Dear Friend, As WaterWatch of Oregon celebrates our 40th anniversary this year, we're also celebrating our growing list of fish passage barrier removals from key, native fish-bearing rivers and streams across the state. As part of work to protect and restore free flowing rivers in Oregon, last summer we led the removal of Pomeroy Dam from the Illinois River, one of the state's highest priorities for fish passage correction on a Rogue Basin tributary that's beloved by anglers and whitewater enthusiasts. This project replaced the dam's diversion function with fish-friendly pumps, and improved access to over 100 miles of spawning and rearing habitat to native salmon and steelhead. For the first time in 126 years, the 56 miles of the mainstem Illinois River is now entirely free-flowing! Click here to watch our new video on this multi-faceted project! As you'll see in our newly-produced clip, the project didn't stop with the removal of Pomeroy Dam – it included replacement of two salmon and steelhead blocking Josephine County road culverts that were also at risk of flooding and erosion. Construction continues this year with improvements to private on-ranch irrigation and road infrastructure to address five additional barriers to native migratory fish. WaterWatch has now removed two priority fish-blocking dams from the Illinois River subbasin in the past two years, and has removed 10 fish barriers overall from the Rogue Basin over the past four years. Thanks to your support, we are accelerating key fish barrier removals, improving access to critical spawning habitat, and increasing Oregon's resiliency in the face of climate change! But we can't do it without you. Please consider a one-time gift today to support WaterWatch and help restore free flowing rivers in Oregon! For rivers and fish, The WaterWatch of Oregon Team | 
