Grande Ronde Basin Restoration Projects

 

The GRMW was created in 1992 by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council as a “model” for the establishment of watershed management partnerships among local residents, state and federal agency staffs, and public interest groups. The GRMW was designated by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) as the coordinating entity in the Grande Ronde and Imnaha Subbasins for the allocation of BPA funds to habitat restoration activities.

The GRMW has developed a process to technically review and approve prospective projects for BPA funding. Projects submitted to the GRMW, and funded, are referred to as GRMW projects. These projects may be sponsored and implemented by a variety of partners or may be sponsored by the Grande Ronde Model Watershed Foundation. Prospective projects must address limiting factors and follow restoration strategies identified in the Grande Ronde and Imnaha subbasin plans. The GRMW convenes a Technical Committee, composed of agency biologists and technicians, to review and prioritize projects for BPA funding.

Many more projects are accomplished in the Grande Ronde and Imnaha subbasins (also referred to as the Grande Ronde Basin) independently of the GRMW by agencies, tribes and landowners using a variety of other funding sources. There is frequently coordination among the restoration partners when implementing these projects. The GRMW maintains a database and inventory of all restoration projects in the Grande Ronde Basin by soliciting project data from sponsors and entering the data into a database tied to a GIS (Geographic Information Systems).

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