Our project is on the eastern edge of the crooked river watershed and is a beautiful mix of sage steppe, meadows, and riparian habitat

IT provides habitat for redband trout, rocky mountain ELK, pronghorn, mule deer, sage grouse, and many other species that rely on intact native plant communities. The area also supports working lands used for livestock and HAY production, providing the lifeblood of a vibrant rural community committed to stewardship for the benefit of ecosystem resilience and future ranching generations. Factors contributing to degradation include improper grazing management, tillage of lands that would not support crop production, ongoing fire suppression, drought cycles, flood events, and the little understood effects of climate change. These factors challenge our ability to maintain ecosystem resilience and beneficial native plant communities for the survival of all life that relies on the area for survival. Previously, landowners have made extensive grazing changes, cut thousands of acres of juniper, and treated weeds in order to boost the resilience of native rangelands. Technical and funding partners include private landowners, natural resources conservation service, oregon department of fish and wildlife, oregon watershed enhancement board crooked river weed management area, and the crooked river watershed council. US fish and wildlife service funding would be used to assist in the installation of 20 beaver DAM analogs along .5 miles of camp creek and installation 8,524 feet of wildlife friendly lay-down fencing. Partners and landowners will also contribute to these practices while providing funding for complimentary practices including removing one defunct culvert, 6,000 feet of wildlife friendly cross fencing, removing 9,735 feet of fence, installing 7 livestock water developments, and removing 439 acres of western juniper. Proposed activities will reduce western juniper density, improve sage grouse habitat, improve herbaceous and shrubby vegetative cover, control noxious weed encroachment, increase infiltration, improve livestock distribution, reduce barriers to wildlife migration, improve floodplain connection, and reduce overland flow and surface erosion.