STATE LAND BOARD AWARDS HONOR EXCEPTIONAL PROJECTS, PARTNERS

News Release from Oregon Dept. of State Lands
Posted on FlashAlert: October 15th, 2024 4:38 PM

SALEM, Ore. – The State Land Board today honored multiple projects and partners for their exceptional contributions to thriving Oregon waterways, wetlands, and lands.  

Since the State Land Board Awards were established in 2004, the Land Board has presented more than 45 awards, recognizing remarkable efforts in every region of Oregon. 

“This year, we’re celebrating not only our recipients, but also the 20th anniversary of the State Land Board Awards. Year after year, these awards highlight how collaboration and innovation benefits Oregon’s natural resources and inspires stewardship. Today’s honorees are now part of that remarkable legacy,” said Governor Tina Kotek, who presented the awards with State Treasurer Tobias Read and Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade.

The 2024 honored projects and partners are: 
Stream Award: The Dalles Dog River Pipeline Replacement
In the Mount Hood National Forest, a 112-year-old wooden pipeline supplied more than half the City of The Dalles annual water supply. When replacing the aged pipeline, project collaborators consistently made decisions that benefitted the river, the forest, and the community. 
Dave Anderson, public works director for the City of The Dalles, said “Replacement of the Dog River Pipeline is the culmination of decades of work by City of The Dalles and its state and federal partners, particularly the US Forest Service. The project successfully increased the capacity, efficiency and resiliency of a critical piece of municipal water supply infrastructure while also providing significant new benefits for aquatic species in Dog River and East Fork Hood River.”

The project ensured fish passage and aquatic habitat despite extraordinary site challenges, resulting in installation of an aquatic species passageway, removing two barriers to fish passage upstream, and employing an innovative solution for fish screening. Beyond care for aquatic species, the project also restored a historic cabin and built a new trailhead for the mountain bike community. 

“This project supports a resilient water supply for the next century for the City of The Dalles and stewardship of cold, headwater streams near Mount Hood. It’s been a privilege for the Jacobs team to lead design and permitting for this historic project and enjoy collaboration with all the project partners,” said Brady Fuller, Jacobs Engineering Group project manager. 

Jacobs Engineering Group designed the project and managed construction. The project team also included AKS Engineering & Forestry (survey and mapping); Consor (public engagement and communications); Weekly Bros. Construction (constructability); Every Idea Marketing (interpretive signage); Wyeast Timber Services (timber removal); Bounds Excavation (timber removal); K&E Excavating (pipeline construction); and Tapani, Inc. (screening and passage construction). 

Project partners included the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 44 Trails Association, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Business Oregon, and Mid-Columbia Economic Development District.

Stream Award – North Fork Walla Walla River Restoration  

Wildlife inventories by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation identified this location as a top priority for watershed restoration. 

“Dedicating our efforts to this project area to rebuild the vibrancy of habitat components vital to steelhead resurgence also benefits countless other cherished fish and wildlife species,” said Eric Hoverson, watershed restoration specialist with the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council. “The extensive restoration efforts devoted to this worthy cause is not only commendable, but essential for retaining the North Fork as a stronghold and safe haven for such a resilient, majestic species that have evolved to survive various environmental challenges since time immemorial.”

This project took multiple actions – including reestablishing ground and surface water interaction, protecting spring wetlands and re-routing surface springs, planting thousands of trees, and relocating exposed channels into forested locations – to increase base flow and duration, reduce water temperature and turbidity, improve access to quality habitat upstream, and more.

The team also built strong relationships from the ground up with key landowners, resulting in large donations of material, alignment of cattle management strategies, and 10-year agreements that ensure adequate real estate is available for the project to meet recovery objectives.

“I really enjoy the story of the North Fork Walla Walla River project and the rewarding experience of having the privilege to work in a secluded area of the basin and form a partnership bond with a group of memorable landowners makes it truly special,” said Hoverson. 

The project was led by the Walla Walla Basin Watershed Council. The project team included Cramer Fish Sciences (design); Jacobs Engineering Group (design); R6 Construction (implementation); the Rea family (cooperating landowner); the Sams family (cooperating landowner); Konen Rock Products (materials); Stonehill Properties (materials); Bonneville Power Administration (funding); and Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (funding). 

