Lakeview SWCD

The district works extensively on the Lake County Greater Sage-Grouse Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances program (CCAA) execution while coordinating and partnering with Lake County Cooperative Weed Management Area (LCCWMA), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Lake County Umbrella Watershed Council (LCUWC), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Department of State Lands (DSL), United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), and others to implement the program. Staff continues to execute an Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Sage Grouse Focused Investment Project (FIP) Technical Assistance (TA) grant to support staff in implementing, monitoring, and reporting the conservation actions and achievements within the CCAA program. This project also includes identifying and developing projects within the district such as juniper removal, invasive annual grass treatments, spring developments/off-site water, mesic area improvements, improved grazing management practices, and fencing to improve sage grouse habitat, rangeland conditions and water quality and availability to the watershed.

As a result of implementing our Sage Grouse FIP TA grant and the Sage Grouse CCAA program, the District Wildlife Biologist has secured multiple OWEB Restoration grants under the FIP to treat 5,455 acres of encroaching juniper, implement herbicide treatment on 2,475.5 acres of invasive annual grasses, develop 5 springs for off-site water/spring protection, construct 5.7 miles of cross fencing, 4.1 miles of fence marking to reduce risk of sage grouse mortality, and improve grazing practices and operations on ~27,700 acres in the North Warners and Clover Flat areas.

The previously funded Upper Chewaucan Strategic Implementation Area (SIA) work provided the basis for developing the South Creek priority area for restoration as well as the MOU between partner agencies for a United States Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) funded planning and design effort in the Upper Chewaucan watershed.

Since the start of the South Creek priority area focus, five springs have been developed providing off channel water, one mile of creek has been electric fenced, thirty low tech, process-based restoration structures (beaver dam analogs and post assisted log structures) have been implemented in channel, and thinning of congested forest land on 250 acres has occurred. In total, 45 acres of riparian area is being restored.  

Fish passage is also a priority within the Strategic Implementation Area (SIA). Funding has been secured for the removal of an old weir and refitting of a partial fish barrier, which will restore fish habitat on 18 miles of South Creek in the future. Both the weir removal and the culvert replacement will occur in the summer of 2026. All permits have been secured, and contractors have been assigned to the two projects.

The Honey Creek Diversion project is located near Plush, Oregon. A series of diversions provide irrigation and stock water to ranching families in the Plush area – Honey Creek subwatershed. The concrete weirs divert water into the diversion canal which then delivers water to down-valley irrigators. The diversions in their current condition are a fish passage barrier during all flow conditions due to the structures' vertical height and high-water velocities. Obstructed fish passage affects Warner sucker (Federally threatened), Warner Lakes redband trout (Oregon-species of concern), and other native species inhabiting the Warner Basin. The diversion, while vital to the local ranching community is also vital to the native fish that thrive in this stream system. The goal of the Warner Basin Aquatic Habitat Partnership is established fish passage at these diversions, while maintaining the irrigation needs of the ranching community. This project will achieve USFWS recovery goals for Warner sucker by restoring fish passage and habitat among three focal tributaries in the basin, Honey Creek being one of them. The goal of the project is to reconnect individual populations of native fish that will restore a self-sustaining metapopulation among the three tributaries and the Warner Lakes. Partners include: Lakeview SWCD, Plush Irrigators, Lake County Watershed Council, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, USFS, ODFW and River Design Group, Inc.