Water Management and Conservation

Featured Resources

Network of Oregon Watershed Councils

The Network of Oregon Watershed Councils is a statewide non-profit organization that supports the work of Oregon’s community-based watershed councils. Located in the state capital of Salem in the northwest corner of the U.S., the Network serves some 90 councils across the state through training, conferences, and networking events, by providing a voice with agencies and funders, by tracking important issues, and by helping councils learn from each other to increase their efficiency and impact.

Oct 2018 | Online resource

Strangers in Our Waterways

This video reveals how the introduction of non-native organisms—fish, shellfish, and even aquarium plants—has affected native organisms in and around our waterways.

Jan 2011 | Video

Water-wise Gardening in Central Oregon

You can have a colorful and beautiful landscape while conserving water and saving time, energy and money. Learn innovative conservation techniques for water-wise gardening, or xeriscaping, in central Oregon. Full plant lists give you...

Amy Jo Detweiler | Jun 2020 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Water Systems: Taking Care of a Precious Resource

These best practices for wells, ponds and other water systems can help you secure a safe, reliable water supply and help to ensure that we protect our streams, lakes and groundwater. This is one of a series of Rural ...

Rachel Werling | Dec 2019 | OSU Extension Catalog Peer reviewed (Orange level)

Stressed trees show dieback

Browning or dieback is usually caused by weather-related stress, sometimes in combination with pests and diseases.

Mar 2018 | Article

New ‘droughty’ soils model for Pacific Northwest could aid forest health in changing climate

Scientists have developed a new approach to modeling potentially drought-prone soils in Pacific Northwest forests, which could aid natural resource managers to prepare forested landscapes for a changing climate.

Chris Branam | Aug 16, 2018 | News story

Latest Resources

Fish Habitat and Riparian Management

This class covers the principles of salmonid biology (including life cycles, ecological needs at various life stages, etc.) and introduces the audience to freshwater habitat components that are key to the survival of native species...

Guillermo Giannico | Nov 2020 | Video

Zebra & Quagga Mussels Species Guide

This guide provides in depth information on invasive zebra and quagga muscles. It is a companion resource to the Menace to the West an invasive species curriculum. Appropriate for grades 8-12.

Samuel Chan, Tania Siemens, Rick Cooper | Mar 2021 | Online resource

Pest Alert: Invasive zebra mussels arrive in Oregon in “moss” balls sold for aquariums

Pest alert! The highly invasive Zebra mussels have made it into Oregon through moss balls, popular among aquarium hobbyists and commonly sold in pet stores.

Adriene Koett-Cronn, Samuel Chan | Mar 2021 | Article

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Latest News

Dig into hundreds of publications from OSU Extension online catalog

Have a gardening question? Find an answer in one of OSU Extension's publications.

Kym Pokorny | Nov 22, 2019 | News story

New analysis reveals challenges for drought management in Oregon’s Willamette River Basin

In Oregon’s Willamette River Basin, managing water scarcity would be more effective if conservation measures were introduced in advance and upstream from the locations where droughts are likely to cause shortages, according to a new study.

Chris Branam | Jul 15, 2019 | News story

Economic analysis provides watershed moment for environmental groups

Economists have found that in the United States, watershed groups have had a positive impact on their local water quality.

Chris Branam | Oct 11, 2018 | News story

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