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Dear Friend of TEP,
Before sitting down to write this newsletter, I signed TEP's Assistance Agreement with the EPA for our 2007 National Estuary Program (NEP) grant. Twenty-eight NEP sites dot the U.S. coastline, protecting and restoring our nation's estuaries from Casco Bay, Maine south to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Santa Monica Bay north to Puget Sound. TEP's five watersheds comprise the most rural region in this program with approximately 27,000 people inhabiting an area of almost 1,800 square miles (see map at right). Although "more cows than people" makes for beautiful scenery and a catchy slogan, TEP's rural locale can challenge the capacity of local partners working to restore our watersheds.
To support the work of our partners TEP established the Local Grant Program, funding habitat enhancement, water quality/habitat monitoring, and environmental education projects. Community groups have received over $200,000 in Local Grant Program dollars since 2002, leveraging an additional $250,000. To celebrate these efforts and the commitment of our partners, this newsletter highlights a few of the projects supported by TEP’s Local Grant Program. Also, in celebration of some good fishing at this year's Bounty on the Bay, we'll key in on a few projects aimed at our extraordinary coastal salmon.
Speaking of Bounty on the Bay... Thanks again to the 250 participants, volunteers, and sponsors who made the 3rd annual event a great success! Together we raised over $25,000 to support locally-led habitat enhancement projects.
Thanks for your support of TEP, and have a great summer!
Mark Trenholm
Executive Director
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Habitat Enhancement Highlight: Jewell Meadows Local Grant  Known for herds of majestic Roosevelt elk, Jewell Meadows Wildlife Management Area is one of northwest Oregon's must-see places. Four species of salmon also call the Meadows home, spawning and rearing in ten miles of creeks that meander the upland prairie. Thanks in large part to the elks' appetite for young trees, the three creeks that wander Jewell Meadows have little riparian (streamside) vegetation, increasing water temperatures and limiting large wood in the channels. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), which owns and manages the land, has identified high temperatures and limited channel complexity as critical factors limiting salmonid production.
In a unique partnership, ODFW, the Upper Nehalem River Watershed Council, and TEP have initiated the first phase of a multi-year project to restore Jewell Meadows' creeks. Phase one will restore riparian and instream habitat in Fishhawk Creek by planting over 200 conifers along 1000 feet of stream and placing large wood within a side channel. ODFW will also remove a culvert that impedes fish passage and replace it with a stream ford. TEP's Local Grant Program will provide $15,000 to the project, which the Council has used to leverage an additional $30,000.
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Education & Outreach Highlight: Munson Creek Monitoring Local Grant  It has been said that one of the best ways to learn something is to teach it. Through the assistance of a $3,500 TEP Local Grant, Tillamook High School students will learn about stream ecology and restoration by trying to explain conditions on an area creek.
The Tillamook Bay Watershed Council will soon implement several projects aimed at restoring habitat and water quality in Munson Creek. Under the leadership of their Biology teachers, Tillamook High School students will monitor the site before and after the Council's projects, tracking a range of variables from dissolved oxygen concentrations to fish distribution to the composition of riparian vegetation. Students will periodically present their findings to the Council. Teachers hope the project will not only increase their students' understanding of local watersheds and ecology, but also provide valuable feedback on the effectiveness of the Council's restoration efforts. |
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Research & Monitoring Highlight: ODFW Salmon Monitoring Local Grant  Monitoring the status of our natural resources and detecting trends in the environment requires tremendous amounts of data. As TEP begins to develop its "State of the Bay Report Card", several partners are key to providing this data. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), for example, monitors salmonid populations throughout the state and will help TEP describe the status and trends of stocks in the region.
In support of this work, TEP's Local Grant Program is providing $2,500 to partner with ODFW on two studies of north coast salmonids. First, ODFW's "North Coast Spring Chinook Stock Assessment" will continue to track the abundance of spring chinook in the Wilson, Trask, and Nestucca rivers. Second, ODFW’s "Winter Steelhead Broodstock Evaluation" will evaluate the residualization of hatchery steelhead in the Nestucca basin. These projects and others like it will help ODFW and its partners better characterize the status of coastal salmonids and evaluate the effectiveness of management efforts.
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IN THIS ISSUE: PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS |
Habitat Enhancement Program:
Jewell Meadows Local Grant
Education & Outreach Program:
Munson Creek Project Monitoring Local Grant
Research & Monitoring Program:
ODFW Salmon Monitoring Local Grant
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
Hoquarton Interpretive Trail Tour Day! Mark the date: Saturday July 29th, 2006
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Phase I Trailhead: 11:00 AM
Trail tours every half hour from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.
Hoquarton Interpretive Trail Volunteer Workdays
Held the 3rd Saturday of each month. Email Suzan Greenwood or call (503) 322-2222 to get involved... A great way to get outside and enjoy summer!
Visit the TEP booth at the Tillamook County Fair: "A Blue Ribbon Affair"August 9th - 12th, 2006 at the Tillamook County Fairgrounds
Check out our ongoing volunteer opportunities here!
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DONATE TO TEP |
TEP is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and restoration of the five Tillamook County estuaries and their associated watersheds.
Your charitable donation to the TEP is tax-deductible and helps preserve the health and beauty of our region. Follow this link to our contribution page, and thank you for your support!
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ISSUE 3: SUMMER 2006 |
What do you think of our newsletter? If you have feedback or suggestions after reading, please send us an email.
Visit our website at www.tbnep.org to learn more about the TEP.
Tillamook Estuaries Partnership
613 Commercial Street
P.O. Box 493
Garibaldi, OR 97118
(503) 322-2222 phone
(503) 322-2261 fax
info@tbnep.org
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