The Rogue River, flowing 215 miles from Crater Lake to the Pacific Ocean, is a national treasure. It was one of the original eight rivers included in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, and is famous for outdoor activities, scenic beauty and wildlife viewing. Other human uses, including mining and dams, have changed the Rogue River over time, but a handful of partners are working to restore fish habitat and flood plain function to a three-mile section of the river near Lower Table Mountain in Jackson County.

In 1997, a powerful flood caused the Rogue River to climb its banks. Velocities were high enough to scour out all the vegetation in the 150 foot-wide riparian stream buffer, and when the flood water retreated, the river remained in the new channel, through the stream buffer. The eroded channel, now the new stream bed, was once a twelve foot deep gravel pit owned by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The abandoned channel was left high and dry, stranding fish and making the whole area more vulnerable to floods.

The Rogue River Stakeholders started Phase 1 in 2000 with initial meetings and baseline data collection for the project. Data collection was done by volunteers lead by the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, once river and floodplain management plan funding was pursued. Work began in 2002 with the placement of stream barb followed by invasive species removal. The culprit: Himalayan blackberry.

“That was our riparian vegetation,” remembers Frank Schnitzer, Lead Reclamationist with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. “We had a one hundred to 150 foot wide blackberry patch.”

It was just the beginning. Community interest was strong, including support from partners as diverse as the Rogue River Guides Association and the Rogue River Flyfishers Association, who awarded Mr. Schnitzer their Golden Demon award in 2004 for his efforts to preserve fish habitats.

Later phases of the project have included gravel removal in the old channel, berm and bank construction and revegetation. Although the project has been funded by generous grants from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board in 2002 and 2004, it is the many in-kind contributions of time, expertise and resources that demonstrate the dedication of the stakeholders. Partners include agencies such as the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Transportation, and Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, industries and businesses such as Techrain, Whetstone Engineering, Lidstone and Associates, Rogue Aggregates, and individuals and neighbors including Bill Leavins of Rogue Aggregates and David Haight of ODFW.

“Bill and David really made a difference,” says Frank. “They persevered from beginning to end. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Success of the Project

New trees planted to revegetate the area are thriving. The black cottonwoods and white alder are already 15 to 25 feet tall Partners hired a Jackson County work crew this year to place beaver collars on the native ash, alder and black cottonwood trees, protecting them from beavers, part of the thriving wildlife community.

Perhaps the true measure of success lies in the awards given to Frank and his project: the Salmon Plan Award from OR DOGAMI and the Good Neighbor Award from ODFW as well as the support of the community itself.

“People didn’t grasp how big the project was until they finally saw it,” Frank remembers. “People tell me it’s a unique experience to walk through it.”

Go to the Rogue River Stakeholders’ project detail page on the Conservation Registry to see how agencies, businesses and dedicated individuals can work together to make conservation happen.