to apply for the implementation funding we needed to submit a strategic

action plan (SAP) – something we lacked. In early 2016 we received funding from OWEB and the Wild

Rivers Coast Alliance (WRCA) to help us create our SAP, cultivate relationships with other conservation

organizations that would be critical when implementing the SAP, and strengthen the Curry Watershed

Partnership’s capacity to better serve as the lead organization for the initiative.

As noted on page one of this Annual Report, the early part of the project was spent building internal

capacity for the CWP. We then teamed up with the Wild Rivers Land Trust and ODFW to form the

Siskiyou Coast Estuaries Partnership (SCEP) and began working on developing the SAP. We identified

rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids as the ecological objective, and our Technical Team prioritized the

nine Siskiyou Coast estuaries to determine the first geography of focus. New River, Sixes River, and Elk

River rose to the top. After a preliminary evaluation of potential projects based on rearing habitat

conditions within and adjacent to those estuaries, we decided to focus first on the Sixes and then on the

Elk. We are now hard at work refining the suite of potential projects, developing a scoring mechanism to

help us determine a project’s “ripeness” for moving forward, and codifying everything into the SAP

document. More to come in FY 18-19!

Wait, did you say “strategic action plan???”

As mentioned above, we are working on an estuaries-focused strategic action plan (SAP). "Strategic plan" is a term that can make people nervous, so here's what ours is and isn't:

What our SAP IS: A document that demonstrates to potential funders that we understand

the ecological objective we’re addressing and the types of projects that we are capable of

putting on the ground to benefit that objective.

What our SAP ISN’T: A regulatory document or agenda to be forced on landowners. We will

continue our practice of working with willing landowners to conduct voluntary restoration

efforts customized around the landowner’s management goals.

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Curry SWCD

Outreach and Education Program Highlights 2017-2018

Curry Watersheds Education Program provides field-based experiences for youth through in-school

and afterschool programs. Students experience the richness of a riparian zone and wade in streams

while learning about its processes. There is no other program offered in Curry County that suits

children up in rubber boots and sends them wading into a creek with nets and clipboards, or puts

tools in their hands and teaches them how to improve natural habitats. In order to preserve and

protect something, one must first learn, experience, and appreciate its existence. Thank you to

Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for the many years of programmatic support!!

Salmon Ecology! Each fall, all 3rd

or 4th grade students in all of Curry

county’s school districts receive

classroom visits to gain background

knowledge on watersheds, riparian

zones and salmon habitat. The lessons

lead up to a full day field trip where

students explore salmon habitat and

witness the salmon migration in local

streams.

Little Bear Patch Pollinator Garden!

This was an exciting year for the pollinators in

Brookings, Oregon. An abandoned garden at

Kalmiopsis Elementary School was designated

to be redesigned as a garden for the

“pollinators”. With volunteer support from

the Brookings Oregon Monarch Advocate

group, and a supporting U.S. Fish & Wildlife

Schoolyard Habitat grant, Curry Watersheds Education Program

offered leadership to transform a weedy, neglected garden space into

an invertebrate meadow, full of native nectar and host plants for

coastal butterfly species of concern. The school received designation

as a “Monarch School USA”for their dedication to growing milkweed.

The high school agriculture program and BOMA offers maintenance

to keep the area growing!

Cooperative Programs, continued

13


Education and Outreach, continued

The 4H Forest Explorers STEM Clubs were a “ROVing” success!

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math skills were the focus of three 4H

Clubs in Curry County for the past 2 years. 34 students in 3 communities partic-

ipated in weekly club meetings where they practiced STEM skills in preparation

for the building of a Remote Operated Vehicle. ROVs are underwater vehicles

driven by propellers and a long tether which connects to the controls. 34 2nd-

8th grade students contributed to the creation of an underwater power system

and designed 3 different frames, which 13 club members took to a Regional ROV SeaMate competi-

tion in Lincoln City to compete! The ‘helping hands’ tool (above) was used often as club members

soldered the circuit board and power wires of their ROV.

The Forest Explorers 4H STEM also partnered with a

variety of agency partners as they took monthly field

trips around Curry county such as to Brookings

drinking water intake site, a Chetco Bar burn site,

and the Lower Rogue trail. They also visited Potato

Patch Prairie (left) in the Rogue-Siskiyou National

Forest and assisted the U.S. Forest Service in

removing small conifers to preserve meadow habitat.

Many thanks to the USFS RAC, 4H Trust, OSU

Extension, STEM Beyond School and local Rotarians

for support! Statia Ryder and Maya Holiman led this

ambitious group on many adventures.

