Oregon Conservation

09/03/2026

Rad project by Luckiamute Watershed Council

🌳 LWC Restoration Program Director, Aubrey Siddiqui-Cloud, recently walked Columbia Insight through the floodplain forest habitat we're helping Oregon State Parks to bring back at Luckiamute State Natural Area — 800,000 native trees planted over 15 years, and an important river confluence habitat now approaching 1,200 continuous acres, thanks to a recent Greenbelt Land Trust acquisition. Fish, birds, elk, even black bears are showing up. And there's a wildlife return on the table that would be a first for Oregon in a long time... 👀 Read the full story to find out what it is! https://columbiainsight.org/at-the-confluence-of-3-rivers-a-floodplain-oasis-is-growing/

Aerial photo by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department

08/26/2026

Check out this video about oak restoration in the Willamette Valley.

08/10/2026

Going beyond the surface at Clackamas River Basin Council's restoration of Beebe Island. Scroll to see restoration science in action during active construction. A field visit with Clackamas River Basin Council's Isaac Sanders unveiled the precise engineering behind what will become critical habitat for threatened salmon and native turtles. Every strategically placed log and carefully dug refuge serves multiple species, while ongoing work to remove invasives and plant natives ensures the entire ecosystem can flourish.

08/05/2026

Tiichám Conservation District ... was the first tribally-chartered conservation district in Oregon. It started in 2004. As part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Tiicham Conservation District focuses on supporting conservation efforts in and around tribal lands. In particular, its focus is supporting land, water and food systems.

MISSION — Tiicham Conservation District and Cairnspring Mills are partnering to try figuring out what impacts the quality of baking flour. Cairnspring Mills is a stone-ground flour business based in […]

07/23/2026

This Oregon farmer found practices saving water while helping his bottom line.

Check out this great video by the Upper Willamette Stewardship Network as they follow John Deck around his 320-acre farm in Junction City, where he's turning conservation challenges into wins. From cutting his water use by millions of gallons to keeping livestock out of creeks (while still keeping them happy), John shows how smart partnerships and the right funding can transform both your land and your operation.

Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council Deck Family Farm

07/21/2026

Oregon tribes seek federal land transfers. Conservation groups see another option

A historic wrong finds another remedy as tribes, conservation groups and land trusts pursue private land returns.

07/09/2026

The invasive grasses fueling Oregon's repeat rangeland fires — and the plan to stop them

One canyon in Wasco County has burned at least five times in the last 20 years. A 4,500-acre restoration project is trying to break the cycle by removing the invasive grasses that fuel the flames.

07/07/2026

Along a winding stretch of Little Butte Creek, the Rogue River Watershed Council has been hard at work solving a decades-old puzzle of how to balance the water needs of local farmers with the survival of migrating Chinook salmon.

Temporary "push-up dams" built for irrigation have created barriers that prevent salmon from reaching their ancestral spawning grounds, while also trapping young fish in shallow ditches. Working hand-in-hand with a private landowner, restoration teams engineered an elegant solution, a modern irrigation system that eliminates the need for these seasonal obstructions entirely. By relocating water intake points and installing protective fish screens, they've created a win-win scenario where crops can flourish and salmon can complete their life cycle unimpeded.

The benefits ripple far beyond the creek's banks. As native willows, cottonwoods, and other riparian vegetation take root along wildlife-friendly fencing, these plants are filtering sediments, cooling water temperatures, and creating crucial habitat corridors. The strategic placement of large wood structures to create essential fish habitat is one of the final pieces in the puzzle for bringing this waterway back to life. This approach tackles Little Butte Creek's water quality challenges, from excessive sedimentation to harmful temperature spikes, while supporting everything from recreational fishing to clean drinking water for nearby communities.

07/02/2026

When the unexpected happens.

When Kent Smith's family bought their Gilliam County property in 1992, the canyon was barren - overgrazed, treeless and dominated by sagebrush and cheatgrass. Smith enrolled in an NRCS Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program to put fencing around the stream and plant thousands of trees. That combined with the recent installation of Beaver Dam Analogs on his land helped raise the water table. That’s when something unexpected happened!

When Kent Smith's family bought their Gilliam County property in 19...

06/18/2026

https://capitalpress.com/2026/06/17/juniper-removal-touted-as-drought-resilience-investment/

Juniper trees take up immense amounts of water Though lawmakers can’t increase precipitation levels in Oregon, they can steer available water to more beneficial uses by investing in juniper removal, […]