Streams make up only one percent of the watershed. Nonetheless, they are an essential component to watershed health. Streams are home to wildlife and fish. Well-functioning streams contribute to water quantity and quality. And streams play an important role in flood and erosion control.
Bridge Creek is a small stream which runs through the central Oregon high desert region. Ranching, the area's primary industry, was degrading conditions in the stream. A group of ranchers and environmentalists, working as part of the Oregon Watershed Improvement Coalition, forged an agreement on what was needed for a...