“Outdoor School” provides 3-6 consecutive days for 5th or 6th grade students to participate in

outdoor learning experiences; often at an overnight facility. Curry county schools have not

participated in this Oregon tradition (established in 1957) for more than a decade. Barriers to

participation included funding, travel to facilities, and teacher disenchantment. Thanks to the recent

passing of Measure 99, funds are now available for all Oregon 5th or 6th graders to attend Outdoor

School. With support from the Gray Family Foundation, Curry SWCD received a planning grant to

help Curry County’s 3 school districts in a collaborative effort led by Curry Watersheds Education

Coordinator Statia Ryder to consider what their Outdoor School experience could be. After learning

of the many potential benefits of Outdoor School and visiting potential learning sites, 2 of the 3

school districts are scheduled to attend Outdoor School in the 2018-19 school year!

Outdoor School returns!

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Curry SWCD Cooperative Programs, continued

FoodCorps: For almost 3 years Curry Watersheds Partnership has hosted an

AmeriCorps Service Member to provide full-time service in the Port Orford and

Gold Beach School Districts, focusing on hands-on lessons, healthy school

meals, and a school-wide culture of health. Activities include local food

education, school gardens, farm field trips, taste testing, and more. FoodCorps

is a National Program with 10 sites in Oregon including Curry County.

Foodshed Lessons: We deliver a 12-class curriculum to 5th graders to explore

how food production impacts the health of our watersheds and our bodies. Topics include the story of

Oregon agriculture and soil and water conservation. We emphasize supporting local growers and our

community’s economy, and making healthy food choices.

School Garden Education: School Gardens provide educational opportunities for multiple subjects outside

the classroom. Together with OSU Master Gardeners and Garden

Coordinators we apply educational concepts to garden tasks like planting,

harvesting, composting, and then we serve up the student-grown produce in

the school cafeteria. We have proven

that kids are more likely to eat fresh

produce that they have grown

themselves!

General Food and Garden Education: Additional opportunities are

offered to K-8 students in Port Orford and Gold Beach districts to

explore vermicomposting, seed dispersal, nitrogen cycle, hydroponic lettuce, garden art, and garden-

related math skills.

Farm Field Trips: Giving students an opportunity to visit a farm or ranch,

meet our local producers and ask them

questions about how they care for their

crops, animals, and the land is an

important part of our education. Students

learn how much work and planning goes

into our food production. The best part is the opportunity to taste food

right from the field.

Foodsheds Education: Our Farms; Our Food; Our Families

Outreach and Education Program

15

2017-2018 Annual Report Cooperative Programs, continued

Foodsheds Education, Continued

Cooking Classes: In 2018 we piloted cooking classes highlighting local foods for

middle school students, and our success has us looking into ways to expand the

program, including partnering with local chefs and the Southwestern Oregon

Community College Culinary Institute.

Farm to School Community Outreach

Dinner: Students shared their knowledge

with family and the community as middle school students sourced,

cooked, and served a locally-made dinner in their school cafeteria. A

big thank-you to cafeteria manager Theresa Nelson and to Dianne

Hosford and Eli, Crazy Norwegian’s owner/chef and young manager

who made this dinner a memorable experience for more than 80

community members.

Food Trail Projects: The Wild Rivers Coast Food Trail expanded this year to include 40 businesses from

Reedsport to Brookings! Six project categories for supporting local food on the south coast of Oregon

include Farms, Farm to Table, Seafood, Markets, Craft Brews & Spirits, and Artisan Products. Other regions

of Oregon have used our original Farm Trail model for similar Food Trails in the state. This has garnered

support for us from Travel Oregon to help us design new brochures for a look we will see across Oregon.

Two events to support Food Trail Participants are planned - a Thanksgiving networking event and a Workshop to connect with business expansion support. Next year we plan to roll out a Passport Program with prizes for those who collect various experiences from the Wild Rivers Coast Food Trail.

Outreach and Education Program

Thank you to our funders! Foodshed and Farm to School Education is provided by funding from the Ford Family Foundation and the Oregon Department of Education.

Curry Local Foods Tourism projects are funded by the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, Travel Oregon, and the Oregon Coast Visitors Association.

Additional support provided by a local funder, Plumb Level & Square.

These wonderful programs would not exist without grants and donations from funders who recognize the crucial role of education and outreach in the long-term sustainability of our interconnected social, economic, and natural resources.

