The Council's mission is "to facilitate community-supported maintenance and restoration of the streams, rivers, and lakes within our watersheds".
Featured Project
Fish the Powder
Fishing Enhancement Project
In 2018, Baker City residents raised concerns about the quality of fishing in the Powder River through town and asked the Powder Basin Watershed Council (PBWC) whether conditions could be improved. This inquiry led to a collaborative effort with local residents, the Wallowa‑Whitman National Forest, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and Baker City Parks and Recreation to explore opportunities to improve fishing along the Powder River through town and upstream to Mason Dam.
Where access permission was granted, ODFW conducted a habitat inventory within the 21.7‑mile project reach from Hughes Lane to Mason Dam to document current conditions. Based on this inventory, a strategy was developed to enhance fishing and fish habitat along the Powder River. Several focus actions were identified, including improving instream habitat, increasing river access for fishing on National Forest lands and within town, riparian vegetation planting and education, and addressing fish screening and passage issues.
We are excited to begin moving forward again with this project and would like to hear from the community. We want to know which project reaches (Figure 1) and types of actions are the highest priority to you. If have questions or are a landowner within the project area and are interested in partnering with us on a restoration project, please contact Sandra Mayne at wr-coordinator@pbwsc.org or 541‑519‑1420.
Thank you for your support!
Tell us what you think. Take our online survey here: https://forms.gle/EokSYL6uT2RD8yGq7
Upcoming Meetings
Our next Board of Directors meeting will be Wednesday, August 12th, from 5:15pm-7:30pm at the Baker County Library (2400 Resort St Baker City, OR 97814). A virtual option will also be available for those who cannot attend in person. This meeting will be open to the public, and we will provide a 15-minute public comment period related to agenda items prior to our business meeting. To participate, comments must be submitted in writing 24 hours before the meeting to pbwced@pbwsc.org. Each commentor will have 2-minutes to speak. Meeting minutes will be available to the public upon request 7 days after the meeting. Future meetings and agendas will be announced a week prior to the meeting.
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86503390329?pwd=HzqdlCzA8v1b4hVLW8nbXaUgI4VPzb.1
Meeting ID: 865 0339 0329
Passcode: 902399
Take a virtual tour of the
Powder River Watershed
Click here to read about the collaborative effort that PBWC is involved in working to conserve sage-grouse in Baker County.
