2021-2022 Projects
These are just a few of our success stories from the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year.
Farmer’s Market Grants
The UWSWCD awarded six Farmers Market Grants to local Farmer’s Markets throughout our District. The six applicants and awardees for the Fiscal Year 2021/2022 were: The Whiteaker Community Market, The Oakridge Community Farmer’s Market, Veneta’s Downtown Farmer’s Market, South Valley Farmer’s Market, Lost Valley Farmer’s Market, Lane County Farmer’s Market. The UWSWD Farmer’s Market Grants support projects designed to accomplish one or more of the following:
- Increase community participation in market events
- Increase the number of vendors over previous years
- Educate the public on a conservation-related topic (e.g., food production, gardening, water use, soil health, food quality)
- Make healthy, fresh agricultural products accessible to all demographics of the county (e.g., matching funds from SNAP or other assistance programs).
The Pure Water Partners Program
Holiday Farm Fire Post-Fire Watershed Restoration
In this fiscal year, the UWSWCD continued to serve as an integral partner in the Pure Water Partners (PWP) program, primarily focused on post-fire watershed restoration. The UWSWCD dedicated three full-time staff to manage and implement post-fire restoration actions on McKenzie watershed fire-impacted private lands. The UWSWCD assisted the PWP team to work with landowners and contractors to support watershed restoration:
- Planted nearly 500,000 native shrubs and trees across 120 properties this winter (planted over 200,000 plants across 90 properties in 2021) January-March 2021
- PWP project managers conducted property assessments to determine primary natural resource concerns using specially designed ArcGIS applications on approximately 300 properties.
- Implemented erosion control mitigation best management practices in burned areas especially those close to waterways. Erosion control measures included hydroseeding and broadcast seeding with a native seed mix and installing biodegradable jute wattles and jute matting to slow sediment and pollution run-off.
- Completed fire fuels reduction treatments on over 50 properties. These treatments included removing dead and dying woody material, chipping and masticating vegetation and woody materials, removing ladder fuels including invasive vegetation and dense understory vegetation, and removing lower limbs of trees that pose a risk to structures and human health.
- Treated invasive vegetation using integrated vegetation management techniques on over 60 properties.
- Coordinated, participated, and supported the Blue River Park restoration planting event. (Blue River Planting Event Photos)
Upper Willamette Environmental Education Team
The district provides support to the Upper Willamette Environmental Education Team, coordinated through the Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council, to expand and coordinate place-based education opportunities to students throughout the district, as well as supporting the district in the development of our Environmental Education grant-making program.