Merkley, Wyden, Hoyle, Dexter Announce $12 Million to Oregon for Habitat Restoration Projects
PORTLAND, OR – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden joined U.S. Representatives Val Hoyle (OR-04) and Maxine Dexter (OR-03) today to announce $12 million in federal funds for Oregon habitat restoration and coastal resilience projects through the Community-based Restoration Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NOAA’s Community-based Restoration Program provides technical assistance and funding to partners implementing habitat restoration projects in coastal communities around the country. These projects will recover and sustain our nation’s fisheries by ensuring fish have access to high-quality habitat.
“Thanks to the Community-based Restoration Program, $12 million in federal funding is coming to Oregon to help protect and improve critical habitat for native Oregon fish, including the iconic coho salmon,” said Merkley. “Oregon’s native fish are the lifeblood of our state, supporting the health and vitality of our communities, local economies, and Tribes who have been here since time immemorial. I’ll keep pushing for necessary federal investments to protect Oregon’s ecosystems for generations to come.”
“Salmon and steelhead are a huge part of what makes Oregon recreation and our state’s natural wonders renowned around the world,” said Wyden. “This $12 million federal investment will help ensure those native fish keep flourishing along the coast and in the Sandy River Basin. I’ll always keep battling for resources just like these that are so vital for economic well-being and Tribal traditions.”
"Salmon sustain fishing jobs, support Tribes and help our local economies thrive," said Hoyle. "NOAA's Community-based Restoration Program supports habitat preservation up and down the Oregon coast. This funding will support habitat restoration for Coho Salmon right here in the 4th Congressional district."
“I’m deeply grateful our community is receiving $6.1 million in NOAA funding to support habitat restoration for salmon and steelhead in the Sandy River Basin,” said Dexter. "At a time when these threatened species face constant threats from climate change, I will continue advocating for funding that helps protect this irreplaceable part of the Pacific Northwest ecosystem.”
The $12 million in federal funds will be distributed in Oregon as follows:
- The Freshwater Trust – Restoring habitat to support salmon and steelhead in the Sandy River Basin: $6.1 million
- Wild Salmon Center – Restoring habitat for coho salmon across four Oregon Coast watersheds: $5.9 million
"When we helped secure Endangered Species Act protection for these fish decades ago, the goal wasn’t to put them on some sacred list and mourn—it was to recover them. The Sandy program shows what can happen when you work at the scale of the whole basin, put effort into projects that matter most, and measure success by outcomes: spring Chinook and winter steelhead returns are now consistently surpassing ESA delisting abundance targets. This basin is one of the only spots in America where that’s actually happening. This NOAA investment lets us keep doing what works until the job is done,” said Joe Whitworth, President & CEO, The Freshwater Trust.
"This investment in a unique Oregon partnership with a winning formula will help to further recover threatened Oregon Coast coho. By following science, building consensus across agencies and communities, and deploying local knowledge and workers, the Coast Coho Partnership is reconnecting the most important streams, wetlands, and estuaries for coho up and down the coast. Coho abundance is trending upward once again. Thanks to this funding and the leadership of the NOAA Restoration Center, we continue to recover a fish that is central to life on the Oregon Coast," said Mark Trenholm, Vice President for Conservation, Wild Salmon Center.
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