Restoration on the West Coast

In Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California, 28 populations of salmon and steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered as a result of habitat loss and over harvesting. Through habitat restoration, we work to undo the damages done to coastal wetlands, shellfish beds, and salmon-bearing streams. Nearly half of historic tidal wetlands have disappeared from Oregon's coastal estuaries; while in Puget Sound more than 80 percent of tidal wetlands have been lost and vast areas of floodplain wetlands have been cut off from rivers by levees or filled for development. In California, nearly 90 percent of the extant wetlands have been lost from habitat destruction mainly spurred by a booming population and economic development. We work with our partners to reconnect these marshes and floodplains to tidal or riparian waters and to restore habitat. We restore spawning and rearing habitats for fish and improve fish passage by removing dams or replacing undersized culverts.