Hood River Watershed Comic!

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We are thrilled to share the Hood River Watershed Comic with the Watershed Group community. The comic tells the story of the people, ecology, and conservation of the Hood River Watershed, and was developed in partnership with Leslie King (author), Ryan Alexander-Tanner (illustrator), and Jaime Rivera (translator). Thank you so much to Leslie, Ryan, Jaime, Chuck Gehling, Jackie Markin, and the many others that contributed to this comic!

You can find the digital version of the comic in English and Spanish. Printed copies are available at our office and at select locations around town.

Video: Neal Creek Phase 3 Habitat Enhancement Project Video

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We’re very excited to share this project video about the recently completed Neal Creek Phase 3 habitat enhancement project. This past summer’s work was the third phase of restoration the Watershed Group has completed on Neal Creek in collaboration with the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and over 10 private landowners. Work included helicopter placement of approximately 500 ‘rootwad’ logs along a two-mile section of Neal Creek on County forestland, followed by ground-based reconnection and restoration of a former channel segment at the end of lower Neal Creek Road.

We are so grateful for the incredible video production skills of our board member, Jackie Markin. This is the second video Jackie has developed for us – thank you so much, Jackie!

Thank you to Lillian Dick from the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, and Doug Thiesies, the Hood River County Forester, for their contributions to the video and the project. Thank you to Inter-Fluve – the project’s design engineering firm, Biohabitats – the construction contractor, and Columbia Helicopters. We had such a great time working with all of these partners on this project! And of course, thank you to our project funders, including the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Bonneville Power Administration, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and Bureau of Reclamation!

View the video here.

We also implemented the Baldwin Creek Fish Passage and Habitat Enhancement project this past summer, and Columbia Insight just published a video story that provides a nice overview of the project and the vital landowner partnerships that made the project possible. Check out the story here.

Join us for our 3rd Annual Celebration!

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Date & Time: Thursday, November 14, 5:30 – 9:00 pm
Location: The Ruins
Purchase Tickets
Join the Hood River Watershed Group for our 3rd Annual Celebration at The Ruins in Hood River! The event will include dinner by Boda’s Kitchen (chicken, sides, and dessert, plus a special vegetarian option), over a dozen fabulous raffle prizes from local businesses, silent auction for guided local fishing trips, and a ‘pie (and cake!) auction’ for a chance to win a 3-night stay at a waterfront condo in San Francisco. Our program will feature a video on our Neal Creek fish habitat restoration work, the release of our Watershed Comic, and more!

Special thanks to our event sponsors: Inter-Fluve and pFriem Family Brewers!

2023 Annual Report

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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!

We are hiring a Watershed Technician!

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Are you or someone you know interested in gaining experience in watershed monitoring or stewardship? The Watershed Group is seeking an energetic and passionate individual with a background in science or natural resources to join us as a Watershed Technician. This position will be the lead for collecting and managing watershed monitoring data, and will also assist with restoration and water conservation projects, including oversight of riparian planting and maintenance projects, assisting with grant applications and reports, and working with volunteers to help maintain and monitor projects.

The full Watershed Technician Job Announcement can be found here.

Applications are due by 4pm on May 6th.

Recording – Tony Creek Fish Passage Project

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Alix Danielsen, Watershed Group Restoration Project Manager, and Steve Rodriguez, engineer with Wolf Water Resources, present on the Tony Creek Fish Passage Project that was implemented in 2023. This project included 300 feet of stream channel reconstruction to allow for fish passage over a low head diversion dam. The project opened up access to five miles of critical clearwater habitat for several threatened fish species. This project was one of two remaining high priority fish passage barrier in the watershed on Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s statewide list and is a major accomplishment for the watershed!

Watch the recording here.

Recording – Status and Conservation Issues of Black-Tailed Deer in the Hood River Watershed

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ODFW District Wildlife Biologist, Andrew Meyers, presents on the Status and Conservation Issues of Black-Tailed Deer in the Hood River Watershed. He will share an overview of the species, the relative health of the population, and efforts to quantify the population. He also discusses management considerations for the species, including recreation impacts and water conservation projects.

Watch the recording here.

Earth Day Volunteer Work Party at Indian Creek Trail

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Date & Time: Saturday, April 20th, 9:00am – Noon
Event Address: Indian Creek Trail at Alameda Road (parking at Barrett Barn)
Contact us at: (541) 386-6063 or alix@hoodriverwatershed.org
Join the Hood River Watershed Group & Hood River Valley Parks and Recreation to celebrate Earth Day! We’ll be planting and mulching native trees and shrubs along Indian Creek at Barrett Park to provide diverse and resilient wildlife habitat, decrease run off and erosion into the creek, and contribute to a shaded, cool creek environment.
We will meet at Barrett Park along the Indian Creek Trail at Alameda Road; please park at the Barrett Barn and walk across the field to the trail.
Please bring water and your favorite work gloves, sturdy shoes or rubber boots that can get muddy, and dress in layers. Tools, snacks, and warm drinks will be provided!
 
This is a family-friendly event, youth are welcome if accompanied by an adult!
 
Thank you!!

Recording – East Fork Irrigation District Updates Presentation

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Steve Pappas, District Manager for the East Fork Irrigation District, provides an update on EFID’s current projects, including pipeline modernization, telemetry, and plans for sediment removal.

Watch the video here.

Video: Three Decades of Partnership and Collaborative Restoration in the Hood River Watershed

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Farmers Conservation Alliance, a local non-profit focused on irrigation modernization and water conservation, developed a video about the three decades of partnership and collaborative restoration in the Hood River Watershed.

We were fortunate to share the video in person with everyone who attended the Annual Celebration, and we’re now able to share it with our broader community. We hope you’ll be as moved as we are by the video. It’s a powerful reminder of how much can be accomplished by coming together and working towards common goals.

We now look ahead to the next thirty years, continuing to build a resilient watershed for and with our watershed community.

Watch the video here.