Bureau of Land Management Volunteer Feature

 

Marines Invade Oregon Watersheds
Unique Approach Helps Restore Salmon Habitat

On a cool July morning, the U.S. Marines invaded a remote hillside in the Coast Range Mountains west of Eugene, Oregon. They arrived in camouflage vehicles. Quickly, 25 square-jawed leathernecks emerged on the site located next to a small stream.

It was not a mission to establish forward reconnaissance or secure a landing zone. It was a rescue mission of sorts. They had come to assist the BLM in an effort to save precious spawning habitat for salmon and trout.

The objective: Install a temporary bridge over an isolated tributary of the Siuslaw River. This would allow the BLM to transport logs and boulders upstream for eventual placement in the small creek to enhance aquatic habitat. (This also served as a training exercise for the Marines.) A conventional bridge would be expensive and construction would create sedimentation in the very stream that needed restoration. So BLM Project Coordinator Larry Folenius called in the Marines.

The Marine Reservists of Company B were up to the task. They even provided their own lightweight, heavy load prefabricated bridge, which resembles a giant Tinker Toy or Erector Set. The bridge is made of approximately 100 magnesium alloy pieces assembled mostly by hand. Using raw Marine power -up to six people at a time-the crew lifted the 400-600 pound sections and using two foot-long steel pins, locked them into place. Piece by piece, the bridge took shape, finally spanning the 48 foot draw.

The bridge remained in place for a month, allowing trucks to transport logs and rocks to the habitat improvement site. The Marines returned on another weekend training exercise and dismantled the bridge without much fanfare. Bridge pieces were stacked on pallets and returned to storage for their next assignment.

This project is one of many fisheries enhancement efforts underway on watersheds in the Eugene District. It is an example of the unique approaches BLM is using to accomplish work through partnerships and cooperative efforts. For the Marines, this project provided quality training and the opportunity to contribute service to the local community. "Semper Fi!"

By Doug Huntington, BLM Eugene District Office