Note to public reading this. Commas are the only punctuation allowed by the system this info is entered into so there are grammatical errors.due to encroachment of western juniper or juniperus…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program (CFDA 15.631), awarded a $200,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Klamath Watershed Partnership. This 5-year award, starting on August 1, 2024, will support efforts to remove encroaching western juniper, restore springs and seeps, and enhance habitats within the Lost River watershed in Oregon. The project aims to reactivate springs, improve water delivery to the Lost River system, and benefit key species like the Lost River sucker and redband trout. Additionally, juniper removal is expected to promote greater herbaceous vegetation and structural diversity, which will support mule deer, pronghorn, pollinators, and migratory birds. The Klamath Watershed Partnership, a non-profit organization with extensive experience in federal grant management, will implement the project through a combination of mechanical and hand-removal methods, with a focus on areas identified as priority wildlife corridors.

Note to public reading this. Commas are the only punctuation allowed by the system this info is entered into so there are grammatical errors.due to encroachment of western juniper or juniperus occidentalis and drought in the klamath basin many springs that directly feed into the lost river and its tributaries are experiencing a decrease in their flow rate or going dry entirely. Freeing up available water and reactivating springs could help recharge groundwater and deliver more clean and cold water into the overall lost river system. This will be beneficial to lost river suckers or deltistes luxatus which utilize this cold water for spawning. Additionally several tributaries to the lost river could have good habitat potential for redband trout or oncorhynchus mykiss gairdnerii. Several areas within the lost river drainage have been identified by oregon department of fish and wildlife as priority wildlife corridors. Removing junipers could decrease competition for herbaceous vegetation that can be crucial for mule deer or odocoileus hemionus and pronghorn antelope or antilocarpa americana that utilize this watershed. Decreasing competition with other plants could allow for an increase in forb availability for pollinators. An increase in structural diversity throughout the landscape and a more open canopy has been shown to support greater diversity and numbers of migratory bird species. This funding will be used to target important springs and seeps that feed the lost river drainage through juniper removal and fencing if needed. This project will tie nicely into the larger landscape scale work already underway by the nrcs and BLM and the klamath watershed partnership. These organizations are currently conducting juniper removal efforts in other parts of the lost river watershed. We have identified the core areas that we would like to conduct work in and have several landowners already on board for juniper removal around springs and seeps on their properties.both mechanical equipment such as a bunching shear and potentially hand tools such as chainsaws will be used to remove juniper and stump heights will generally be LES than 12 inches depending on how rocky the ground is. All cut trees will be piled by the contractor and then burned by the landowner when time and weather conditions allow. There is the potential to utilize juniper materials on nearby low tech process based restoration projects if appropriate and applicable. Pile burn sites will be planted with a native grass and seed mix as supplies allow. We will collect pre restoration data and establish photo sites and monitor sites post restoration to measure success.