Protecting natural resources is a team effort. Tualatin SWCD strives to support the conservation efforts of other organizations and community groups in Washington County by providing funding and technical support to get projects rolling.
In early 2021, we were proud to offer two grant programs aimed at supporting conservation education, community agriculture, on-the-ground habitat restoration, and conservation research projects. Through our Conservation Education Grant and our Tualatin River Environmental Enhancement Grant, we awarded a total of $502,806.00 to eight applicants. This year’s grantees included non-profit organizations, a school, a local unit of government, and local businesses.
Meet our recent grantees and learn about their conservation projects!
- Confluence Project was awarded a grant to support their Confluence Outdoors program, providing K-12 students with outdoor education field trips to natural areas. Through visits to Quamash Prairie Natural Area, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, and other local natural areas, students of Native American heritage will connect with the Indigenous ecological knowledge passed down through generations in this region.
- Tualatin Riverkeepers will use grant dollars to provide educational activities and signage at their Cook Park River Rentals station. Summer boaters will be able to learn about local wildlife, water quality, and soil health while exploring the Tualatin River by canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard.
- Westview High School students will hone their science skills with new microbiology lab equipment funded through a Conservation Education grant. After collecting water samples from nearby Rock Creek, students will use the lab equipment to identify microscopic organisms in the water, test for the presence of toxic organisms, and complete water quality investigations.
- Adelante Mujeres will provide regenerative agriculture courses, mentoring, and place-based community gardening to engage Latinx families in agriculture and conservation. This grant will help build the infrastructure for Juniper Community Garden, a 0.75-acre garden for farmworker families and residents of Bienestar affordable housing properties. These programs aim to provide educational opportunities that will advance cultural, economic, and health equity for the Latinx community in Washington County and have a positive impact on the land and climate.
- Ash Creek Forest Management will carry out habitat restoration activities at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. This 90-acre natural area supports diverse populations of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. The grant will fund restoration of wetland and oak woodland areas, including invasive species management, planting of native species, and creation of habitat features.
- Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation Department will be bringing a portion of Hall Creek back to life by removing the stream from an underground pipe and letting it flow through Raleigh Park. Restoration of the stream will include installing natural structures to slow erosion, planting thousands of native species along the stream banks, and removing invasive weeds.
- Tualatin River Watershed Council will add large woody debris and boulders to Clear Creek (a tributary of Gales Creek) to improve habitat for fish and wildlife, including steelhead, Coho, chinook, cutthroat trout, and Pacific lamprey. Placing wood in the stream will create pools, helping to keep water cool for fish. Adding boulders to the stream allows pebbles and other coarse sediment to accumulate, providing habitat for macroinvertebrates.
- WEST Consultants will use grant funding to study how mosses and mycelia can be used in stormwater facilities to improve water quality while also providing pollinator habitat. This research project will include development of two demonstration sites in Washington County.
Interested in applying for a grant from Tualatin SWCD? Find details and guidelines on our Grants & Funding page.