Project partners included the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Trout Unlimited, Dennis Dauble, Eastern Oregon Contracting, Cross Trail Outfitters, Aquatic Contracting, Triple River Construction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Walla Walla 2050 Watershed Strategy Advisory Committee, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Manulife Investment Management, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, Walla Walla County Conservation District, and the Bureau of Land Management. Permitting agencies included DSL, Umatilla County, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ODFW, and BPA.
 

Partnership Award – Department of State Lands Rangeland Program Partners 
The Department of State Lands manages approximately 620,000 acres of rangelands in eastern and central Oregon that are dedicated to generating revenue for the Common School Fund.  Much of the land is arid high desert with grasses and shrubs that are well-suited for livestock grazing.

More than a dozen community and agency partners support the Department’s work to keep rangelands thriving and contributing multiple economic and environmental benefits. 

Many of these collaborative efforts span years and include multiple landowners, like ongoing work to address threats to sage grouse habitat in southeast Oregon by targeting invasive juniper and grasses – a habitat restoration project that was just awarded nearly $200,000 in federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for work in the coming year. 

Partners have championed healthy rangelands by advocating for and accepting funding, applying for grants and overseeing contracts, working with the ranchers who lease land, and coordinating large projects with multiple organizations and landowners. 

Juniper removal has been a focus for multiple past and current projects. Removing juniper supports ecosystem resiliency to climate change, increases availability of water resources, and enhances public safety and community sustainability by reducing the threat of wildfire. The  County Line Juniper Project – which was also recently awarded federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding – continues previous work to remove juniper, benefitting sage grouse habitat as well as rangeland and community health and resilience. When all projects are complete, 5,000 acres of school rangelands will have been improved through the removal of juniper trees.

DSL’s Rangeland Program Partners include: 

• Harney Soil and Water Conservation District
• Crook County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Malheur County Weed Control
• Malheur County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Jordan Valley Cooperative Weed Management Area
• Harney Cooperative Weed Management Area
• Harney County Weed Control
• High Desert Partnership
• Pheasants Forever
• Natural Resource Conservation Service
• Owyhee Watershed Council
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
• SageCon

Catalyst Award – Chad Hoffman, Lane County Public Works  

In the southern Willamette Valley near Eugene, there is an ecologically important wet prairie, emergent, and scrub shrub wetland collectively known as Quamash Prairie. This restoration site, once a degraded agricultural floodplain of the Willamette River, is fortunate to be under the care of Chad Hoffman.

"We are so pleased to see Chad receiving recognition for his incredible work at Quamash Prairie," said Lane County Waste Management Division Manager Jeff Orlandini. "Not only is he making immediate improvements to an important ecosystem, but he is giving young people an opportunity to get involved, discover a love for the outdoors, and engage them in work they can be proud of.”
Hoffman personally oversees seed collection and proliferation of desirable natives while hand-removing undesirable non-natives. Efforts with local schools also extend Hoffman’s work to the wider community. He hosts student groups at Quamash Prairie weekly, fostering community involvement and stewardship starting at a young age. A video of Hoffman working with students at Quamash Prairie can be viewed here.

“It is a privilege to introduce so many students to the wonders of Quamash Prairie every year,” said Hoffman. “And it is an honor to receive this award on behalf of the work we do together to restore the area and support native species.”

About the State Land Board Awards 

Now in their 20th year, the State Land Board Awards honor projects and partners that protect and enhance Oregon’s treasured natural resources. Learn more on the Land Board Awards website or view this year’s awards ceremony on the Department of State Lands YouTube Channel. 

About the State Land Board: The State Land Board is Governor Tina Kotek, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, and State Treasurer Tobias Read. Established by the Oregon Constitution in 1859, the Land Board oversees the state’s Common School Fund, and the lands granted at statehood “for use of schools.”

About the Department of State Lands: The Department of State Lands is the Land Board’s administrative agency, managing the lands dedicated to helping fund Oregon’s public schools and protecting the state’s waterways and wetlands for the many benefits they provide. For more information on DSL, visit www.oregon.gov/DSL.