OSU Watershed Extension

Searching for macroinvertebrates in the McKenzie River.

Watershed links

These links are provided as additional resources for your learning and exploration. Their inclusion here does not imply endorsement by Oregon Sea Grant or OSU.

General Resources:

Oregon Sea Grant - The parent program of OSU's Watershed Extension group, Sea Grant supports research, outreach and education to help people understand, responsibly use, and conserve ocean and coastal resources.
OSU Institute for Natural Resources - The Institute for Natural Resources provides a single "storefront" where people interested in the Oregon environment and its natural resources can get information, ask questions, propose studies, and offer their own opinions and advice on environmental policy and practices.
Network of Oregon Watershed Councils - The is dedicated to supporting the work of watershed councils throughout the state by increasing council capacity, improving key relationships and promoting public awareness of watersheds and watershed councils.
National Association of Conservation Districts - NACDnet, the home page of the National Association of Conservation Districts, provides news and information for and about the nation's 3000 local conservation districts.
Oregon Forest Resources Institute - Provides information on Oregons forest practices and encourages sound forest management. Now offering K-12 educational resources.
Sustainable Oregon - This state-sponsored site communicates developments in Oregon state government and connects you with local agencies, organizations and businesses taking leadership roles in sustainable development. New: the Sustainable Oregon Toolkit
SOLV - Building community through volunteer action to preserve Oregon's environment. Sponsors of the popular Oregon Beach Clean-ups, SOLV offers tools for developing your own volunteer efforts.

Watersheds and water quality

Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds - Presents materials of interest to citizens who care about the future of Oregons fish resources.
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) - The state's primary agency and board supporting statewide efforts to restore salmon runs, improve water quality, and strengthen ecosystems critical to healthy watersheds and sustainable communities. Many online resources for watershed councils and other groups.
US Environmental Protection Agency Watershed Academy - Watershed management certification via live courses and self-paced online training modules
Groundwater Stewardship in Oregon - Information to help you understand and protect the state's groundwater resources, from OSU Extension.
River Network - National non-profit organization offering consulting, publications, acquisition of riverlands and small grants for river and watershed protection, monitoring, and restoration.
Regional Resources:

Fish, wildlife, and habitat protection and restoration

Endangered Species Act - NOAA Fisheries information about endangered species listing and status reviews.
Fish Passage Center - The Fish Passage Center (FPC) provides current and historic data on salmon and steelhead passage in the main stem Snake and Columbia river basins.
Oregon Trout - A private non-profit conservation organization working to protect and restore native fish and the habitats upon which they depend.
Salmon Nation - Resources developed by the former For the Sake of the Salmon organization and archived here are designed to help watershed groups and their partners build organizational and technical capacity. .
The Wild Salmon Center - An international conservation group working to protect wild Pacific Salmon throughout their entire range.
Willamette Riverkeeper - A private, non-profit educational group whose goal is to improve the natural function of the Willamette River as a cold, clean-water environment providing a healthy habitat for fish and wildlife.

Low-impact development

NEMO: Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials. A national network of programs aimed at educating local land-use officials on how they can accommodate growth while protecting natural resources and community character
"The Economics of Low-Impact Development: A Literature Review" an overview from ECONorthwest (.pdf)
Metro Regional Government (Portland, OR):

Consumer factsheets: Nature-friendly home improvement
Developer factsheets: Green from the ground up

Invasive species

Marine invasives information and resources from Oregon Sea Grant
WeedMapper - WeedMapper is a web-based database of noxious weeds for Oregon. The database includes maps, photographs, diagnostic characteristics, publications, and links to other sources of information on noxious weeds.

K-12 and youth resources:

4-H Wildlife Stewards Program - OSU Extension's 4-H Wildlife Stewards Program trains volunteers to work in partnership with public and private organizations to help students and teachers create, use and sustain wildlife habitats on school grounds.
Oregon Forestry Education Program: Project Learning Tree - PLT is a national natural resources curriculum, teaching critical thinking, offered in Oregon through Oregon State University. PLT brings thought-provoking, field-tested activities exploring the role of trees and forests in our lives
Earth Force - A private non-profit organization that engages young people to improve the environment and their communities now and in the future. Their "Tools for Teachers" section includes a large watershed section with downloadable monitoring sheets and other information.

Resource Agencies

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds - EPA and its partners working together on a watershed basis to protect the nation's water resources.
NOAA Fisheries (National Marine Fisheries Service)
Natural Resources Conservation Service - Oregon division of this USDA Agency.
Oregon Department of Agriculture
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon Department of Forestry
Oregon Division of State Lands
Oregon Soil and Water Conservation Districts On-Line - Conservation Districts in Oregon with web sites.
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board