OWEB Restoration Grants

From Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB)

The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board is a state agency that provides grants to help Oregonians take care of local streams, rivers, wetlands, and natural areas. Their mission is to help protect and restore healthy watersheds and natural habitats that support thriving communities and strong economies.

Type of Support

Overview

This grant program focuses on restoration priorities that aim to address altered watershed functions which impact water quality, water flow, and fish production capacity. It supports the removal or remediation of structures such as roads, culverts, and channels to enhance water quality and fish habitat, alongside land management practices that counteract chronic disturbances to the watershed. A distinctive aspect of this grant is its encouragement of collaboration between stakeholders and agencies, as well as prioritizing upslope and upstream treatments. It covers a vast range of habitat and activity areas including instream, riparian, upland, and wetland or estuarine habitats with specific activities like bank stabilization, fish passage improvement, vegetation management, and more detailed in various sub-categories. Furthermore, the grant includes the National Coastal Wetland Conservation Grant (NCWCG), which is supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the acquisition, restoration, and enhancement of wetlands in coastal states. These awards, which can range from $125,000 to $1,000,000 and require a 25% non-federal match, encourage the long-term conservation of coastal wetland ecosystems. Applicants interested in NCWCG funding must apply through specific pathways and provide a letter of interest to indicate their intent.

Eligibility

Organization's Location
USA
Program Location
OR
Organization Type
Person
Tribe
Watershed council
Soil and water conservation district
Not-for-profit institution
School
Community college
State institution of higher education
Independent not-for-profit institution of higher education
Political subdivision of this state that is not a state agency
State agency (as co-applicant)
Federal agency (as co-applicant)
Other
  • Applicants or co-applicants may serve as a fiscal agent for grants

Ineligibility

Projects solely for water storage construction for out-of-stream use not related to restoration or protection
Projects eligible for funding through Oregon's fish screening program
Projects constructed solely to comply with enforcement orders, legal judgments, or mitigation requirements
Routine project maintenance costs
Water conservation projects without measurable instream flow, groundwater, or water quality benefits.
not specified

Submission

Review Criteria

To be considered for funding by the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund, preference will be given to grant applications that emphasize the following:

  • Initiatives aimed at restoring or improving watershed functions that impact water quality, water flow volume and duration, and fish production capacity, rather than projects focusing on localized land use issues that primarily benefit private land or resources.
  • Efforts that focus on mitigating human-induced changes to the environment such as roads, culverts, and channel modifications to enhance water quality and fish habitats, as opposed to projects aimed solely at bolstering naturally occurring systems.
  • Proposals that propose alterations in land management strategies to tackle the root causes of ongoing watershed disturbances, rather than those addressing only the immediate effects of such disturbances.
  • Projects demonstrating active collaboration among various stakeholders and agencies rather than initiatives driven by a single entity.
  • Projects that prioritize interventions in upper watershed areas (upslope and upstream) to improve conditions, except when addressing specific challenges like tidal influences or comprehensive issues affecting the entirety of the watershed, including historical losses, where focus on lower watershed areas (downslope and downstream) may be warranted.

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