November 2024

Eagle Point, OR – The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) awarded $737,805 to Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District for the Antelope Creek River Mile 4.3 Riparian Restoration and Water Quality Improvement Project at their October 22-23, 2024 board meeting.

The award was one of 71 restoration, technical assistance, monitoring, and engagement grants to local organizations statewide totaling $14,248,381 to support fish and wildlife habitat and water quality projects.

“The quality of the water flowing in Antelope Creek, and the Little Butte Creek Watershed overall, plays a critical role in providing municipal water supplies, supporting aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, and offering recreational benefits to the residents of Jackson County,” said Clint Nichols, riparian resource conservationist for the Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District. Antelope Creek, a tributary of Little Butte Creek, is located east of Eagle Point, Oregon. The confluence of Little Butte Creek and the Rogue River lies just upstream of the Medford Water Commission’s Rogue River water intake. Improving water quality in Little Butte Creek and its tributaries, such as Antelope Creek, helps maintain a reliable and high-quality drinking water source for around 150,000 Rogue Valley residents.

In the Antelope Creek River Mile 4.3 Riparian Restoration and Water Quality Improvement Project, 41 acres of riparian forest along Antelope Creek and select tributaries will be restored. The project will include removing invasive plants and restoring native trees, shrubs, and herbaceous cover, installing livestock management fencing, and off-channel livestock watering facilities. The project will eliminate polluted surface irrigation return flows from 28 acres of flood irrigated pasture, which drains into a tributary of Antelope Creek, and increase irrigation water management on another 161 acres of pasture. It is expected to begin in January of 2025 and be completed by June of 2029.

This project is part of the Rogue National Water Quality Initiative, a locally developed plan submitted to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in 2023. The National Water Quality Initiative is a partnership among NRCS, state water quality agencies and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify and address impaired water bodies through voluntary conservation. NRCS provides targeted funding for financial and technical assistance in small watersheds most in need and where farmers can use conservation practices to make a difference. Through this federal program, local partners will promote the improvement of water quality in the Reese Creek, Kanutchan Creek, Lower Antelope Creek, and Lick Creek watersheds by providing technical and financial assistance for the implementation of conservation practices with eligible private agricultural producers.

The goal is to implement conservation practices to reduce sediment, temperature, and bacteria from reaching important drinking water sources.

Funding for these grants, awarded by the OWEB Board, comes from the Oregon Lottery, and Federal Pacific Coast Salmon Recovery funds provided by the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration.

Since 1999, the Oregon Lottery has provided over $525 million to OWEB’s grant program that helps restore, maintain, and enhance Oregon’s watersheds. Combined, the Lottery has earned nearly $15 billion for watershed enhancements, public education, state parks, and economic development.

For more information about the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org.

For additional information about this project contact Clint Nichols at clint.nichols@jswcd.org.

For additional information about OWEB and its grant programs, contact Eric Williams at eric.williams@oweb.oregon.gov.

A listing of all awarded grants is available at: https://www.oregon.gov/oweb/Documents/2024-Oct-Board-Awards.pdf

Why this watershed? See the report below for details!

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