To celebrate and amplify stories of successful habitat conservation and restoration, the Estuary Partnership maintains a Restoration Inventory of projects that have occurred in the lower Columbia River and surrounding tributaries. The Restoration Inventory serves as a comprehensive hub for restoration and conservation activity that promotes the excellent work of partners throughout the Study Area.
The Restoration Inventory unites the efforts of nearly 100 regional partners – proving that small acts add up to big impact. From 1999-2023, our Restoration Inventory has tracked 284 completed restoration or conservation projects – totaling more than 35,000 acres!
Each year, the Estuary Partnership gathers restoration and project data from regional partners to update the Regional Inventory map. This information is also provided to the Environmental Protection Agency to tell the larger story of restoration and conservation successes, and to identify gaps, obstacles, and opportunities.
Beginning in 2024, the Estuary Partnership will use the projects submitted to the Restoration Inventory to create digital content for regional partners to utilize and will highlight some of the partner-led projects throughout the year. and will facilitate connections, collaborations, and skill sharing between restoration and conservation project managers through its Science Work Group and Columbia River Estuary Conference.
How to use the Regional Inventory to view restoration and conservation projects in within the Study Area:
Use the legend in the top right corner of the Regional Inventory to toggle different layers on or off:
- Estuary Partnership Restoration Site: this indicates a restoration project sponsored by the by Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership or funded by the Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Recovery Program
- Regional Partner Restoration Site: Restoration projects sponsored by regional partners (that have not received Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Recovery Program funds)
- Conservation site (no restoration): Projects which involve land acquisition, easement or other form of protection only.
The map also includes a layer detailing Restoration and Conservation Actions, a comprehensive list of the various restoration actions that have taken place throughout the Study Area.
Projects shown on the map have all been implemented to some degree. Some have been completed, with no additional plans for restoration, while others have had multiple phases of activity, with potentially more planned. These different phases are captured in a 'Project Phases' table, which is also part of the map and can be accessed in tabular form by selecting the 'Show Related Records' link from any project pop-up box.
Additional information about the project inventory can be accessed within the map by clicking on the information button.