COOS BAY — Boulder weirs being installed on two sections of the North Fork Coquille River will retain spawning gravel for coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout.

A weir is a dam placed across a river or canal to raise or divert the water.

The cooperative effort among Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Coquille Watershed Association, Bureau of Land Management and private landowners began Aug. 15. The North Fork Coquille River is a tributary of the Coquille River in the Coquille watershed.

The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board provided $20,000 for the project, the Pacific Salmon Commission contributed $10,000, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation contributed $5,000, landowners supplied $2,000 and ODFW contributed $1,500.

“During the winter, this site can fluctuate between having a lot of gravel and a lot of bedrock,” said ODFW Habitat Biologist Jennifer Feola. “A large amount of gravel passes through this site, but there is no structure to retain it. The goal of this project is to install the boulder weirs to collect spawning gravel for coho and Chinook salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout.”

This project is another successful milestone for the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds as it approaches its 10-year anniversary in 2007. The Oregon Plan, a volunteer-driven initiative, is committed to restoring native fish populations and developing healthy watersheds. Since 1997, state agencies, businesses and individual Oregonians have worked together to restore salmon runs, improve water quality and achieve healthy watersheds. This statewide conservation initiative also aims to provide environmental, cultural and economic benefits to communities throughout the state.