16

Curry SWCD

Our Watershed Council Partners: Lower Rogue Rogue River Estuary

By Kelly Timchak (Lower Rogue Watershed Council Coordinator)

The Rogue River Estuary is the vital interface between ocean and fresh water that is critical to the health

and survival of numerous threatened and listed anadromous species such as coho and Chinook salmon,

steelhead trout, and Pacific lamprey. The estuary provides a nursery and transition area for juvenile

salmonids. According to the Oregon Department

of Fish & Wildlife, the estuary was determined to

be a limiting factor to salmonid health based on

the extensive physical and hydrologic

modifications that have occurred in the past and

the subsequent impacts to available aquatic

habitat and water quality.

Historically, the Rogue River estuary has been

limited in both size and variety of coastal

wetlands available due to geology, the steep gradient of the Rogue River, and anthropogenic impacts.

Restoration of the natural processes that formed our spatially limited wetlands would enhance estuary

function and build resiliency in our coastal wetlands far into the future. The 2015 Rogue River Estuary

Strategic Plan identified the need to restore coastal wetlands to the lower Rogue.

The Rogue River has experienced a loss of vegetated wetland habitat over time due to industry,

agriculture, and invasive weed introduction. These wetlands provide a combination of shallow water, high

levels of nutrients and primary productivity that is

ideal for the development of organisms that form

the base of the food web and feed many species of

fish, amphibians, shellfish and insects. Many of the

U.S. breeding bird populations and migratory

waterfowl use coastal and inland wetlands as well

for resting, feeding, breeding or nesting grounds for

at least part of the year. Vegetated wetlands also

play an essential role in ecology by providing

habitat for wildlife and reducing erosion, and

whenever this vegetation is removed it can drastically and sometimes irreversibly alter wetland function

into the future.

According to the Southern Oregon Northern California Coho Recovery Plan (SONCC), current limiting

factors for the Lower Rogue River are lack of floodplain and channel structure, impaired water quality

17


(mainly temperature), and impaired estuarine function. The leading limiting factor for salmonids in the

Lower Rogue River is the lack of suitable habitat for the juvenile rearing phase, and the SONCC notes that

recovery is extremely unlikely without the addition of summer and winter habitat.

The absence of winter refuge habitat throughout the lower Rogue, and

especially within the estuary, has been shown to be a bottleneck for coho

populations (photo to right) in the Rogue River. Additionally, the lack of

summer pool habitat means that the fish that survive the winter have very

little chance to make it through the low flow period as they acclimate to

saltwater before heading to sea or as resident populations over-summer

as well.

ODFW Biologists have identified these refuge areas as having high potential for coho salmon production.

Due the high potential of the area for anadromous fish production and the need to improve stream

complexity, the Rogue River Estuary Strategic Plan has also identified the slough as high priority for

instream restoration (see map). Salmonid growth rates have also been shown to increase with time spent

in estuaries rearing, and larger smolts have a greater chance of survival as returning adults.

Our proposed project will take place in

God Wants You Slough, which is fed by

three freshwater creeks – Krambeal, Flood,

and Lynch Creeks. The slough is connected

at the downstream end to the Rogue River

Estuary and provides critical over-

wintering habitat for coho salmon, and

rearing habitat for steelhead, cutthroat,

Pacific lamprey, and Chinook salmon. This

open water habitat is also widely used by

migratory waterfowl, elk, deer, red-legged

frogs, and beaver. The goal of the project

is to increase high quality off-channel

refugia (winter habitat) and access to cold

water refugia (summer habitat) for juvenile salmonids, while also supporting floodplain processes that will

benefit other native aquatic species.

These valuable estuarine habitats are already extremely limited in the Rogue River Estuary, and provide

important rearing areas not only for salmonids, but also for species like eulachon, Pacific lamprey, and

green and white sturgeon. The Lower Rogue Watershed Council will continue to focus on estuarine health

by trying to increase the important ecosystem connections and processes that form the foundation of so

many species’ life histories.

18

Curry SWCD

Our Watershed Council Partners: South Coast In FY 2017-2018, the South Coast Watershed Council continued to update and develop their internal

structure and organization and prepare for the hiring of a full-time, permanent Council Coordinator. As

part of these efforts the Council developed long-term strategic priorities and policies specific to their

organization and acquired funding for a full-time Council Coordinator. In addition to these efforts

towards internal development, the Council partnered with other key organizations to accomplish

common priorities and continued to lead and contribute to a number of watershed restoration and

enhancement projects across the southern Oregon coast. The following are highlights of the Council’s

accomplishments in Fiscal Year 17-18:

Internal Development

Undertook a prioritization of the Council’s initiatives, constituencies, and actions. The outcomes of this

prioritization contributed to a 5-year strategic plan and new Council bylaws, which were adopted in

April 2018.

