Rogue River Watershed Council

Starting out with an icon whose work is comparable to Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring," this journalist and author turned public opinion on the Everglades. In a time when wetlands were seen as a nuisance, she saw the value and beauty in this paradise.

Follow along every day this week as we celebrate some inspiring women who have shaped the field of conservation...

Make April 25th a day for supporting healthy waterways! Start your morning with Bear Creek Stewards Day (sign ups: www.stream-smart.com/bear-creek-c...) and then spend your evening with us as we Celebrate the Rogue! RSVPs and more details for the event can be found on our website.

"Whether it be your local brewery, tap room, wine (85% water) tasting room, or coffee (98% water) shop, water is the vital source of all the drinks we enjoy. More importantly, it’s not just the life of the party, it sustains life itself."

www.rogueriverwc.org/post/the-wat...

image of Crater Lake with snow on the mountains, including text "do you know where your water comes from?"

The Rogue River churns through the Rogue River Gorge and descends through forested areas until it is diverted out of the river and eventually to your tap. The Upper Rogue Watershed is 75% forested...When we say "from forest to tap" -- we mean it!

projects on the horizon... North Fork Little Butte Creek River Mile 0.9

Water isn't always flowing around large wood structures, especially in secondary channels. We've been able to capture some of the terrestrial wildlife that hangs out on and around these structures- see if you can identify all the creatures we found -->

a few notes for you 🌹

"Forest restoration came alive through stories such as the one about a Pacific fisher mother raising her young in a legacy oak once the work was complete..."

Read the rest of our featured story, "Rooted in Stewardship," written by Aubrey May of the Nature Conservancy here: buff.ly/hIm54ao

"These days, it feels like we’ve all earned a bit of a nature miracle. None of us would consider the Almeda Fire of 2020 a miracle by any means, but...

Read more about the "Miracle Mile" in our newest edition of the Confluence here: simplebooklet.com/confluencefa...

Petition for madrone berries to take the holiday berry crown. These fruits can be dried, soaked, and even used as bait for fishing! They stand out against the grey skies of winter in the Rogue Valley, and they pop against the dark green leaves of the evergreen Pacific Madrone! ❄️ 🎄

Choose your character... Coho edition! Drop a comment below and tell us your favorite festive salmon.

Wishing you a happy and safe holiday season from Rogue River Watershed Council!

While we all wish we could stomp around in the river every day, we spend the vast majority of our time writing reports and completing grant applications.

Interested in supporting office morale? Donate to help us spend more time in the water! (We'd greatly appreciate it.)

www.rogueriverwc.org

Knowing where your drinking water comes from is the best way to protect it. Find out here: www.rogueriverwc.org/what-we-do/y...

This holiday season, give back to your local community by investing in watershed resilience. Head to our website to donate to our winter appeal and support river restoration- it benefits us all.

www.rogueriverwc.org

Have a gourd day!

While many celebrate Thanksgiving today, we want to pause to honor and remember the Indigenous Peoples who were the first environmental stewards of the land and waters we cherish. Their knowledge and respectful relationship with nature are a foundation for all conservation work.

On rainy fall days, you might like to curl up under a blanket with a book (or maybe take a nap). Rest for a migrating salmon can be challenging, but this spot along our Bear Creek project is a great place for aquatic wildlife to rest without getting swept downstream!

This bigleaf maple is bigger than your face. Sometimes called Oregon maple, this is the tallest maple tree in North America (sometimes reaching heights over 100 feet). Besides its fantastic cover and habitat for wildlife, it also makes a delicious, rich syrup!

It's the most wonderful time of the year... the return of our anadromous salmon! Check out this beautiful Chinook spotted out along Bear Creek in Talent. Chinook are the largest of the Pacific Salmon species and can grow up to 100 lbs.

#salmonrun #chinook #rogueriver

It's a beautiful fall day on the Rogue. I watch a leaf gently break from the tree, gliding down until it rests on the surface of the water. Bacteria & fungi start the work of breaking down the leaf and making the nutrients more accessible for other critters- like macroinvertebrates.🍂

Is it a rock or a decomposing salmon? We get the best of both worlds in these pictures. After completing their grueling journey back upstream, adult salmon die and leave behind their nutrients to the surrounding ecosystem. Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Carbon are taken up by tree roots and plants.

Last weekend, we hosted a station for Salmon Family Day at North Mountain Park in Ashland. It was a beautiful day to splash around and search for bugs in the water and learn about salmon!

"Imagine you are floating down a river wearing a thin coat of armor. You jostle against rocks as the current pushes you down a tight channel."

Read our latest rendition of "A bug's life" here: www.rogueriverwc.org/post/a-bugs-...

We ain't gotta knock on wood to hope our work pays off. We know it does!

Check out this large wood structure in action-- creating habitat, sorting sediment, stabilizing streambanks, and creating new hiding spots for fish.

It ain't hard to see, large wood is the key to healthy streams!

The Rogue Drinking Water Partnership is always looking for ways to share information about your drinking water and how to protect it. We're excited to share a new interactive interface breaking down drinking water– before it reaches your tap.

Learn more here: www.rogueriverwc.org/what-we-do/y...

Conserving watersheds and preventing pollution are vital steps toward securing a sustainable future. We hope you learned a lot this week about source water protection, and Rogue Drinking Water Partnership will continue working hard to protect the water resources in our basin. #ProtectTheSource

Today, we step into the more unregulated side of drinking water: wells. Private well owners/users are solely responsible for the water quality within their well. Check out recommendations for testing, local water quality concerns, and more here: www.rogueriverwc.org/what-we-do/f...

Policy is a powerful tool for a healthier planet. We know it can be complicated to keep track of the legal briefs, memos, and amendments– so we compiled a one stop shop that explains the key pieces of our environmental policy in the US: www.rogueriverwc.org/what-we-do/p...

Out of sight, but never out of mind. Groundwater is always moving under our feet, and its availability is crucial important for water security in the future. Learn more at www.rogueriverwc.org/what-we-do/f... and come back tomorrow for more of #SourceWaterProtectionWeek

Your tap water is a testament to the unseen work of water providers, who work around the clock to ensure its quality and safety. From source to tap, water providers are the vital link that ensures the reliability and safety of your water. #SourceWaterProtectionWeek