{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-wyden-announce-22-million-in-federal-support-for-coastal-erosion-work-in-lincoln-county", "Merkley, Wyden Announce $2.2 Million in Federal Support for Coastal Erosion Work in Lincoln County", "2025-12-19", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "Senate", "OR", "Ron Wyden", "W000779", "www.wyden.senate.gov", "wyden", "https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Funds will support MidCoast Watersheds Council\u2019s work in Siletz and Yaquina Estuaries\n\nWashington, D.C. - Today, Oregon\u2019s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is awarding $2,210,835 to the MidCoast Watersheds Council to restore 125 acres of tidal wetlands and 6.2 miles of stream channels across Oregon's Siletz and Yaquina estuaries in Lincoln County to enhance habitat for salmonids and buffer communities from storm surge.\n\nTidal wetlands on Oregon's central coast are increasingly threatened by coastal erosion, flooding, drought, and degraded water quality. The project will reduce flood risk and enhance sediment retention for local communities through floodplain reconnection, fish passage improvements, native plant and tidal channel restoration, large wood placement, and native Olympia oyster reef reestablishment.\n\n\u201cThe health of Oregon\u2019s estuaries is vital to our state\u2019s ecosystems and communities,\u201d said Merkley, who serves as the top Democrat on the spending subcommittee that oversees funding for NFWF. \u201cThis critical federal funding along with strong matching support will leverage MidCoast Watersheds Council\u2019s work in restoring tidal wetlands and reducing risk to the community at the same time.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs extreme weather continues to disrupt fragile coastal ecosystems, Oregon\u2019s coastal communities suffer,\u201d said Wyden. \u201cI applaud this federal award to the MidCoast Watersheds Council that improves the resilience of Oregon\u2019s Siletz and Yaquina estuaries, and I will continue to support programs that protect communities from the worsening effects of the climate crisis.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe degradation of tidal wetlands has not only negatively affected our beloved and economically important fish and wildlife species, including our resident Chinook, coho, and chum salmon, but it has made coastal residents more vulnerable to storms, sea level rise, and coastal flooding. Restoring and protecting tidal wetlands not only helps all these critters, but everyone who lives, visits, or loves the Oregon coast,\u201d said Evan Hayduk, Executive Director of the MidCoast Watersheds Council (MCWC).\n\n\"I would like to congratulate Evan and Staff at MCWC for receiving this grant and look forward to seeing their restoration projects in the Siletz and Yaquina estuaries. I also want to acknowledge the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for their funding of these projects in Lincoln County,\u201d said Lincoln County Commissioner Walter Chuck.\n\nThe grant for MidCoast Watersheds Council comes from NFWF\u2019s National Coastal Resilience Fund, in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In addition to the $2.2 million in federal funding, the project has secured $1,803,423 in matching funds, bringing the total project funds to $4,014,258.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-wyden-announce-22-million-in-federal-support-for-coastal-erosion-work-in-lincoln-county"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5409672632813454, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}