Changed the Council’s structure from an umbrella organization representing individual Councils to a

stand-alone Council representing all watersheds in its service area.

Brought on two new Council members including Sunny Capper who represents the Chetco River

Watershed, and Jeff Jackson who represents the BLM.

Partnership Development

Continued to partner with the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance (WRCA) on important initiatives across the

service area, including a Focused Investment Plan (FIP) for the Sixes River watershed and a Strategic

Action Plan (SAP) for the recovery of Coho salmon in the Elk River watershed. WRCA was also

instrumental in providing capacity funding for a full-time Council Coordinator.

Remained an active member of the Gorse Action Group (GAG) and signed onto a Declaration of

Cooperation with other members of the GAG to demonstrate a commitment to the management and

control of gorse in the South Coast region. Specifically, the Council contributed to important efforts to

manage gorse in and around Brookings.

Continued in its role as a core member of the Siskiyou Coast Estuaries Partnership, whose main focus in

FY 17-18 was developing a Strategic Action Plan for the Sixes River watershed.

Partnered with the Langlois Water District and BLM to acquire funding for watershed improvements in

the Langlois drinking water source area.

Participated in an advisory council convened by the Governor to assess the effects of the Chetco Bar

fire on private lands. Specifically, the advisory council focused on a sub-portion of private land around

the Chetco River, and the Council acquired OWEB funding to assess sediment sources and the potential

for restoration on private lands.

19

2017-2018 Annual Report South Coast Watershed highlights, cont.

Project Development and Implementation

Implemented riparian restoration and sediment

abatement projects on Floras Creek, which were

focused on protecting drinking water for the town of

Langlois.

Installed log structures on private ranches along highly

erosive banks on New River (~100 logs, 12 structures,

¼ mile of bank) and Floras Creek (~120 logs, 25

structures, ¾ mile of bank).

Partnered with the Forest Service to

restore wetlands and block OHV access at the

confluence of the Chetco River and the south

fork of the Chetco River.

Continued to maintain and manage

riparian restoration at the 2015-16 Sullivan

Gulch Bottomland restoration project on Cape

Blanco State Park.

Worked with the SWCD to acquire money

through the Wild Salmon Center and WRCA

to begin projects under the Elk River Coho

Business Plan SAP, which will be a large

source of project development and

implementation in FY 18-19.

Built two bridges on a private ranch that will

open up 0.87 miles of habitat for cutthroat

trout and provide crossings for livestock and

vehicles across the north fork of Crystal Creek,

which is a tributary to the Sixes River.

Streambank stabilization along Floras Creek

Riparian vegetation maintenance along Floras Creek

One of two bridges constructed over Crystal Creek

20

2017-2018Annual Report

Curry County Soil & Water Conservation District

29692 Ellensburg Avenue, PO Box 666

Gold Beach, OR 97444 Phone: 541-247-2755

[email protected]

Curry SWCD FY 2018 Board of Directors

Chair Steve Kalina (at large 2) Board Service: 15 years

Vice Chair Neil Walker (zone 2) Board Service: 13 years

Treasurer/

Secretary Jeremy Knapp (at large 1) Board Service: 7 years

Director Keith Smith (zone 3) Board Service: 24 years

Director Nick Puhl (zone 1) Board Service: 5 years

Assoc. Director John Wilson

Assoc. Director Scott McKenzie

Assoc. Director Jim Kamph

2017-18 Partnership Staff

District Manager Liesl Coleman

Administrative Assistant Mary Spini

CREP/Riparian Technical Assistance Barbara Grant

Vegetation Management Program

Riparian Management Coordinator Drew Harper

Project Implementation Manager Dustin Williams

Field Technician Matt Hubbard

Watershed Education

Program Coordinator Statia Ryder

STEM Club Assistant Maya Holiman

Foodshed Program Coordinator Cathy Boden

Technical Coordinator Erin Minster

Monitoring Program Coordinator Robbie Lascheck

Sediment Abatement,

Watershed Restoration Programs Matt Swanson, Swanson Ecological Services LLC

South Coast Watershed Council Coordinator (acting) Matt Swanson, Swanson Ecological Services

Lower Rogue Watershed Council Coordinator Kelly Timchak

www.currywatersheds.org

2017 2018 Annual Report - Curry Watersheds reports/Swcdannual_17-18.pdf2017-2018 Annual Report. urry Soil & Water onservation District. Fiscal Year 2017: Strategy and Partnerships.

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