Five projects across three watersheds will receive much needed restoration in 2026, thanks to a partnership between Portland General Electric’s Habitat Support Fund customers and The Freshwater Trust.
“This year, more than $220,000 is going toward local river restoration,” said Monique Leslie, senior restoration project manager with The Freshwater Trust. “The Habitat Support Fund is a great way for PGE customers to support improving habitat in freshwater ecosystems, and we’re honored to be a part of it.”
Since its inception, PGE customers have contributed more than $5.7 million to support important community-based projects through a $2.50 monthly donation. Each year, watershed councils and nonprofits have an opportunity to apply for these funds to help restore native fish habitat in Oregon.
Projects benefiting the Willamette, Sandy, and Deschutes watersheds have been chosen for 2026. Since 2011, more than 750 river miles have been improved.
2026 recipients:
- The Calapooia Watershed Council will receive $19,600 to open or remove large man-made earthen berms so that the Willamette River can naturally flow over its banks in the spring, creating safe, natural ponds for fish spawning.
- $42,000 will go to Clackamas River Basin Council to add natural log jams and boulders in Clear Creek (in the lower Willamette Valley) to create safe resting areas for juvenile fish migrating to the ocean. This project will also remove weeds and plant native trees and shrubs along the creek that will shade the water.
- On Whychus Creek, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council will receive $30,000 to build log structures that mimic beaver dams, which allow water to move naturally across the floodplain, creating slower, cooler habitat for native fish.
- $15,000 will go to Deschutes Land Trust to restore land that has been altered for agricultural and urban uses by creating new floodplains and wetlands in the Ochoco Preserve along the Crooked River to support spawning and rearing habitats for native fish.
- The Freshwater Trust will receive $116,000* to add large wood into streams in the upper Sandy basin to create habitats safe from predators for juvenile and adult salmon and steelhead.
“The review team was impressed with the robust design, team experience and agency support demonstrated by the selected projects,” said Leslie.
Multi-phase projects that have already implemented some restoration projects—such as the floodplains and side-channel rearing habitats in the Ochoco Preserve—are now attracting native fish such as steelhead and trout.
Applications are reviewed by The Freshwater Trust, and criteria for evaluation include a scientific approach, technical rigor, and direct benefit to native anadromous fish species.
Spring and fall Chinook, Coho, and Chum salmon, summer and winter steelhead, lamprey, as well as cutthroat, redband, and bull trout are some of the native fish that will benefit from upcoming restoration.
About Habitat Support Fund
About 10,000 PGE Green Future customers currently participate in the Habitat Support Fund in Oregon. For more information, visit https://portlandgeneral.com/energy-choices/renewable-power/habitat-support.
About The Freshwater Trust
The Freshwater Trust is an organization focused on using insight to solve problems at the intersection of water and the economy. By leveraging analytics, science, policy reform, and incentive-based solutions, we’re working to build and apply data-driven conservation solutions at scale.
* The Habitat Support Fund includes an allocation of approved funds specifically for TFT projects that align with program goals.
