Habitat Restoration

The Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership’s Habitat Restoration Program works to rehabilitate, enhance, protect, conserve, create, and restore 16,000 acres of tidal wetlands and other key habitats in the lower 146 miles of the Columbia River. The program works collaboratively with many partners to implement and monitor strategic, scientifically sound projects that support ESA listed species and other native species.

The Estuary Partnership’s Habitat Restoration Program includes several key elements:

Restoration Inventory
Restoration Projects
Restoration Strategy
Project Monitoring
Technical Resources

Habitat restoration is crucial to lower Columbia River recovery efforts. In the last 100 years, wetland habitat within the lower Columbia River corridor has decreased by as much as 75% from historic levels. Marshes and forested wetlands have also decreased, while developed land and open water have increased. Dike and levee construction, development, hydrosystem operations, and other activities all contribute to habitat loss.

Habitat loss and modification impacts are serious. Several species of fish and wildlife that depend on lower Columbia River habitat are listed as threatened and endangered. Human uses such as aesthetic, recreational, and cultural values have also been compromised. Destroyed or impaired wetland habitats also less able to absorb flooding and filter out and uptake pollutants.

The Estuary Partnership’s Management Plan offers a vision for habitat in the lower Columbia River.
Vision: Habitat in the lower Columbia River and estuary supports self-sustaining populations of plants, fish, and wildlife.

Several of the Management Plan’s 43 actions address habitat loss and the development of a habitat restoration strategy, including:

In addition, the Management Plan identifies a series of specific objectives for habitat in the lower Columbia River:

• There will be no further loss or degradation of overall habitat values.
• Habitat management will focus on maintaining the biological integrity of the entire system.
• Native species will be protected and enhanced, when appropriate, and adverse effects of non-native species will be reduced.
• Habitats necessary for healthy populations of plants, fish, and wildlife will be protected.
• Future developments will protect or enhance habitat for native plants, fish, and wildlife.
• Important habitat already lost will be recovered, and impaired habitat will be enhanced and restored.
• Sensitive, threatened, and endangered species will be restored to healthy and self-sustaining populations.