Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), a state agency of Oregon in the United States, provides grants to restore watershed health and improve local streams, rivers, wetlands and natural areas in Oregon. Board membership includes commissioners of Oregon's Natural Resources Board and members of the public.
History
The Governor's Watershed Enhancement Board GWEB) was established in 1987 and began accepting applications to fund watershed improvement projects in November of that year.
''The World'' of
Coos Bay
Coos Bay is an estuary where the Coos River enters the Pacific Ocean, the estuary is approximately 12 miles long and up to two miles wide. It is the largest estuary completely within Oregon state lines. The Coos Bay watershed covers an area of abou ...
reported the board's charge:
In the primary election on May 17, 1988, Oregon voters approved Measure 1, authorizing loans for fish protection and watershed restoration. In 1993, Senate Bill 81 of the Legislature provided $10 million for the
Grande Ronde in Northeastern Oregon, and the South Coast and
Rogue Basins in Southwestern Oregon, a pilot project known as the Oregon Watershed Health Program. It became part of GWEB in 1995.
In 1998, voterts also approved Measure 66, dedicating some
Lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...
funding to parks, beaches, habitat, and watershed protection.
The following year, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board replaced GWEB,
and expanded the five member board with six public members.
Passage of Measure 76 in Oregon's 2010 General Election continued
lottery
A lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of ...
funding for parks, beaches, wildlife habitat, watershed protection beyond 2014 and modified the funding process.
In November 2020 OWEB led
Stage Zero River Restoration Workshopwith panels moderated by
Prof. Colin Thorne. They also played a role in the creation of
Stage Zero websiteto encourage similar restoration projects.
Board membership and budget
As of 2019, Board membership includes six voting members of the public, five voting commissioners of the state's Natural Resource Board, and seven advisory non-voting members. Oregon's Secretary of State described the board's work: "Community members and landowners use scientific criteria to decide jointly what needs to be done to conserve and improve rivers and natural habitats in the places where they live."
The OWEB 2019–2021 biennium budget approved by the legislature totaled $138,910,142
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
.
See also
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Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the chief regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for protecting and enhancing the state's natural resources and managing sanitary and toxic waste disposal ...
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Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for programs protecting Oregon fish and wildlife resources and their habitats.
The agency operates hatcheries, issues hunting and ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board
1987 establishments in Oregon
State agencies of Oregon
State wildlife and natural resource agencies of the United States