Bulldozers at work in S. Ore. to help fish

Monday, August 22, 2011

WHITE CITY, Ore. (AP) -- In Southern Oregon near Medford, bulldozers are at work in a wildlife area. They're returning a tributary of the Rogue River to its natural winding self.

That will reverse the engineering work of the 1950s, when bulldozers raised berms along Little Butte Creek and created a straight shot through the area. At the time, the argument was that the meandering stream contributed to erosion during a massive flood.

But the channeled stream also meant that coho salmon had no place for refuge in high flows. The new channel will re-create those conditions.

Half of the $700,000 for the work comes from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, and the rest is from a variety of other grants.

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Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/