Welcome
You are at the site for participants of the Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative. The Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative (HBWC) was formed in 2011, as a collaborative effort to improve the aquatic health and sustainability of Malheur Lake, and the wild flood-irrigated wet meadows across the Harney Basin. Since 2011 the collaborative has been working to integrate social, economic and ecological values to support wetlands, streams, flood-irrigated meadows, emergent marshes and other wetland types of the Harney Basin. These ecosystems support abundant bird and wildlife populations and the thriving agricultural economy capable of meeting ecological, community, and economic needs of this critical stop on the Pacific Flyway. HBWC is working to restore and enhance healthy lands and water while nurturing a rural way of life that supports and values wetland conservation in the Harney Basin.
This website is where you can find information about the collaborative, current projects, resources, a calendar of meeting and event dates and more. For questions about the collaborative and anything you see here contact Melissa Petschauer, High Desert Partnership’s Harney Basin Ecological Coordinator at melissa@highdesertpartnership.org.
Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative Timeline
A timeline of significant events of HBWC’s history to present day. Click the blue arrows to move through the timeline.
August 2011
Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative formed.
April 2, 2014
Development of a comprehensive Harney Basin plan was agreed upon for development.
July 24, 2014
Secured $270,000 for carp research and studies.
June 2, 2015
Agreed to apply for OWEB Focused Investment Partnership with High Desert Partnership as the applicant.
August 2015
Phase 1 of the application for an OWEB Focused Investment Partnership was submitted and accepted. The next step is Phase II of the application.
October 2015
Plans are made for the process of creating and submitting Phase II of the OWEB Focused Investment Partnership application.
January 2 - February 11, 2016
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge headquarters occupied for 41 days.
April 14, 2016
OWEB Focused Investment Partnership 6 year grant awarded of $6,250,000 to support a landscape-scale, holistic, system-wide approach to wetland improvement through water management and carp control.
February 2018
Restoration Alternatives Summit outcomes included: the need for more data gathering which will also help with the carp threshold/biomass study; water quality and fish surveys; and a look at shear stress (how easily the sediments lift off the substrate) in Malheur Lake.
May 2018
OWEB board meeting tour with status updates of projects.
May 2018
ODFW made the decision regarding fish passage requirement for diversion structure replacements on the Silvies River; the decision was to require that passage be included in the replacement of the structure with a mechanism for excluding passage currently (to prevent carp movement), but the ability to allow passage in the event carp are controlled.
May 2018
Redband Trout Plan released by ODFW.
September 2018
Results from the Aquatic Health Basin-Wide Baseline Monitoring Technical report were presented and included carp distribution within the basin and fish/macroinvertebrate communities in Silver Creek and the Silvies River.
September 2018
Completed fifth season of wet meadow plant composition surveys. Site revisits occurred in the Silvies and at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge because there is no normal water year.
September 2018
Results were presented of current social & economic assessment: product of 35 interviews discussing relationships to Malheur Lake, the perceived value of Malheur Lake, and willingness and reasons to keep carp management.
September 2018
OWEB offers additional Focused Investment Partnership monitoring funds, potential projects include: Social Science Project—General Survey or Network Analysis; Nutrient Dynamics Analysis of Malheur Lake; Carp Distribution; Shallow Groundwater Monitoring; Biological Monitoring; Effectiveness Monitoring; Ecology, Wildlife Interface and Moon Reservoir Carp Control.
March 2019
Tyler Dam construction plans received approval from Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.
March 2019
In 2018 developed 3 EQUIP contracts that will treat 1062 acres in addition to 7 contracts on the books. Equates to a total of 10 projects serving 1900 acres.
March 2019
Two areas of the Malheur Lake Ecosystem Model that are under focus are: lake and carp dynamics and wind and resuspension dynamics.
March 2019
From conversations with landowners it was determined that easements are not a conservation solution in the Harney Basin. Shifting toward finding other solutions while also supporting ranchers with their estate planning needs.
March 2019
Four applications were submitted with OWEB for Fishes of the Harney Basin Revisited (fish distribution project); Moon Reservoir Area Carp Treatment; Baseline Turbidity Uncovered—Nutrient Analysis of Malheur Lake and Wet Meadows Plant Composition Study.
June 2019
Communications is improving toward reaching its intended audience and delivering on the goals set forth in the OWEB Focus Investment Partnership plan.
June 2019
For the Malheur Lake Ecosystem model the wind model is done and fully integrated, light extinction model is next, looking at how quickly the light disappears in the water column under different circumstances.
June 2019
Have 3-4 EQUIP contracts with private landowners to enhance flood irrigated wet meadow production and habitat with the hopes to have 6-7 in 2020.
