On Oct. 18, 2012, Secretary Ken Salazar will present the 2012 Partners in Conservation Awards in Washington, D.C. From Oregon, two projects were nominated for this prestigious honor. One nomination restored Oregon's southern coastal watershed and the other preserved historic and pre-historic artifacts in southeastern Oregon. Working with the Coquille Indian Tribe, local watershed councils and a private timber company, the Coos Bay District restored about 30 miles of stream in the Coos, Coquille, Smith and Umpqua watersheds. The partners placed logs, trees, boulders and boulder weirs to improve fish and aquatic habits in Oregon's southern coast. Since 2007, the Burns District has partnered with the University of Oregon and other archaeology organizations to host 20-30 top-level undergraduate and graduate students in a three-month long field study at an authentic archaeological site. In contrast to textbook archaeology learned in the classroom, these students participated in the excavation of the cultural resource site of the Clovis people. Established in 2009, the Partners in Conservation Awards was designed to recognize partnerships that promote conservation on our treasured landscapes, preserve natural and cultural resources, bring innovative approaches to resource management, and that engage diverse entities and youth in accomplishing the Department's mission. Over the past three years, Secretary Salazar has presented this prestigious Departmental honor to a number of organizations and individuals. All the nominations exemplify the spirit of public private partnerships. Such collaborations reflect the deep commitment of our partners and communities to our mission, and allow us to more effectively and efficiently meet our conservation and preservation goals. For a list award recipients go to: https://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Salazar-Honors-Partners-in-Conservation-Award-Winners
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
