Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is a Watershed Council?

    • A watershed council is "...a voluntary local organization designated by a local government group convened by a county governing body to address the goal of sustaining natural resource and watershed protection and enhancement within a watershed."

      For more information on watershed councils, Click Here

  • What is the Salmon Life Cycle?

  • What is a watershed?

    • A watershed is the area of land where all surface and groundwater drains into the same body of water, such as a river, wetland, or the ocean. Watersheds can be many millions of acres, like the Columbia River Basin, or less than a dozen acres for a single small stream. Since the term "watershed" can be used for drainage areas of any size, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has divided watersheds into distinct units, or "fields", based on size. Sizes range from multi-million-acre first-field watersheds to seventh fields that can be less than 3,000 acres (and do not yet have standardized boundaries).

      For more information on watersheds, Click Here

  • Who sits on the Board?

    • In general, our board is composed of a wide range of diverse interests and partners. Environmental advocacy organizations, timber companies, mining interests, fisherman associations, volunteers, landowners, ranchers, local, state, and federal agencies, tribal organizations, and other groups are all represented on the board.

      To see the current list of directors, Click Here.

  • Where does PUR obtain funding for its projects? 

    • PUR obtains grant funding from many sources, including the Umpqua Fishery Enhancement Derby, Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, BLM Resource Advisory Committee, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, US Forest Service, Meyer Memorial Trust, Autzen Foundation, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and Ecotrust. The PUR staff is always working hard to find additional sources of grant funding to support our projects. It is a continual work-in-progress, as we are totally grant- and donation-funded.

  • Is PUR a government organization?

    • The Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers (PUR), is a non-profit, non-governmental 501 (c) (3) voluntary corporation that is charged with restoring and enhancing water quality and fish habitat within the Umpqua Basin, which is nestled in Southwest Oregon. While we work with many partners, both public and private, local and federal, we are a private organization with no obligation or power to enforce any law, ordinance, or regulation.

  • I'm a landowner and want to get involved. What can I do?

  • Why is "fish passage" a problem?