Coquille Watershed Association

COQUILLE WATERSHED ASSOCIATION (COQWA) WORKS COLLABORATIVELY WITH COMMUNITIES AND LANDOWNERS TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT VOLUNTARY WATERSHED RESTORATION, ENHANCEMENT, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE HEALTHY AND RESILIENT ECOSYSTEMS AND ECONOMIES IN THE COQUILLE WATERSHED. ESTABLISHED IN 1994 BY LOCAL CITIZENS CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH OF THE WATERSHED AND ITS NATURAL RESOURCES, COQWA ESTABLISHES PROGRAMS IN RESTORATION, MONITORING, NOXIOUS WEED ABATEMENT, AND EDUCATION THAT ARE VALUED AND SUPPORTED THROUGHOUT THE WATERSHED. COQWA SERVES ALL COMMUNITIES IN THE COQUILLE WATERSHED WHICH IS PRIMARILY LOCATED IN COOS AND CURRY COUNTIES IN THE SOUTHWEST CENTRAL COAST AREA OF OREGON. COQWA FUNDS ITS MANY PROJECTS PRIMARILY FROM FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL GRANTS, AND CONTRACTS INCLUDING FUNDS FROM THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, U.S. FOREST SERVICE, U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, OREGON DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, COQUILLE INDIAN TRIBE, AND NONPROFITS S

COQWA WORKS WITH RANCHERS, FARMERS, TIMBER COMPANIES, COQUILLE INDIAN TRIBE, CIVIC GROUPS, THE PORTS OF COQUILLE AND BANDON TO ACCOMPLISH WATERSHED PROJECTS. THE COQUILLE WATERSHED IS A 1,089 SQUARE MILE AREA PRIMARILY IN COOS AND PORTIONS OF CURRY AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES. WATERSHED PROJECTS ARE CATEGORIZED INTO THREE PROGRAM AREAS DESCRIBED BELOW. RESTORATION PROGRAM PROVIDES HABITAT FOR SALMON, STEELHEAD, OTHER FISH AND WILDLIFE, DRINKING WATER FOR THE COMMUNITIES IN THE WATERSHED, AND SUPPORTS AGRICULTURE, TIMBER, AND RECREATIONAL USES SUCH AS FISHING. MANY PROJECTS ADDRESS HABITAT COMPLEXITY, CONNECTIVITY ISSUES, FISH BARRIERS, WATER QUALITY, RIPARIAN DEGRADATION, AND EROSION ISSUES WITH THE GOAL OF ENHANCING FISH HABITAT, WILDLIFE RESOURCES, WHILE IMPROVING WORKING LANDSCAPES. MONITORING PROGRAM INCLUDES BASIN ASSESSMENTS USING STREAM AND ROAD SURVEYS. STREAM SURVEYS DETERMINE HABITAT QUALITY, AND THE QUANTITY OF FISH AND OTHER STREAM WILDLIFE. ROAD SURVEYS IDENTIFY SOURCES OF SEDIMENT IN THE BASIN, AND DETECT FAILING ROAD COMPONENTS TO PREVENT MASS LOADING OF SEDIMENT INTO STREAMS. BASIN ASSESSMENTS PRODUCE PROJECTS THAT HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT ON STREAM HEALTH FOR SALMON HABITAT SUCH AS IN-STREAM WOOD PLACEMENT, RIPARIAN PLANTINGS, FISH PASSAGE (CULVERT REPLACEMENT), SEDIMENT ABATEMENT THROUGH WATER BARS AND CROSS DRAINS. THE MONITORING PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDES RESTORATION EFFECTIVENESS MONITORING CONSISTING OF TWO MAIN MONITORING PROJECTS, THE WINTER LAKE EFFECTIVENESS MONITORING WHICH IS THE LARGEST TIDE GATE REPLACEMENT PROJECT ALONG THE OREGON COAST, PAIRING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION WITH IMPROVED COHO SALMON OVERWINTERING. THE LOWER COQUILLE TIDE GATE AND FISH PASSAGE MONITORING PROJECT RELIES ON EXTENSIVE FISH TRAPPING AND COLLABORATION WITH OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE (ODFW) TO INSTALL PASSIVE INTEGRATED TRANSPONDER (PIT) ANTENNAS AT THE TIDE GATES OF WINTER LAKE, SEESTROM, COCHRAN, AND COALEDO PROJECT SITES, GATHERING DATA, AND THEN CONDUCTING IN-DEPTH STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS IN MONITORING REPORTS FOUND ON COQWA'S WEBSITE. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH PROGRAM SEEKS TO EDUCATE COMMUNITIES, BUSINESSES INCLUDING FARMS AND RANCHES ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING AND MAINTAINING THE COQUILLE WATERSHED ENVIRONMENT, AND WATER QUALITY.