We're hiring - Fall volunteer schedule released - New restoration project underway
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We're excited to announce our 2024 Steward of the Year: Congressman Earl Blumenauer
Throughout Congressman Earl Blumenauer 28-year tenure representing Oregon’s Third Congressional District, his sustained leadership was pivotal to efforts protecting and restoring the Columbia River.
Congressman Blumenauer was a champion of the Estuary Partnership from the start. His faithful support for the National Estuary Program, the EPA-managed program that our organization, is a testament to his commitment to clean water, environmental justice, and the power of nature-based solutions to combat climate change.
Less than twenty seats remain for our Annual Celebration, but we still hope you can join us. Ticket sales will close Monday, October 14.Join us for an evening of dinner, drinks, and fantastic company. We will toast to our Steward of the Year, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, and have a spirited live auction and set of raffles to raise funds to support the mission of the Estuary Partnership: to restore and care for the waters and ecosystems of the lower Columbia River, for current and future generations of fish, wildlife, and people.
New beaver dam analogs installed in the Columbia River Gorge
We’ve recently completed the installation of two new beaver dam analog (BDA) structures in the floodplains of Horsetail and Oneonta Creeks, thanks to the collaborative efforts with the U.S. Forest Service Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area staff.
What are BDAs? BDAs are human-made structures crafted from natural materials like willow and cottonwood poles. They mimic the incredible work of beavers, providing numerous ecological benefits. Here’s how they help:
Springtime boost: When the floodplain is inundated, these structures enhance channel complexity, creating perfect rearing and refugia habitats for juvenile salmon.
Summer cool down: In the warmer months, BDAs help maintain cool water conditions by directing the cool flow from Horsetail Creek straight into the Columbia River, avoiding the warmer backwater sloughs.
Although BDAs are temporary, they often get “adopted” by beavers, who then make these structures their own, further enhancing the habitat.
This fantastic project is supported by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. A big thank you to everyone involved!
New restoration project kicks off at Wildwood Golf Course
We’re thrilled to announce the start of the Crabapple Creek habitat restoration project at Portland’s Wildwood Golf Course. Crabapple Creek is an important tributary of the Multnomah Channel, which connects to the Willamette and Columbia rivers. Flowing from the Tualatin Mountains (Portland’s West Hills), and through the family-owned Wildwood Golf Course, Crabapple Creek delivers clean, cool water to the lower floodplain habitats along Multnomah Channel. These floodplain habitats are crucial for native fish, amphibian, and other wildlife species. Protecting and improving water quality in Crabapple Creek helps ensure salmon and steelhead will have the clean, cool water they need to thrive.
The Crabapple Creek habitat restoration project will remove overgrown invasive weeds that are taking over the riparian area along the creek. In their place, we’re planting native shrubs that will shade the creek and maintain cool stream temperatures, improve habitat, and provide important erosion control along the creek’s steep banks.
National Estuaries Week celebrated September 21-28, 2024
We proudly celebrated National Estuaries Week from September 21-28, 2024. National Estuaries Week helps us highlight what makes America’s estuaries special and why we work to protect them.
A resolution declaring September 21-28, 2024, as National Estuaries Week was passed in the U.S. Senate with thirty one co-sponsors, including Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, and Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon. An identical resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives with eighteen co-sponsors, including Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1), Earl Blumenauer (OR-3), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-5). We greatly appreciates these members of Congress for their support!
The resolution outlined the significance of estuaries to America’s environment and economy:
“estuary regions cover only 13% of land in the continental United States but contain nearly 40% of the population, 39% of the jobs, and 47% of the economic output of the United States;”
“estuaries provide critical ecosystem services that protect human health and public safety, including water filtration, flood control, shoreline stabilization, erosion prevention, and the protection of coastal communities during hurricanes, storms, and other extreme weather events.”
The resolution also underscored the threat to America’s estuaries:
“some bays in the United States that were once filled with fish and oysters have become dead zones filled with excel nutrients, chemical waste, and marine debris;”
“harmful algal blooms are hurting fish, wildlife, and human health and area causing serious ecological and economic harm to some estuaries.”
Senator Murray and Representative Glusenkamp Perez staff tour the East Fork Lewis Reconnection Project
In August, we had the pleasure of hosting the staff of Washington Senator Patty Murray and Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez for a tour of the Ridgefield Pits portion of the East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project. It was an exciting day filled with learning and unexpected wildlife encounters!
They learned about the incredible ecological benefits of this upcoming project, including improved flood and erosion risk reduction. A representative from Clark County Public Works shared how this restoration aligns with the county’s vision for a greenway trail along the East Fork Lewis River, while also reducing flood and erosion risks, and a local landowner and member of the Clark Skamania Flyfishers highlighted the recreational benefits and the importance of addressing property loss due to erosion.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the staff of Senator Murray and Representative Gluesenkamp Perez for their visit and support.
The East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project is a $21.3 million restoration effort spanning three river miles of the East Fork Lewis River near Ridgefield and Battle Ground, Washington. It is slated to break ground in 2025.
Check out a science kit at the Kelso Public Library
A collection of our most popular science classroom and field education kits are now available for loan at the Kelso Public Library. The kits offer a fun, educational, and hands-on approach youth science programs and cover a wide range of subjects:
Beavers
Water quality testing
Bird identification
Animal signs and observations
Food web and STEM career Jenga
The kits are available for teachers and members of the public to borrow for up to two weeks. To check out a science classroom and field education kit from the Kelso Public Library, contact the library at (360) 423-8110.
The science classroom and field education kit program at the Kelso Public Library is supported through the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission’s No Child Left Inside grant program administered through the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for National Estuary Programs.
Volunteer to plant native trees and shrubs
Join the Estuary Partnership for a fun, family-friendly volunteer event where you’ll plant native trees and shrubs to restore a local greenspace, improve water quality, and create habitat for birds and other wildlife.
During these events, volunteers will learn about native plants, including how to identify and install them for optimal growth. It’s also a great way to explore a local natural area.
These volunteer opportunities include a 10–20-minute talk on trails with uneven surfaces. Gloves and tools are provided. Long-sleeved shirts, pants, sturdy shoes, and other weather-appropriate clothing are strongly recommended.
For more information, please visit the event registration page. If you have any questions, contact the Estuary Partnership’s Volunteer Coordinator, Sam Dumont, at SDumont@estuarypartnership.org.
In addition to your volunteer effort, these events are made possible with the support of the Washington Department of Ecology, Clark County, One Tree Planted, and Bonneville Environmental Foundation’s Promise the Pod Program.
We are hiring an experienced Research Scientist to join our Monitoring Team! Our well-established monitoring programs track trends in ecosystem conditions, effectiveness of restoration projects, and the potential of using restoration projects as natural climate solutions via our carbon-methane flux research. The Research Scientist III will design, develop, and implement these monitoring programs throughout the lower Columbia River. The deadline to apply is October 28, 2024.
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