Coos Watershed Association
$9,500

Along the Oregon Coast, tide gates have significantly altered estuarine and stream. Wetland and estuarine restoration including tide gate replacements are identified as top priority restoration actions for the Oregon Coast in the Oregon Conservation Strategy, state and federal conservation plans and are a priority for Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and watershed councils. Coos Watershed Association (CoosWA) and Coquille Watershed Association (CoqWA) recently completed tide gate inventories which identified over 275 tide gates in the two basins. Using the inventories, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) optimized tide gates based on those that, if replaced, will provide the most ecological benefit for the monetary investment. The need to replace tide gates in the Coos and Coquille estuaries is significant. With the optimization tool and inventory as foundations, local conservation organizations are collaborating to encourage landowners to voluntarily participate in wetland restoration projects. This proposal seeks to procure an RTK GPS so essential elevation data can be collected in order to implement and monitor current and future tide gate and wetland restoration projects. Elevation data are key to developing engineered project designs that improve habitat quality and connectivity while adhering to permitting requirements. This tool will also benefit planning, design, monitoring and adaptive management of the other restoration work CoosWA and partner organizations do throughout the SW Oregon coastal region. CoosWA is currently planning and implementing an estimated 5 million dollars ‘ worth of tide gate replacement and wetland projects, and CoqWA and Coos Soil and Water Conservation District (Coos SWCD) estimate an additional 5 million dollars ‘ of similar projects. This equipment will provide much greater accuracy and efficiency than current tools and produce cost savings for critical conservation work in SW Oregon now and into the future.