Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board

10/28/2026

Join us today for a panel discussion on organizational capacity challenges. Four Watershed Council Executive Directors will share their insights and experiences, helping spark a conversation about how we can work together to strengthen the long‑term sustainability of these organizations as key partners in delivering the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds.

Panelists:
💧 Darian Lightfoot, Executive Director, Long Tom Watershed Council
💧 Haley Lutz, Executive Director, Coos Watershed Association
💧 Kurt Berning, Executive Director, Pudding River Watershed Council
💧 Kristen Walz, Executive Director, North Fork John Day Watershed Council

➡️ Watch meeting livestream here: youtube.com/channel/UC0dl-TOwLt4Sp--i1KEa_OA

10/26/2026

Join us on October 28th at approximately 1 pm for a presentation from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde on these projects at the OWEB Board Meeting!

The Plants for People project incorporates Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge into the restoration and management of seven culturally significant prairie and oak habitat locations across the Willamette Valley.

Plants were grown at a native plant nursery established by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and maintained with disturbance cycles such as culturally prescribed fire and mowing. Reestablishing these relationships with the land also includes providing Tribal members access to these restoration areas for traditional gathering and harvesting of plant materials.

Core partners include: Institute for Applied Ecology, Long Tom Watershed Council, City of Corvallis, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service.

➡️ Watch meeting livestream here: youtube.com/channel/UC0dl-TOwLt4Sp--i1KEa_OA

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Institute for Applied Ecology Tom Watershed Council (LTWC) City of Corvallis Oregon State Parks Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

10/23/2026

The Oregon Interagency Noxious W**d Symposium will be held this December. Join in for three days of learning and networking with fellow w**d warriors! 🌿🪏

This is a biennial event hosted by the Oregon Department of Agriculture Noxious W**d Control Program to provide educational and networking opportunities for natural resource professionals working on invasive plant management in the Northwest.

December 8 - 10, 2026
at the LaSells Stewart Center, Corvallis, Oregon

Symposium sessions will include:
• Updates from natural resource partners, federal agencies, and ODA
• Highlights on rangeland health and annual invasive grasses
• What’s new in biocontrol, aquatics, and technology
• Updates on chemical and pesticide application
• Research and techniques to help in future project planning
This symposium will have pesticide applicator credits available, including aerial credits. Number of credits is TBA.

➡️ Register at: https://oda.direct/INW2026

$325. Admission now thru November 1st
$375 Late Registration after November 1st
$35 Plant Conservation Symposium will be hosting afternoon sessions on December 10, 2026, 1:00PM - 5:00PM

If you have any questions about registration, please contact Grace Kline at [email protected] or 503-986-4621.

Oregon Department of Agriculture ODA Noxious W**d Program **ds **dWarriors

Join us at the 2026 Oregon Interagency Noxious W**d Symposium for three days of learning and networking with fellow w**d warriors!

10/22/2026

The National Historic Preservation Act celebrates its 60th anniversary this month! 🎂

On October 15, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) stating, "We have come here this morning to give part of our country back to its people."

NHPA was created to acknowledge and protect our nation's heritage and the heritage of its First People. OWEB grants that use federal dollars directly or as match must comply with Section 106 of the NHPA to ensure important historical artifacts are not lost or damaged while conducting restoration work.

➡️ To find out more about NHPA, Section 106, OWEB's role, and the role of grantees, visit: www.oregon.gov/oweb/manage-grant/Pages/cultural-resources.aspx

Photo of President Lyndon Johnson standing near a map of the US after signing several conservation bills into law in 1968. He signed the landmark National Historic Preservation Act two years earlier. By Charles Tasnadi/AP.

10/20/2026

Western Native Trout Initiative has created a beautiful and informative storymap on the Warner Lakes Basin.

In this high-desert region, water is critical to threatened and listed native fish and ranching communities alike—working in partnership is a must.

Much of the work focuses in updating the 50- to 100-year-old irrigation infrastructure for better efficiency and improved fish passage, including improved access to over 33 miles on Twentymile Creek and 53 miles on Honey Creek.

OWEB is proud to support this work with grants through the Warner Basin Aquatic Habitat Partnership (a Focused Investment Partnership). Grant funding comes from Oregon Lottery revenue.

➡️ See the storymap here: https://tinyurl.com/5ez3w3te

Western Native Trout Initiative Oregon Lottery

Photos from storymap: Before and after fish passage (River Design Group), native fish including Warner sucker, farm.

10/19/2026

10/19/2026

🫗OWEB is now accepting applications for Drinking Water Source Protection grants!

The Drinking Water Source Protection grant program provides land acquisition grants to public water suppliers to protect, restore, or enhance sources of drinking water through land conservation.

At least $1.1 million in funding is available for this DWSP grant solicitation cycle.

Public water suppliers with service populations at or below 25,000 users are the only eligible applicants. This includes Tribal public water systems.

⏰ Applications are due by 5:00 pm (PT) on Thursday, December 10, 2026.

➡️ To learn more and to apply, visit: oregon.gov/oweb/grants/Pages/DWSP.aspx

10/15/2026

🍂 Join us for the Fall OWEB Board Meeting! 🍂
October 27-28th
In-person in Burns
Virtually on Zoom
Streamed on YouTube

At this meeting, the Board will:
🍁 Hear from a panel of Watershed Councils about organizational capacity challenges and constraints
🍁 Learn about the workplan for Executive Order 25-26 (directing state agencies to work together to advance climate resilience across the state’s lands and waters)
🍁 Have a presentation from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde on the Plants for People project

➡️To learn more, visit: https://www.oregon.gov/oweb/about-us/Pages/board/2026-Oct.aspx

(photo of American badgers by Dan Streiffert, cc)

10/13/2026

OWEB is now accepting online applications for the Winter 2027 Open Solicitation Grant Offering inlcluding:
Restoration
Technical Assistance
Engagement

These grants support voluntary efforts by Oregonians to protect and restore healthy watersheds, including actions supporting the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds and the Oregon Wildlife Action Plan.

Eligible Applicants: Any Tribe, watershed council, soil and water conservation district, not-for-profit corporation, school, Oregon institution of higher education, independent not-for-profit institution of higher education, or political subdivision of this state that is not a state agency. A state agency or federal agency may partner with an eligible entity.

⏰ Applications due by 5 pm (Pacific Time) on February 1, 2027

➡️ To learn more and apply, visit: https://tinyurl.com/9wvz8nwc

10/12/2026

📢 The Oregon Association of Conservation Districts is hosting its annual conference this November!

Gleneden Beach
November 3-5, 2026

Don't miss out on this chance to meet SWCD and other conservation-minded folks, learn, and dive into exciting discussions!

➡️ Register Here: https://tinyurl.com/2ytk6t7h