The purpose of the Riparian Challenge Award is to:
- Encourage the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and other conservation agencies or private industry to strive for excellence in riparian and watershed habitat management,
- Encourage agencies to progress in on‑the‑ground accomplishments which when added together throughout the West, will significantly improve riparian systems,
- Recognize managers and resource specialists for their efforts in maintaining, restoring, and improving riparian and watershed ecosystems.
Details on the nomination process including deadlines can be found here.
Past Award Winners
- 2023
- BLM: Roseburg District & Partnership for Umpqua Rivers: Rock Creek
- Forest Service: Caribou—Targhee National Forest: Tincup Creek
- 2022
- BLM: Coos Bay District, Myrtlewood Field Office – Floras Creek Riparian and Water Quality Enhancement
- Forest Service: Greys River Ranger District, Bridger-Teton National Forest – Tribasin Fish Passage and Watershed Restoration
- Other: McKenzie River Trust – Finn Rock Reach Floodplain Restoration: Phase 1
- 2021
- BLM: Cedar City Field Office – Birch Creek Riparian Enhancement Project
- Other: Big Hole Watershed Committee – French Creek Stream Restoration Project
- 2020
- BLM: Burns District – Alder Creek Resilient Watershed Model Project
- Forest Service: Willamette National Forest – Lower S. Fk. McKenzie River Floodplain Enhancement Project
- Other: Sonoma Water – Dry Creek Habitat Enhancement Project
- 2019
- BLM: Dillion Field Office – Keystone Gulch Restoration Project in southwestern Montana
- Forest Service: Siuslaw National Forest – Fivemile Bell Watershed Restoration Project near Florence, Oregon
- Other: McKenzie Watershed Council – Lower South Fork McKenzie River Floodplain Enhancement Project
- 2018
- BLM: Bureau of Land Management, Mattole Salmon Group, and Mattole Restoration Council – Mattole River Estuary Riparian and Fish Habitat Restoration Project
- Forest Service: Willamette National Forest, Middle Fork Ranger District, and Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council – Lower Staley Floodplain Restoration Project
- Other: Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Forest Service, and Tetra Tech, Inc. – Meacham Creek Floodplain Restoration and In-Stream Enhancement Projects
- 2017
- BLM: Dolores River Restoration Partnership – Tres Rios (CO), Uncompahgre (CO), Grand Junction (CO) and Moab (UT) BLM Field Offices
- Forest Service: Deer Creek Floodplain Enhancement Project – Willamette National Forest, McKenzie River Ranger District
- Other: Salmon River Restoration – Sandy River Basin Partners
- 2016
- BLM: Elko District BLM Field Office – Collaborative Restoration and Monitoring in Maggie Creek, NV
- Forest Service: Zigzag Ranger District, Mt. Hood National Forest – Still Creek Restoration Project
- Other: Napa County Public Works, ESA – HNapa River Rutherford to Oakville Restoration
- 2015
- BLM:Roseburg District BLM Office – Brush Creek Watershed Restoration
- Forest Service:Okanogan Wenatchee Ranger District – Methow Beaver Project
- Other:Coeur d’Alene Tribe – Hnmulshench (West Fork Lake Creek) Restoration Project
- 2014
- BLM: Klamath Falls Resource Area for Wood River Wetland Restoration – Klamath Falls
- Forest Service: Cascade Ranger District, Boise National Forest for the SF Salmon River Watershed Improvement
- Other: BioEngineering Associates, Inc. in partnership with Odd Fellows Recreation Club for the Lower Russian River Riparian Restoration
- 2013
- BLM:
- Forest Service: Pike and San Isabel National Forests, the Cimarron Comanche National Grasslands, and the South Platte and Pikes Peak Ranger Districts for the Hayman Restoration Project
- Other: Westervelt Ecological Services for the Cosumnes Floodplain Mitigation Bank project
- 2011
- BLM: Coos Bay District – 2010 Partnership Watershed Restoration Projects
San Luis Resource Area – Kerber Creek Restoration Project - Forest Service: Sisters Ranger District, Deschutes National Forest – Whychus Creek Restoration at Camp Polk Meadow Preserve
- Other: Seattle Public Utilities – Lower Tolt River Floodplain Reconnection Project
- 2010
- BLM: Wolf Creek Watershed Restoration and Monitoring Project, Roseburg District, Swiftwater Resource Area
- Forest Service: New Mexico: Respect the Rio, Jemez & Cuba Ranger Districts, Santa Fe National Forest
- Other: Native Fish Restoration Project for the Temescal Creek Watershed, Riverside-Corona RCD
- 2009
- BLM: North Coquille River Restoration Project, Coos Bay District
- Forest Service: West Fork Clear Creek Streambank Restoration Project, Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grasslands
- Other:
- 2008
- BLM: Holister Field Office, Santa Cruz IWRP for Santa Cruz County
- Forest Service: Eustache Creek Project, Lolo National Forest, Nine Mile Ranger District
- Other: Williamson River Delta Restoration Project, The Nature Conservancy;
The Big Hole Partnership – Watershed Restoration for Arctic Grayling on Private Land, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks - 2007
- BLM: Tillamook Resource Area Riparian Restoration Effort, Salem District Field Office
- Forest Service: Down Doggy Project, Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District
- Other: End Creek Project, Grande Ronde Model Watershed
- 2006
- BLM: Lower Clear Creek watershed project, Redding Field Office
- Forest Service: McKenzie watershed project, McKenzie River Restoration Partnership for the
- Other: Cienega Watershed project, PIMA County Board
- 2005
- BLM: Delaware River project, Carlsbad Field Office
- Forest Service: Karnowsky Creek Riparian Restoration project, Mapleton Ranger District of the Siuslaw National Forest
- Other: Entiat Water Resource Inventory Area Plan
- 2004
- BLM: Carson Field Office
- Forest Service: Mt. Adams Ranger District
- Other: Restore McComas Meadows/Meadow Creek Watershed Project, Nez Perce Tribe
- 2003
- BLM:
- Forest Service:
- Other:
- 2002
- BLM: Swiftwater and South River Field Offices, Roseburg District
- Forest Service: Coeur d’Alene River Ranger District
- Other:
