Fostering local development

It seems intuitive that watershed restoration work brings tangible economic benefits to the communities where that work takes place, and a 2002 report by the University of Oregon's Ecosystem Workforce Program verifies one's assumptions.

The Program reviewed a sample of Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board grants made between 1997 and 1999, tracking where funds were spent and for what purpose. They looked at a total of 92 grants for indications of: the amount and percentage of each grant spent in-county and in-state, as well as the amount and percentage of grants benefiting certain sectors (federal, state, and local government, private industry, public universities) of the economy.

Key Findings:

• OWEB invests approximately 20 million per year in restoration activities and this investment plays a significant role in supporting local communities.
• Overall, local communities and the state of Oregon are highly successful at capturing the majority of money distributed by OWEB. Approximately 80% of documented OWEB expenditures remained in local communities, and approximately 96% remained in state. The private sector secured 41% of funding between 1997-1999.
• A 2001 study of the OWEB grant program concluded that between $1.60 and $2.50 in additional spending indirectly occurs in local economies as a multiplier effect of OWEB project dollars.