Conservation groups are pleased with legislation that sets up a $5 million fund that they say helps Oregon communities protect their drinking water.
The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board will oversee the fund, which allows the state to access hundreds of millions of dollars in federal matching funds. Communities can acquire land or purchase conservation easements, which includes forests that filter rainwater and other precipitation that provide their water.
Daniel Wear, a forest program manager with the conservation nonprofit, Sustainable Northwest, told KLCC the bill is important because it gives local control and management decisions to some smaller communities.
“And (it) provides the opportunity to acquire or have input on how forest is managed in areas that actually have not had a direct line of communication or ownership of forested land in the past," said Wear. “Land ownership is an effective way to connect communities to the water they rely on for daily life.”
Sustainable Northwest says coastal communities like Newport and Lincoln City stand to especially benefit.
Kelley Beamer, executive director of the Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts, expressed her gratitude to state Reps. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, and Mark Owens, R-Crane, for prioritizing the new grant program “and working to expand access to clean, reliable, and affordable drinking water across the state.”
The funding will provide $4 million for communities to acquire land or purchase conservation easements on properties, while also establishing a $1 million fund for projects to apply for loan repayment on projects that would have previously qualified for the funding.
