Past Grantees: 2019, Cycle 1

The Chetco Indian Memorial will protect the remains of an ancient Native American site that was unearthed at the Port of Brookings-Harbor, OR. We are constructing a historical marker at this place to tell the story of the ancestral Chetco People who lived there. A 140-foot berm structure was built to surround the memorial. The berm walls have been texturized, colored, and sealed for waterproofing. We have filled the structures with a native plant garden to help educate the public about Chetco plant uses for food, basketry, and tools. The planters have been set up with a drainage system, filled with soil, and an assortment of indigenous plants have been planted (Camas, Hazel, Oregon Grape, Wild Ginger, and more).

Mountain yellow-legged frogs - found in Southern California and the Southern Sierras – are endangered and at risk from predation and habitat loss. An important aspect of species recovery is reintroduction, where animals are either raised or protected in captivity and then returned to their natural habitat. A critical aspect of a successful recovery program is the documentation of individual survival, and these frogs are apparently difficult to find, even by experts. The SFF supported the Institute for Conservation Research by funding the purchase of radio tagging equipment to help locate surviving frogs. The equipment allowed researchers to increase detections nearly four-fold and will be used in future years to monitor these populations.

The Schwemm Family Foundation assisted the Jacksonville Oregon Boosters Foundation in the creation of A Path Through Time walk which documents and permanently displays Jacksonville's history from the 1850's forward by etching historical information, into 13 granite sidewalk slabs. Portions of the sidewalk in front of City Hall (the original 1883 Jackson County Courthouse) were cut out so that the granite slabs could be inlaid in their place. The slabs highlight major events in Jacksonville’s history, such as the discovery of gold in the 1850's, and the construction of the county courthouse. Jacksonville’s population is approximately 3,000 but it is estimated that up to 100,000 individuals visit Jacksonville on an annual basis.