June 2019
Repeated wet meadow landowner conversations that were also conducted in 2018. A big takeaway from the conversations is that there is no ‘normal’ water year in Harney County.
September 18, 2019
Decided to move forward with an application for a second OWEB Focused Investment Partnership application.
November 20, 2019
Tyler and Sweek dam replacement projects on the Silvies River completed.
November 14, 2019
The Wetlands Conservancy's annual event Wetlands & Wellies had carp from Harney County on the menu as a tasty way to share some of the challenges the Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative faces in reviving Malheur Lake.
November 2019
Shared food and drinks with flood irrigation landowners and discussed Tyler and Sweek dam installations. There were 10-12 landowners present; Chris Colson with Ducks Unlimited talked about the process for dam replacements; Carlton Strough with NRCS was there to discuss EQIP projects and Dave Banks with ODFW discussed fisheries.
November 2019
The carp population model of the Malheur Lake Ecosystem model receives an update with hydrological dynamics added.
November 2019
NRCS has had 10 contracts doing in-field infrastructure flood irrigation improvements on 1900 acres currently.
March 2020
Creating seasonal calendar of management water, plant phenology, wildlife migration, managing for wildlife or cattle/hay with a tie into a state and transition model.
June 22, 2020
James Pearson's Malheur Lake Ecosystem Model completed: Carp, Climate, and Water Quality: Applying Systems Modeling to Ecosystem Recovery in Malheur Lake.
September 2020
Harney Basin Wetlands Initiative becomes Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative.
January 2022
An updated Strategic Action Plan is completed.
August 2022
OWEB second Focused Investment Partnership application not funded.
August 2022
USGS has been directed from Congress to monitor, manage and save lakes in the Great Basin with a focus on saline lakes: Saline Lakes Integrated Water Availability Assessment.
May 2023
Received just under $1M from OWEB for 8 grants: Baker and EOARC Wet Meadow Management Plans; Relationship of Flood Meadow Vegetation to Habitat Value in the Face of Climate Change; Watershed Synthesis Model; Cote In-stream Irrigation Diversion Structure Replacement—Fish Passage and Wet Meadow Restoration; Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative Stakeholder Engagement; Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative—Partnership Capacity; Trout Creek Diversion and Five Mile Dam Replacement Design.
Summer 2023
Malheur Lake had thriving vegetation and dwindling carp due to drought conditions and carp removal efforts fall 2022.
May 31, 2023
Productive conversation about the vision for HBWC with consensus around highlighting water connectivity, the uniqueness of the Harney Basin, adaptive management, restoration and the resilience of the people and the environment.
July 2023
House Bill 2010 signed by the Governor. $2.5 million from House Bill 2010 is directed to Harney County to support critical wet meadow work and collaboration in the Harney Basin.
October 2023
Updated Strategic Action Plan completed.
October 13, 2023
An OWEB Focused Investment Partnership application is submitted. Results will be known in April 2024.
November 2023
Rose and Cote dams replaced.
November 29, 2023
Jennah Kiefer with Oregon Consensus is presented as the new facilitator and facilitates her first meeting.
November 2023
HBWC is recognized with the Intermountain West Joint Venture Partnership award.
November 2023
Oregon Lottery who funds OWEB produces web and video content about Harney Basin Wetlands as part of their Oregon Wins program dedicated to natural resources.
November 29, 2023
The decision was made that the Visions and Intentions Document is a living document that can be edited over time as needed.
February 13, 2024
Partners reached consensus on which projects to fund with Oregon House Bill 2010 and Senate Bill 5506 funding.
April 24, 2024
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board Focused Investment Partnership 6 year grant awarded of $8,233,410 for priority projects that include 1) carp reduction, 2) management tools to control invasive plant species, 3) replacement of
aging infrastructure, 4) floodplain reconnection and riparian restoration and 5) aquatic habitat management for wetland restoration.
October 23, 2024
High Desert Partnership awarded almost $18.4 million from the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) aimed at building climate resilience
across Harney County. This initiative will address critical challenges of water scarcity, wildfire risk, and drought impacts that increasingly threaten the region's ecological and economic stability.
CONVENED AND SUPPORTED BY
CONTACT
Melissa Petschauer, Harney Basin Ecological Coordinator
melissa@highdesertpartnership.org
© High Desert Partnership
CONVENED AND SUPPORTED BY
CONTACT
Melissa Petschauer, Harney Basin Ecological Coordinator
melissa@highdesertpartnership.org
© High Desert Partnership
CONVENED AND SUPPORTED BY
CONTACT
Melissa Petschauer
Harney Basin Ecological Coordinator
melissa@highdesertpartnership.org
© High Desert Partnership