Luckiamute Watershed Council
$77,128  Willamette Valley 

The Luckiamute Watershed Council (LWC) seeks to restore and revitalize Ash Creek, a perennial tributary to the Willamette River that flows through the cities of Monmouth and Independence (M-I), located within the Mid-Willamette River Floodplain COA. Although Ash Creek has been significantly altered over the years, this waterway and its floodplain continue to provide important ecological functions such as floodwater storage and habitat for several Oregon Conservation Strategy Species, including winter steelhead, spring chinook, yellow-breasted chat, willow flycatcher, white-breasted nuthatch, western bluebird and floater freshwater mussels. Ash Creek and its South, Middle and North Forks flow alongside schools, businesses, farmland, private residences, public parks and a community garden, providing recreational and educational opportunities for M-I community members. The LWC will enhance 10.47 acres of riparian habitat along 1.09 stream miles of Ash Creek. This will support an ongoing restoration project, situated within the most densely populated region of the LWC’s service area, that has struggled to fully establish due to severe browse pressure from a local deer population. This project will address this issue by planting trees and shrubs that are either deer-resistant or protected by cages. The proposed community engagement activities are designed to broaden and deepen the relationship between people and place within the communities that live alongside and depend upon a healthy Ash Creek. Many residents overlook the role of their local urban streams and backyards as part of an overall strategy towards improving watershed health and drought resiliency. Volunteer and community outreach events, some of which will be conducted primarily in Spanish, aim to empower more watershed residents to become active stewards of their local rivers and lands, and bring awareness to the role that all community members can play in promoting a healthier and more resilient Ash Creek.