Malheur Watershed Council

11/04/2025

A heathy watershed doesn't just survive the storm - it knows how to heal afterward.

10/30/2025

Heavy rain pounded the Malheur River corridor, unusual in its intensity and amount of rain for that time of year... This came after an already unusually wet winter and spring, with the ground saturated with moisture. This intense weather, paired with conditions on the ground, were the perfect conditions for flooding and mudslides that ensued. One can only imagine the sound as literal tons of earth and rock made its way down the steep slopes then crashing to a stop.

Read more at: https://www.malheurwatershed.com/featured-stories/when-watersheds-suddenly-become-relevant

10/21/2025

The Malheur Watershed Council supports on-the-ground actions to enhance the Malheur River Basin. Follow along for the latest updates!

The Malheur Watershed Council focuses on the water quality and quantity in the Malheur River Basin of southeastern Oregon.

09/24/2025

Check out this impressive transformation on a juniper removal project in the Malheur River Basin.... Slide to see the before and after! https://2fca7b1f37d0443191b7cf1ec6a04d92.elf.site/

Juniper removal is a key component of the Malheur Watershed Council’s overall strategy to improve upland rangeland conditions. The “Crippling Juniper” project was an example of large, multi-faceted project aimed at improving the watershed and protecting valuable Sage-Grouse habitat. Projects like these are a win for landowners, a win for the grouse, and a win for our watersheds.

Read more at: https://www.malheurwatershed.com/featured-stories/crippling-juniper

Click the link to interact with Elfsight Before and After Slider

09/17/2025

"The true meaning of life is to plan trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
-Nelson Henderson

09/03/2025

The fall deadline is fast approaching, if you have a project in mind that you would like to submit, contact us now! Join us in creating a stronger watershed—project by project.

Ellie Hanson, Executive Director
[email protected], 541-889-1417

09/01/2025

During the 2023-2024 period, the Malheur Watershed Council worked on 34 separate projects aimed at watershed improvement. In 2024, the Council was able to secure $7,097,608 in new grants. Of this $6,121,238 is going towards piping 10.4 miles of irrigation laterals. Key partners in this project are Vale Irrigation District, OWEB, BOR, OWRD, RSI, and MWC.

These funds have been used to purchase local supplies, contract with local labor, utilize local businesses, and improve local aspects of our watershed. These projects have directly contributed to our local economy and to bring about positive change.

Along with landowners and local businesses, we partnered with BLM, NRCS, SWCD, BOR, OWRD, DEQ, USFS, ODFW, Burns Paiute Tribe, Irrigation Districts, local contractors, Trout Unlimited, and Malheur County.

08/14/2025

The Malheur Watershed Council has long held invasive annual grass treatment as a priority. The Council sees the threat these grasses pose to not only habitat and forage availability, but their role in increasing fire frequency, increased erosion potential and degradation of the watershed. The Council has funded projects in the past to treat localized areas, but recently there has been momentum gaining to tackle this issue at a larger scale. Read more at: https://www.malheurwatershed.com/featured-stories/invasiveannualgrass

08/11/2025

These maps show the change in annual grass cover from 1997 to 2022 in the Malheur River Basin. A large portion of the area invaded by exotic annual grasses is (or was) sagebrush rangeland. These exotic annual grasses are converting previously perennial-dominated communities into annual-dominated communities.

The Council has long held invasive annual grass treatment as a priority, working to try to stop this trend that is damaging for the watershed, the wildlife and the communities who depend on this land. Learn more by launching and exploring the Rangelands Analysis Platform: https://rangelands.app/

08/04/2025

“The health of the land and the prosperity of those who live on it are inseparable.” — Wendell Berry, Farmer & Writer

07/29/2025

On February 25, 2025 the Malheur River reached a crest of 23.57 feet at the U.S. Geological Survey gauge in Vale. This marked the third highest recorded stage at that location, surpassing the major flood stage threshold of 23.0 feet. The only higher crests occurred in 1957 (24.58 feet) and 1982 (23.8 feet), according to the National Water Prediction Service... Read more about it here: https://www.malheurwatershed.com/featured-stories/malheur-river-basin-sees-historic-flooding