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OWEB funds six Natural & Working Lands projects emphasizing climate co‑benefits and equity
Summary
OWEB staff recommended and the board approved $1.497 million for six projects focused on natural climate solutions — riparian and oak restoration, tribal native‑seed production, post‑wildfire reforestation and market‑facing technical assistance — selected from 22 applications.
The OWEB board voted unanimously to award $1,497,476 across six projects selected from 22 applications to the Natural & Working Lands Fund (HB 3409). Alexa Schmidt, OWEB’s water and climate coordinator, recommended a balanced portfolio to advance sequestration and climate resilience while prioritizing community co‑benefits and tribal partnerships.
Alexa and staff described the selected projects: a riparian restoration led by Black Oregon Land Trust to engage BIPOC communities in Corbett; a Clackamas River Basin Council proposal employing at‑risk youth corps and fuels work near Estacada; Institute for Applied Ecology work with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde to increase tribal priority oak understory plant materials; an Understory Initiative oak habitat and native seedbank project (Douglas County) with partners including Cow Creek Band of Umpqua; Klamath Watershed Partnership post‑wildfire recovery on ~506 acres after the 2024 Copperfield fire; and a Deschutes River Conservancy technical assistance effort to scope cover‑crop incentive payments and intra‑district water trading in the North Unit irrigation district. Alexa emphasized that the selected projects already leverage identified match and will advance workforce, health, and tribal priorities.
