Beaver State News

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) is awarding Oregon a total of $3,847,767 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for ecosystem restoration projects across the state to restore lands and waters critical to climate and infrastructure resilience. 

“With climate chaos threatening the permanent loss of plants and animals that have defined Oregon, working together to make our lands and waters more resilient and healthier has never been more important,” said Senator Merkley, Chairman of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee that provided funding for this program. “These Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds will be used to help conserve and restore Oregon’s important habitats, for the benefit of future generations.”  “The climate crisis’ heavy impact on Oregon’s wildlife and plant life demands a federal response that helps restore and preserve these natural treasures throughout our state,” Wyden said. “These Interior Department investments throughout Oregon from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that I worked to pass are a vital and much-needed piece of that response for waterways, forests and lands statewide.”

The Department of the Interior collaborates with states, Tribes, and local communities to invest crucial funds into habitat restoration, invasive species control, and conservation of at-risk and listed species. These ecosystem restoration projects, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help to advance healthy forests, detect and eradicate invasive species, invest in National Seed Strategy collection and production, mitigate hazards on mined lands, and restore recreation sites and National Parks. 

The information for awards coming to Oregon can be found here or below: 

Resilient Freshwater Systems            

• $400,000 for Cash Creek Aquatic Organism Passage Project 
• $400,000 for Marten Creek Habitat Restoration 
• $300,000 for Wildcat Creek Aquatic Organism Passage Project  
• $300,000 for Marys River Aquatic Organism Passage Project 
• $250,000 for Thirtymile Floodplain Restoration 
• $200,000 for Swartz Creek Coho Salmon Habitat Restoration 
• $95,000 for Frazier Creek Aspen Restoration Good Neighbor Agreement  
• $70,000 for Oregon Statewide Aquatic Invasive Plant Early Detection  
• $50,000 for Malheur Watershed Restoration Project 
• $25,000 for Water Gulch Spring Restoration  

Fire-Resilient Ecosystems       

• $300,000 for Butte Falls and Ashland Forestry Fire Resilience 
• $223,000 for Harpold and Windy Ridge Native Seed Restoration      

Healthy Ecosystems Healthy Humans           

• $460,000 for Santiam Canyon Recreation Site Restoration and Resiliency    
• $20,000 for Pink Sand Verbena Habitat Protection 

Cross-Cutting  

• $259,767 for Rogue and Umpqua Native Plant Partnerships 

Conserve and Restore Cultural Resources    

• $125,000 for Public Recreation Site Weed Sanitation Stations 
• $50,000 for Habitat Improvement at Dean Creek Wildlife Area  

Drought-Resilient Basins        

• $120,000 for Horning Tree Seed Orchard Infrastructure 

Resilient Coasts 

• $50,000 for Managing Invasive Species in Oregon Marsh Habitat

Original source can be found here.