A Win for Wild Fish in the South Umpqua

We’re excited to share recent news highlighting and funding the incredible work of South Umpqua River Steward Stan Petrowski, who also serves as President and Director of the South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership (SURCP). Stan has been a long-time champion for wild fish recovery in the Umpqua Basin, working with landowners, partners, and agencies to restore habitat and improve water quality for wild, native fish.

Last week, SURCP was awarded a $1.5 million federal grant to advance wild fish habitat restoration in the South Umpqua!

Stan’s dedication to the South Umpqua reflects the heart of Native Fish Society’s River Steward Program – local leaders driving meaningful boots-on-the-ground conservation for their homewaters.

You can learn more about Stan’s work by reading his recent River Steward Story here:

Below is coverage from Glide's The News-Review journalist Gloria Coleman highlighting this exciting investment in South Umpqua restoration. The original article is available (behind a paywall) at the button below.

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Glide Revitalization, South Umpqua PRC receive money for community-initiated projects

February 5, 2026

GLORIA COLEMAN The News-Review

Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced at the end of January that they secured over $100 million in federal investments in nearly every Oregon county in Fiscal Year 2026 packages.

In Douglas County, two nonprofits received funding for project operations: Glide Revitalization and South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership.

The press release said the 54 Oregon community-initiated projects totals $102 million, secured in the first two packages of FY26.

The South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership (SURCP) will receive $1.5 million for the Wild Fish Habitat Restoration. Funds will be used for habitat and water quality restoration work to restore Chinook and coho salmon populations in the Umpqua Watershed.

"SURCP has been working to restore habitat for the coho recovery plan for about 20 years," SURCP President/Director Stanley Petrowski said. "Recently, we learned from the National Marine Fisheries Service that the one thing preventing coho salmon from being de-listed from the Endangered Species List is the South Umpqua Basin, and so we're working diligently to partner up with landowners and agency folks to do habitat restoration projects."

Petrowski was thrilled when he learned about the grant, he said, as it will be used to fund three different restoration projects, one in Days Creek and two on the upper South Umpqua. He said it is the only restoration project on the list of grant recipients.

"We're really pretty stoked about doing something about the projects. The need is really there. The trend on the Oregon coastal (Evolutionarily Significant Unit) is tending upward as far as coho populations are concerned, but the South Umpqua River Basin is trending down, and so we'd really like to fix that," Petrowski said.

Additionally, Glide Revitalization will receive $800,000 to renovate its facility, focusing the priority on the day care half of the facility. The center will help fill critical resource gaps in a region with a high demand for day care services.

According to the press release, Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, which wrote the funding bills. He joined the committee to give the state a strong voice in decisions about investments the country should be making.

"Community-initiated projects are rooted in the fact that no one knows the unique needs of communities across Oregon like the folks living and working in them. The communities identified top projects, and we fought for them," Merkley said. "Together with Senator Wyden and members of Oregon’s House delegation, we secured funding for 54 of these important homegrown projects that will benefit Oregonians in every corner of the state for years to come."