The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) is a state agency led by a 17-member policy oversight board. The Board fosters the collaboration of citizens, agencies, and local interests.

OWEB programs support Oregon's efforts to restore salmon runs, improve water quality, and strengthen ecosystems that are critical to healthy watersheds and sustainable communities. OWEB administers a grant program funded from the Oregon Lottery, as a result of a citizen initiative in 1998, federal funds and salmon license plate dollars. The grant program supports voluntary efforts by Oregonians seeking to create and maintain healthy watersheds.

APPLICATION DEADLINE CHANGE AND UPCOMING WORKSHOPS. The application deadline has changed. Applications are due to OWEB in Salem by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 30, 2009. OWEB is holding workshops in early December to assist watershed councils in completing the application forms.

This project, which has been funded through an EPA Region 10 Wetland Program Development Grant, is a coordinated effort between OWEB, DSL, and The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The project will establish a more realistic picture of the level of the biological quality and ecological function of restored and mitigated wetlands, with an initial focus on the Willamette Valley, using rapid assessment and effectiveness monitoring in conjunction with bio-monitoring tools such as invertebrate community assessment.

In September 2007, the OWEB Board allocated $1 million for a joint effort with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to fund projects that will benefit Oregon's symbolic species.