Where Does the Money Go?

Lottery Dollars Support Natural Habitats & Watersheds

When lots of Oregonians each play a bit of lottery, funds add up to support the places we love — including Oregon’s natural habitats and sensitive environments.

Lottery Dollars Support Nature in Oregon

What is a watershed?

It rains in Oregon…a lot! All that rain heads into streams and rivers, where watersheds move it to the Pacific Ocean. These watersheds are where salmon hatch and grow and native plants anchor the soil to stream banks. They’re where we hike and fish. They’re also where we learn to love the natural places that make Oregon special.

Oregon Lottery dollars help restore and enhance our natural habitats. Administered by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Lottery funds have supported more than 7,000 projects across the state and counting. These projects aren’t just for the benefit of the plants and animals living here, but for everyone who gets to experience the natural beauty of our state.

When you play Lottery games, Oregon’s fish, wildlife and natural areas win. And so do Oregonians.

7.5%

of Oregon Lottery funds go to watershed enhancement and salmon restoration

Featured Projects

A volunteer in a canoe displays an invasive weed freshly pulled from the river.

Clearing the Willamette River

A volunteer in a canoe displays an invasive weed freshly pulled from the river.

Clearing the Willamette River

A man rides a horse across a flat landscape

The Harney Basin Wetlands

Salmon Superhighway sign

The Salmon Superhwy

Coyote Creek — Restoration in the Eugene Area

River in Eastern Oregon

Cavendar Wetlands Enhancement

People paddling watercraft on a sunny day in the Willamette River.
hands-planting
Our organization’s sole mission is to protect and restore the Willamette River.
— Vanessa Youngblood, Willamette Riverkeeper Read About the Willamette
illustration of salmon in a water droplet

Explore All Natural Habitats Stories

Want to see all the Natural Habitat grants and loans supported by Lottery dollars in your county? Or even across the state?

Read On!

LOTTERY DOLLARS DOING GOOD THINGS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Qualifying for Funding — Natural Habitats

Lottery funds dedicated to maintaining and restoring Oregon’s natural habitats are administered by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). If your organization is involved in this work, you might qualify for OWEB grant funding.