Recent Posts

Trickle, trickle. Splash, splash! Cold, clear water is vital to the survival of native salmonids and other aquatic species in our local streams and the Rogue River. Local restoration practitioners incorporate multiple strategies to improve water quality and stream temperature including restoring stream banks with native trees and shrubs in this area called the riparian... Continue reading→

Thanks to funding provided by the Carpenter Foundation and the Mace Watchable Wildlife Foundation and the help of many partners and the community, we were able to complete the Bear Creek Greenway Guide Application (App) using the ESRI Storymaps Platform. The app is available for free and is accessible online through the following link (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/cab81468aaa04bfeab6ad06315e14a59).... Continue reading→

Have you recently seen foam in Bear Creek and other tributaries? If it looks like the foam in the first two photos, never fear! As plants decompose, they release oils that float to the surface of the water. As the water moves downstream over rocks and other obstacles, air is introduced to the water and... Continue reading→

Salmon Fry Release and Salmon Watch! Last week, Stream Smart partners worked with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and local schools to combine the release of salmon fry with the Salmon Watch program at TouVelle State Recreation Site. Program partners, in addition to ODFW, included the Rogue Valley Council of Governments (RVCOG),... Continue reading→

Stream Smart partners have been hard at work updating the Bear Creek Greenway Guide. The Guide was originally published in the late 1990's and updated through the early 2000's (2002). At the time of the last update, the Bear Creek Greenway was incomplete. In addition to the missing sections, a lot has changed over the... Continue reading→

Another Successful Year in the Books! With some continuing challenges, including limited hours for bus drivers for some districts, an instructor shortage, and cancellations, we provided field trips over seven weeks, bringing students outdoors to learn about their local watersheds. Thanks to funding from the Jackson Soil & Water Conservation District, Central Point Rotary Club,... Continue reading→

Many local organizations have been working both individually and collaboratively to restore the riparian area along Bear Creek and its tributaries for over 20 years. In early 2019, after the Peninger Fire, Stream Smart members including the Rogue Valley Council of Governments (RVCOG) convened a forum of interested organizations focused on restoring the Bear Creek... Continue reading→

Local communities, including Jackson County, as well as many of the cities and towns within the county, support the work of the Bear Creek Restoration Initiative (BCRI) through Clean Water Act implementation programs, such as the Bear Creek Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program. Protection and restoration of the riparian corridor are vital components of... Continue reading→