The Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Lower Columbia River serves as the strategic plan for the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership. It guides all program activities and annual work tasks for the Partnership. Developing and implementing a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (Management Plan) is the primary task of a National Estuary Program.

Goals
Priority Issues
Actions
Full Plan
Implementation

The Management Plan embodies the efforts of many committed citizens who represent environmental groups, local governments, state and federal agencies, ports, tribal governments, industry, labor, agriculture, recreational users, commercial fishing, the regional Northwest Power Planning Council, and citizens-at-large. In keeping with the National Estuary Program emphasis on a collaborative local decision-making process, extensive public outreach and involvement opportunities were used during the Plan’s development.

Policy and Management Committees led the three year effort to develop the Management Plan for the Lower Columbia River. The Management Committee represented broad and diverse issues and perspectives. They identified priority issues, developed actions to address the priority issues, and finally, determined how to implement the actions.

An innovative tool used by the Management Committee to define actions was the comparative risk ranking. It integrated science and public concern and helped define specific actions. The Management Committee used the technical data from the Bi-State Water Quality Program to identify seven priority issues that became the basis of the Management Plan.