By Brian Posewitz WaterWatch recently completed a contested case hearing seeking to prevent a water right transfer from exacerbating low streamflows in Bridge Creek, a tributary to the John Day River with important habitat for threatened steelhead. Bridge Creek Ranch, an affiliate of Papé Machinery that owns and operates Painted Hills Reservoir, wants to move […]
Feb. 14, 2025 Despite the chaos and uncertainty unfolding in Washington with our federal government, WaterWatch of Oregon continues our tireless work and advocacy day after day for cold, free-flowing Oregon rivers — including your favorite river! So with today being Valentine’s Day, show your love and support for Oregon’s rivers by sharing one of
Show Your Love for Oregon Rivers with One of Our Valentine’s Day River Cards Read More »
By Chrissy Ewald | Nov. 27, 2024 | Grants Pass Daily Courier Demolition is complete of a concrete dam that used to arc 270 feet across the Illinois River near Cave Junction and blocked access to 100 miles of spawning grounds for salmon, steelhead, and other migratory fish. The removal of the Pomeroy Dam marks
On the Illinois River, Pomeroy Dam is Now Just a Memory Read More »
Nov. 26, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information, please contact:Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, jim@waterwatch.orgScott Wright, River Design Group/SWCA Environmental Consultants, scott.wright@swca.com Pomeroy Dam, West Side Road culverts before and after images here:https://tinyurl.com/3ebb76cmPlease credit photos to Crystal Nichols/Dustin Saigo Rogue River Basin’s Highest Priority Barrier to Native Fish Comes DownOngoing multi-barrier collaborative effort benefits salmon
Rogue River Basin’s Highest Priority Barrier to Native Fish Comes Down Read More »
Oct. 24, 2024 By Jim McCarthy We’re thrilled and honored to announce the WaterWatch-led Takelma Creek Barrier Removal Project, completed in 2023, has won the 2024 Western District American Fisheries Society Award of Excellence in Riparian Management. This multi-faceted project is primarily located on Siskiyou Field Institute property in the Illinois River subbasin of the
Instream: WaterWatch-Led Fish Barrier Removal Project Wins Award Read More »
By Susan Hiland | July 3, 2024 | Grants Pass Daily Courier A work crew last week moved logs into place along the edge of Evans Creek, creating new habitat for small critters to hide and eat in. Just days before, the spot was the site of the old Williams-Whalen Dam, which stood for 128
Williams-Whalen Dam Removal Restores Evans Creek Flow Read More »
By Shaun Hall | July 1, 2024 | Rogue Valley Times Another small dam has been removed in Southern Oregon to improve fish habitat. The 150-foot-wide, five-foot-high Williams-Whalen Dam on Evans Creek was demolished last week about 12.7 miles upriver from its confluence with the Rogue River. “This is great news for salmon and steelhead
Third Dam Removed, Fish Passage Improved on Evans Creek Read More »
July 3, 2024 By John DeVoe with Tommy Hough Wenaha River Tim Palmer’s Field Guide to Oregon Rivers calls the Wenaha “one of the Northwest’s wildest streams … with no roads, dams, development or diversions.” He should know. A few years ago, Tim and a couple of friends hiked up the Wenaha from the lower
June 26, 2024 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact:Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, (541) 941-9450, jim@waterwatch.orgBrian Barr, Rogue River Watershed Council, (541) 621-7226, bbarr@rogueriverwc.org Williams-Whalen Dam before and after removal images are available here: https://tinyurl.com/54dfjadxCredit photos to Rogue River Watershed Council/Crystal Nichols Third Dam Removal Completed in Nine Years in Rogue’s Evans Creek SubbasinCollaborative
Third Dam Removal Completed in Nine Years in Rogue River’s Evans Creek Subbasin Read More »
By Shaun Hall | Oct. 6, 2023 | Rogue Valley Times Fish have a bit more room to roam now that a 13-foot-high dam has been removed from a tributary of the Illinois River near Selma in Josephine County. The dam was removed in recent days from a property that decades ago operated as a
Fish-Blocking Dam Removed from Takelma Ceek at Ranch Frequented by John Wayne Read More »
Oct. 4, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information, please contact: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon Steve Soesbe, Siskiyou Field Institute Scott Wright, River Design Group Takelma Creek Dam before and after removal photos are available here: https://tinyurl.com/3fjd8dfm Please credit photos to River Design Group Second Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project in One Year Nears Completion
Second Rogue Basin Dam Removal Project in One Year Nears Completion Read More »
By Rob Davis | Jan. 16, 2022 | The Oregonian When Oregon’s only saltwater lake mysteriously dried up in 2014, turning a vibrant landscape teeming with migratory birds into a desiccated, abandoned salt pan, state environmental regulators mobilized. Lake Abert, a 64-square-mile lake in south central Oregon’s high desert, had gone almost completely dry for
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 13, 2021 Contacts: Jim McCarthy, WaterWatch of Oregon, (541) 941-9450 Brian Barr, Rogue River Watershed Council, (541) 621-7226 Harboldt Dam before and after removal images here: https://tinyurl.com/eaz9kswe Credit photos to Crystal Nichols, Rogue River Watershed Council Three Priority Dam Removals Completed in Rogue’s Applegate Subbasin Collaborative project benefits salmon and steelhead while meeting private
Three Priority Dam Removals Completed in Rogue’s Applegate Subbasin Read More »
Oct. 8, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information please contact: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch Staff Attorney, (541) 778-3310 John DeVoe, WaterWatch Executive Director, (971) 322-5635 Rogue River Runs Free at Savage Rapids Storied Salmon Stream Undergoes Historic Restoration Tomorrow, the Rogue River will move freely for the first time in nearly a century on a stretch
May 28, 2009 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For information, please contact: Bob Hunter, WaterWatch of Oregon, (541) 826-4399 Demolition Commences on Rogue River’s Savage Rapids Dam Work Crews Move Closer to Historic Restoration Grants Pass, Oregon — June 1st will mark another milestone in the ongoing restoration of the Rogue River when dam demolition commences on
Demolition Commences on Rogue River’s Savage Rapids Dam Read More »
