Two awards honoring an exceptional stream project and an exemplary partnership effort, will be presented by the State Land Board at their public meeting on April 8: Stream Project Award: Upper Sandy River Basin Habitat Restoration, a large-scale, multi-year effort to restore habitat for federally listed spring Chinook, coho salmon and winter steelhead in the Sandy River Basin. Partners include The Freshwater Trust, Sandy River Basin Partners, local governments, conservation groups, Mt. Hood National Forest, PGE and Bureau of Land Management. The project is supported by funding from the City of Portland, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Bureau of Land Management, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Ecotrust, NOAA Restoration Center, Carol & Velma Saling Foundation, and the Boeing Company. Partnership Award: Partnership for Coastal Watersheds, a collaborative effort among public- and private-sector citizens in the Coos Bay Community. The partnership’s goals are to develop locally-driven approaches to responsible development, and to help prepare for climate-related changes on Oregon’s south coast. Past and present partners include the South Slough National Research Reserve, the Coos Watershed Council, the Coquille Indian Tribe, local economic development organizations, the International Port of Coos Bay, local businesses, and a wide variety of government agencies. Funding has been provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and the Laird Norton Family Foundation. The stream award recognizes responsible, sustainable stewardship of Oregon’s natural resources, and the partnership award recognizes people and programs that work together to help advance the goals of the Department of State Lands. The Department is the South Slough’s state administrative partner. In other business, the board will be asked to authorize the Department of State Lands to proceed with drafting a legislative concept related to marine renewable energy. The informational agenda includes the annual reports on Common School Fund investments and the Estates Program. The awards ceremony and meeting will be held at the State Lands Building, 775 Summer St., NE in Salem, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
