June 4, 2020 9:50 a.m.
The 28th annual Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby steering committee has announced that grant funds are available for fishery enhancement projects in the Umpqua Basin.
A release said that over the past 27 years, the derby has funded over $1.61 million in fishery enhancement, restoration and educational projects in the Umpqua Basin. Those funds are matched with other donations to support hundreds of fishery and educational projects throughout Douglas County.
Grant qualification guidelines include:
*Projects on private lands will have priority funding
*Projects ability to achieve success in a variety of management objectives
*Projects which are cost-shared with the applicant
*Projects completed by June 30th, 2021
*Projects that improve or restore habitat and/or improve fish passage will have priority over other projects
*Projects which benefit wild populations of salmon, steelhead, and trout will have priority, but not to the exclusion, over other fish species
Applications are available by calling the Douglas Timber Operators at 672-0757. All project applications must be postmarked by June 26th. The decision as to which projects to fund will be made by July 17th and funds will become available immediately.