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Salmon and steelhead get home remodel in Columbia River Estuary

picture of water and shoreline with trees and rocks
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“Knowing that you’re contributing to the recovery of an endangered species is a great feeling.” 

Jason Smith, Habitat Restoration Project Manager 

Salmon and steelhead get home remodel in Columbia River Estuary

A failed culvert and tide gate on Marys Creek often left fish stranded during lower tides.  The Bear-Marys-Ferris restoration project removed several culverts and constructed new marsh channels to give young salmon greater access to wetlands.

Similar to pulling back an old carpet and revealing shiny hardwood floors, a restoration effort in the Lower Columbia River has returned unused farmland to what it was a century ago: gorgeous wetlands and valuable fish and wildlife habitat.

Columbia River tidewater can once again flood 65 acres of wetlands in the lower Columbia River Estuary near Astoria, Oregon, land that until recently had not been covered with free flowing tidewater in decades. The twice daily regimen of tidal flooding has reactivated the floodplains of nearby streams, encouraged native plant growth and improved habitat conditions for fish and wildlife.

BPA and its partner, the Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST), worked with three private landowners and Clatsop County to complete the restoration project that included restoring the natural flows of three creeks called Bear, Marys and Ferris. The goal of the restoration, completed in 2018, was to reconnect the three creeks to their natural floodplains, improve fish access to the streams and in turn, help young salmon and steelhead survive.

“Knowing that you’re contributing to the recovery of an endangered species is a great feeling,” says Jason Smith, habitat restoration project manager with CREST. “It doesn’t take long at all for the fish to return after the restoration is completed. Usually it’s within a few tidal cycles.”

To get the tidewater moving again, work crews removed several culverts, tidegates and approximately a half mile of old levee. They also constructed nearly 1 mile of new marsh channel and created large mounds of earth to repair what road construction and agriculture leveled years ago. The mounds of dirt, some as high as 11 feet, are helping woody vegetation grow in the floodplain and squeeze out invasive plants, such as reed canary grass.

This photo captured at low tide shows a new tidal marsh channel at the Bear-Marys-Ferris project near Astoria, Oregon. Working with its partners, BPA ratepayers helped restore 65 acres of floodplain to help young salmon and steelhead survive.

The renewed tidal flow also improves the nutrient exchange between the river, the creeks and the estuary, while providing more food for young salmon, steelhead and other wildlife. Research shows young fish rely on habitats such as this to transition from fresh to saltwater. Off channel wetland habitats give young salmon and steelhead a place to rest, grow, eat and hide from predators before they head out to sea.

Coordinators of the project say the Columbia River Estuary has lost nearly 80% of its wetlands over the past 200 years, so restoring floodplains can greatly benefit salmon and steelhead.

“The Bear-Marys-Ferris restoration project is helping to increase habitat diversity. Restoring these ecological processes is essential to the growth and survival of juvenile salmon and other native species,” said Anne Creason, BPA project manager. “Based on early post-construction monitoring, the site is functioning as designed for the benefit of juvenile salmonids.”

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