Organizational Structure – Projects & Accomplishments – Meetings & Membership – Contacts & Resources
Providing healthy ecosystems, protecting municipal water supplies, and improving economic viability of local communities within the McKenzie Watershed.
The McKenzie Watershed Stewardship Group (MWSG) is a forest stewardship partnership between Cascade Pacific RC&D, the Willamette National Forest (WNF) and others to fund watershed restoration projects located in the McKenzie Stewardship Group area. The MWSG is a group of diverse stakeholders with the common goal of enhancing ecological functions within the McKenzie Watershed and promoting the economic viability of local communities.
Mission
To build partnerships while using innovative tools, to enhance ecological functions and improve the economic viability of local communities.
Purpose
The MWSG is a forum for information sharing, coordinated planning and collaboration around common restoration goals. This forum enables early identification of potential opportunities or concerns about planned forest management activities.
Desired Outcomes
- Restoration of healthy ecosystems, protection of municipal water supplies, and improved economic viability of local communities within the McKenzie Watershed
- Stewardship contracts implemented on the McKenzie River Ranger District and supported by diverse stakeholders
- Stewardship contracting and other innovative tools increase the pace and extent of habitat restoration and protection of water quality in the McKenzie watershed
- Enhanced communication and trust between stakeholders in the watershed
- Excess receipts generated by stewardship contracting support agreed-upon watershed restoration priorities on both public and private lands
- Projects have multi-party monitoring and successes are recognized, recorded and communicated
Stewardship Program History
EWEB has been working with a number of partners and the Willamette National Forest to initiate a ‘stewardship contracting’ group in the McKenzie watershed. Stewardship contracting allows the Forest Service to enter into long-term contracts to meet land-management objectives, such as reducing wildfire risk and improving forest health.
Stewardship contracts on timber sales in the McKenzie watershed would allow the funds generated from the sale to remain in the watershed to fund other restoration work (such as culvert removal, large wood placement, road decommissioning) instead of going to the General Treasury. This can both promote forest restoration projects as well as support local communities.