Restoration and conservation of riparian habitats that buffer the Rogue River and its tributaries is an essential part of improving water quality and Plan (RRAP), which serves as a guide to RBP and its member organizations with respect to riparian condition targets, recognized the need and set goals but also acknowledges that there are data gaps that need to be filled to better understand the opportunities and overall scope of services required with respects to riparian health and extent in the basin.
The Riparian Working Group (RWG) was formed with partner/member support and participation in late 2015. The RWG has had regular participation from the majority of organizations actively involved in riparian associated work including the Applegate Watershed Council and Partnership, Rogue Valley Council of Governments, Lomakatsi Restoration Project, Rogue River Watershed Council, Seven Basins Watershed Council, Illinois Valley SWCD, Jackson SWCD, Klamath Bird Observatory, The Freshwater Trust, ODFW, and DEQ.
The RWG partners first developed a tool (REST) to analyze the condition of riparian areas at scale within the basin, then began looking for ways prioritize project locations and later to track and report on project work using common metrics. In 2018 the RWG teamed up with the Monitoring Work Group to explore common monitoring tools that could be used at the basin scale to assess project outcomes.
While the RWG has sought to make headway on some of the identified needs within the basin support from peers as they move through the project development and implementation cycle. Going forward the RWG will continue to provide a variety of resources to help its members and partners advance the RRAP riparian goals as well as to improve the delivery of their own respective organizations’ work here in the Rogue. We invite you to join us sometime to discuss and advance the important work that so many of our partners are engaged where the freshwater of the Rogue meets the lands that holds it.