ODFW’s Conservation and Recreation Fund grant cycle now open; 140 projects funded since 2020 totaling over $5 million

Jan. 30, 2024

SALEM, Ore. - Interested applicants should visit the OCRF grants webpage at: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/OCRF/grants.asp

OCRF has supported 140 projects since it was formed in early 2020 and more than $5 million has been awarded statewide with an average of $35,000 per project. OCRF is a way for Oregonians to support projects that protect and enhance species and habitats identified in the Oregon Conservation Strategy and to create new opportunities for wildlife watching, urban conservation, community science, and other wildlife-associated recreation.

Examples of successful OCRF projects (photos available)

• Source One Serenity, a nonprofit organization that serves military veterans, was awarded $43,000 in 2023 for the Boulder Creek Wilderness Trails and Monitoring project. This collaborative community project addressed several critical needs in the Umpqua National Forest such as reopening trails and monitoring post-fire erosion, water quality, and invasive species. The project also introduced veterans to the healing power of nature in a meaningful way.
• The Klamath Bird Observatory received $20,000 for a project using GPS technology to track Oregon Vesper Sparrows, an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species, from multiple breeding populations throughout their full annual cycle. Current research is focused on breeding habitat needs, nest success, annual survival, and recruitment; more information is needed about the non-breeding season to complete a full assessment of conservation issues.

KBO deployed miniaturized GPS tags on 10 Oregon Vesper Sparrows at their Rogue Basin study site in 2020; results from three birds recaptured in 2021 provided the very first precise information about where Oregon Vesper Sparrows spend the non-breeding season, and a proof-of-concept for using GPS technology with this subspecies. KBO was able to expand its study and deploy GPS tags on 20 Oregon Vesper Sparrows (10 in the Willamette Valley region and 10 in the Rogue Basin region) in 2022 to further uncover migratory routes and wintering locations and describe the degree of migratory connectivity between these two populations.

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• The Oregon Hunters Association was awarded $33,000 for its Restoring Hope and Habitat project. OHA volunteers partnered with the Institute for Applied Ecology’s Sagebrush and Prisons Project, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the BLM and Forest Service to plant 15,575 sage and bitterbrush seedlings in 2022 and 2023 within the Cougar Peak and Bootleg fire areas in the East Cascades ecoregion near Bly and Valley Falls, Oregon.

The project benefits Oregon Conservation Strategy species such as greater sage-grouse, brewer’s sparrow, sagebrush sparrow, Swainson’s hawk, ferruginous hawk, pygmy rabbit, California myotis, long-legged myotis, pallid bat, silver haired bat, and Townsend’s big-eared bat. Additionally, this project helped restore sagebrush and bitterbrush communities which will greatly benefit other plant and animal species.

For additional background information about OCRF visit, https://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/OCRF/background.asp.