Oregon Recognizes Sheep Creek Stewardship Project for Waterway Restoration
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Thursday, October 16th, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
EASTERN OREGON — The Oregon Department of State Lands honored the Sheep Creek Stewardship Project with the 2025 Stream Award for its outstanding efforts in restoring critical wetlands and streams on a tributary of the Grande Ronde River. This announcement was made via a media press release issued statewide.
“On a tributary of the upper Grande Ronde River in Oregon’s Blue Mountain landscape, the Sheep Creek Stewardship Project reconnected 101 acres of wetland habitat and restored more than 8.6 miles of streams and smaller tributaries. This work was coordinated with a broader forest ecosystem restoration effort, creating a ridgetop-to-ridgetop restoration area designed to maximize benefits for wildlife habitat, wildfire resilience, and water quality.
Located in a high montane meadow ecosystem, the area is considered source water for downstream communities, including Perry, La Grande, Imbler, Elgin, Summerville, and the Grande Ronde Valley.
The team used a hybrid mix of restoration tools, making the project a standout example of innovation in wetland floodplain restoration—locally, regionally, and nationally. As critical habitat for Snake River chinook, steelhead, bull trout and many other native species, the project is already showing early signs of success: Beaver have recently returned to the stream system, signaling a positive shift for native flora and fauna.
Project Leadership and Collaboration:
- Project Owners: Trout Unlimited, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management
- Primary Project Team:
- U.S. Forest Service – Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
- Bureau of Land Management – Vale District
- Grande Ronde Model Watershed Council
- Wolf Water Resources
- Trout Unlimited
- Project Partners:
NW Youth Corps, US War Veterans Crew – North Fork John Day Watershed Council, Glacier Excavating, Anabranch Solutions, Wildlands Inc., Plantworks, Wolf Water Resources, Capitan Forestry, Streamside Services, Haskins Excavating, Cargill Fencing, and Hanging Rock Excavation”
