Blue Mountain Land Trust awarded funding from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) to protect Rush Creek Ranch
Walla Walla, WA — Blue Mountain Land Trust was selected to receive a project award through the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Land Acquisition Grant Program to support the protection of Rush Creek Ranch in Oregon’s John Day Basin.
Rush Creek Ranch encompasses 3,346 acres of forests, streams, and wildlife habitat within one of Oregon’s most important salmon-bearing watersheds, the Middle Fork John Day.
For the past 30 years, the property has been thoughtfully stewarded by its current landowner with a strong focus on forest health, watershed restoration, and long-term sustainability. The ranch includes more than 1,624 acres of OWEB priority ecological systems that support five OWEB Strategy Species and 21 Oregon Conservation Strategy Species.
In recognition of this stewardship, Rush Creek Ranch was recently named the 2026 Oregon Tree Farm of the Year by the Oregon Tree Farm System and the American Forest Foundation, recognizing the property as one of the highest-quality examples of sustainable forest management in the state. The landowner also received the 2025 Grant County Tree Farmer of the Year Award.
“The current landowner has spent decades caring for Rush Creek Ranch with a deep commitment to the health of the forest, streams, and wildlife habitat across the property,” said Amanda Martino. “We’re grateful to OWEB for helping make it possible for BMLT to protect this landscape and carry forward that legacy of stewardship for generations to come.”
At its April 2026 board meeting, OWEB awarded more than $11.5 million in grants supporting watershed restoration, conservation easements, land acquisitions, and water acquisitions across Oregon. Funding for these grants comes from the Oregon Lottery and other state sources.
BMLT is deeply grateful for OWEB’s partnership and continued investment in conservation across Oregon. Support through this program helps protect working lands, fish and wildlife habitat, and healthy watersheds while ensuring these landscapes remain cared for long into the future. Partnerships like this make lasting conservation possible and strengthen collaborative stewardship efforts across the region.
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View the full list of April 2026 OWEB grant awards here:
2026 OWEB April Board Awards
Rush Creek Ranch - Grant County, OR. Photo by Fraser Moore
Rush Creek Ranch. Photo by Fraser Moore
For more information, please contact:
Alyssa Martinez Neumann
Communications and Marketing Director
Blue Mountain Land Trust
alyssa@bmlt.org
(509) 520-5136