Cave Bear Watershed Restoration
Collaboration
The Cave Bear Watershed Restoration project, planned in partnership with the Mount Adams District Collaborative, envisions a comprehensive approach to restoration. The project aims to conduct the necessary environmental planning for road restoration and maintenance of meadows and small forest openings.
The collaborative approach the Task Force took to this project allows us to find agreement on possible solutions to the tough issues facing our Forest and community. The solutions are evident in the various projects the Mount Adams District Collaborative is moving forward.
Local Employment
The road restoration and maintenance of meadows and small forest openings complements the Forest Service’s timber sale effort in the same watershed. The Collaborative Group has hired local contractors to start collecting the necessary field data over the summer. “...we are working to benefit watershed health and create local employment, said Jim White, representative for the Underwood Conservation District,”
- The Cave Bear project aims to restore meadows such as this.
“For the road removal aspect of the project we took time to consider access for future timber sales, fire, and recreation and balance that with environmental impacts” said Tom Linde, member of the Gifford Pinchot Accountability Group. “These are our initial project plans and we hope to hear from the public and utilize data gathered from the contractors to refine the proposal over the summer and fall.”
Opportunity
According to studies by the University of Oregon, restoration work is increasingly an economic driver in rural communities. The studies found that for every million dollars of public investment in restoration projects it supports 16.7 jobs in Oregon and is multiplied 1.7 to 2.6 times by economic activity as it cycles through the state’s economy. The Mount Adams District Collaborative is excited to be able to increase the work available for local communities and benefit watershed health.
If you are interested in reviewing the proposal or map locations for road restoration and maintenance of meadows, visit the Gifford Pinchot National Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/gp/projects.
