2023 Annual Report

/in /by

Greetings Watershed Community!

We’re excited to share our 2023 Annual Report with our Watershed Group community.

2023 was a year of acceleration for the Watershed Group. We completed a fish passage project that had been on Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s priority list for decades. We also directed the development of four large restoration projects for implementation in 2024 and 2025, which will remediate fish passage barriers and add hundreds of pieces of large wood back into our rivers and streams. Our community connections increased as well, with many new faces at our Watershed Group meetings, new business partners, and four new members joining our 9-member board. And finally, our annual budget was over $1 million, which is a strong showing for our first full year as a nonprofit organization!

We could not have achieved these accomplishments without the strong support of our Watershed Group community and partners. Our dedicated board members have provided inspiring suggestions (like the pie auction at our Annual Celebration!) and dedicated oversight as we forged new procedures and practices. Volunteers have removed hundreds of Himalayan blackberry plants, planted dozens of native trees and shrubs, and helped nurture the new plantings with water and mulch. Finally, our partners leaned into our Focused Investment Partnership grant application to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, which culminated in an award in April 2024!

We are grateful for everyone’s contributions and excited for the future!

2022 Annual Report

/in /by

2022 was a productive and transitional year for the Watershed Group. We kicked off work on Watershed 2040 – our 20-year strategic action plan, designed and implemented instream habitat restoration projects, hosted volunteer work parties, and became a non-profit organization. Read all about our progress in 2022 in our Annual Report.

Thank you to our watershed community and all of our partners for making this work possible, including the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Hood River Soil & Water Conservation District, East Fork Irrigation District, Middle Fork Irrigation District, Farmers Irrigation District, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the Jubitz Family Foundation, pFriem Family Brewers, and many others!

2021 Annual Report – 25 Years of Watershed Restoration!

/in /by
For 25 years, the Hood River Watershed Group has been sustaining and improving the Hood River Watershed through education, cooperation, and stewardship. 2021 marked 25 years of restoration, conservation, and outreach for the Watershed Group, and with the completion of the Hood River Basin Partnership Strategic Action Plan (Watershed 2040) this year, we have a new 20-year scope of work that aims to restore aquatic habitat for the watershed’s anadromous and resident fish species. Restoration of fish habitat, stream flow, and water quality is the foundation of the plan, though much of this work will also strengthen the resiliency of our community and economy as climate change continues to impact stream flow, water temperature, and aquatic and terrestrial habitats.

Watershed 2040 was developed by the Hood River Basin Partnership, which consists of nine core members, including the Hood River Watershed Group, the Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, East Fork Irrigation District, Middle Fork Irrigation District, Farmers Irrigation District, the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. This partnership will be working together over the next 20 years to achieve the ambitious goals laid out in the plan.

We’re excited to begin work on Watershed 2040, and know that we need to engage the diverse and unique watershed community to be successful in this plan. We’ll be reaching out to you in the coming year to explore ways we can work together to be stewards of this incredible watershed.

2019 Watershed Group Annual Report is live!

/in , /by

Our 2019 Annual Report is live! Take a look for a recap of projects completed in 2019, as well as a snapshot of what we’ll be working on in 2020.

A huge thank you to all our partners, volunteers, Operations Committee members, and funders for making our work possible!