Targeted Watershed Grants: Successes in the Pacific Northwest is the sixth in the award winning Watershed Issues Series, and the fourth that focuses on the work being done in the region by our neighbors. Please check with your local Cooperative Extension office to see if they are available October 17 to host a viewing of this program. For further information, please contact Jan Seago at seago.jan@epa.gov or 206-553-0038. Returning to the Pacific Northwest, the Watershed Issues Series gives a glimpse into the workings of three basin-wide partnerships that are making a difference in the water quality of their streams. Dedicated landowners, fishermen, timber owners, and ranchers have met at tables in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to find their common interests and are working toward sustainable industries and habitat futures.   The Siuslaw River historically was the channel that moved logs from some of the heaviest logged forests in the west. Early settlers had drained, ditched, and diked riverside lowlands for farm plots. This same river had one of the largest populations of returning Chinook salmon and Lamprey eels in the lower 48. How could all of these activities work together and maintain the health of spawning habitat? That was the question that we asked everyone. Fascinating new metrics for measuring habitat health are being investigated. Mark your calendars now, so you do not miss this exciting search for a sustainable Siuslaw. The Clark Fork River watershed is huge; 26,000 square miles of Idaho and Montana are drained into the river that feeds Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River into Washington then flows north to meet the Columbia River in British Columbia. Tri-State Water Quality Council has gathered groups from the Blackfoot, Bitterroot, and Flathead Rivers that are working in their own sub-watersheds, to make the entire river system better. You will meet one rancher who bought 2,000 acres for conservation. An artesian spring on the land had been degraded through unwise grazing practices. That spring runs clear and cool again and the adjacent wetland is healthy and full of wildlife. Reserve a seat on October 17 to see how this far-flung partnership works to return habitat for trout and a flyway stop over for migrating birds.

Pacific Northwest Regional Water Quality Coordination Project Partners Land Grant Universities Alaska Cooperative Extension Service Contact Fred Sorensen: 907-786-6311 http://www.uaf.edu/ces/water/index.html University Publications: http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/ Idaho University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System Contact Bob Mahler: 208-885-7025 http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqhome.html University Publications: http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Catalog/catalog.html Oregon Oregon State University Extension Service Contact Mike Gamroth: 541-737-3316 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/ University Publications: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ Washington Washington State University WSU Extension Contact Bob Simmons: 360-427-9670 ext. 690 http://wawater.wsu.edu/ University Publications: http://pubs.wsu.edu/ Northwest Indian College Contact Michael Cochrane: 360-392-4299 mcochrane@nwic.edu or http://www.nwic.edu/ Water Resource Research Institutes Water and Environmental Research Center (Alaska) http://www.uaf.edu/water/ Idaho Water Resources Research Institute http://www.boise.uidaho.edu/ Institute for Water and Watersheds (Oregon) http://water.oregonstate.edu/ State of Washington Water Research Center http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/ Environmental Protection Agency EPA, Region 10 The Pacific Northwest http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/ Office of Research and Development, Corvallis Laboratory http://www.epa.gov/wed/ For more information contact Jan Seago at 206-553-0038 or seago.jan@epa.gov
	The Project Land Grant Universities, Water Research Institutes and EPA Region 10 have formed a partnership to provide research and education to communities about protecting or restoring the quality of water resources. This partnership is being supported in part by the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension System (CSREES). Our Goal and Approach The goal of this Project is to provide leadership for water resources research, education and outreach to help people, industry and governments to prevent and solve current and emerging water quality and quantity problems. The approach to achieving this goal is for the Partners to develop a coordinated regional water quality effort based on, and strengthening, individual state programs. Our Strengths The Project promotes regional collaboration by acknowledging existing programs and successful efforts; assessing program gaps; identifying potential issues for cross-agency and private sector collaboration; and developing a clearinghouse of expertise and programs. In addition, the Project establishes or enhances partnerships with federal, state and local environmental and water resource management agencies, such as by placing a University Liaison within the offices of EPA Region 10.
	Skagit River is the lifeline for Salmon and eels, supports diversified farming, and brings Tribal fisherman and farmers to the table to plan restoration projects that compliment the two lifeways. This area was ditched and diked to keep fields dry for crops, beginning in the late 1800s. Tidegates hold Puget Sound waters from inundating fields leaving little of the estuary available for salmon rearing grounds. Renovating tidegate construction to allow tides to enter former field areas is underway. In one instance, dikes and ditches are being rerouted to open an unproductive farm parcel to tidal influence, returning it to estuary. Do not miss the October 17th airing of this and the other accounts of partnership building and habitat restoration.
	National Water Quality Program Areas The four land grant universities in the Pacific Northwest have aligned our water resource extension and research efforts with eight themes of the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension System. Animal Waste Management Drinking Water and Human Health Environmental Restoration Nutrient and Pesticide Management Pollution Assessment and Prevention Watershed Management Water Conservation and Agricultural Water Management Water Policy and Economics
	CSREES is the Cooperative States Research, Education and Extension Service, a sub-agency of the United States Department of Agriculture, and is the federal partner in this water quality program.

Download the informational PDF flyer here

HOME | About | Calendar | Contacts | Links | PNW Water Updates | Sitemap CSREES National Water Quality Program The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Partners in this Regional Program are also equal opportunity providers and employers. all external sites will open in a new browser window page last modified on August 15, 2007