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Monitoring
Tracking estuary health to inform, guide, and adapt restoration efforts
A Responsive Framework for Ecological Restoration
CEERP’s monitoring efforts are dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and sharing key data and trends on the estuary’s ecological conditions to support effective conservation and restoration efforts. In service of CEERP’s adaptive management approach, CEERP pairs long-term status and trend data from our Ecosystem Monitoring Program (EMP) our and Action Effectiveness Monitoring and Research (AEMR) program data. Through these programs, we can better understand, and adapt to, the complex ecological processes of the estuary.
Ecosystem Monitoring Program
The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership oversees the EMP, which tracks the overall status and trends of the lower Columbia River through long-term data collection. The primary goal of the EMP is to collect baseline data on habitats utilized by migrating salmon.
Through the EMP, a consortium of academic and agency researchers employ monitoring protocols to gather essential long-term data and information on ecological conditions across six minimally disturbed tidal wetland sites in the estuary. These reference sites represent common habitats for migrating juvenile salmon and span the estuary from Baker Bay near the river mouth, to upriver near Bonneville Dam. This information enhances our understanding of river processes and habitat conditions, aiding in the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered salmon species.
The Ecosystem Monitoring Program
Describes different habitat types in the estuary
The program inventories and monitors various habitats and river conditions throughout the Columbia River Estuary, focusing on those essential for migrating juvenile salmon.
Monitors changes to habitat and river conditions over time
Researchers collect vital data on how ecological conditions of the six trends sites change over time and how this affects use by migrating juvenile salmon.
Provides reference conditions for habitat restoration projects
The EMP’s reference sites represent target conditions for restoring salmon habitats across the estuary, guiding efforts to support the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered salmon species.
Analyzes how management actions impact the broader Lower Columbia River ecosystem
EMP’s long-term monitoring and data collection processes enable researchers to assess the impact of CEERP’s restoration efforts, informing and improving effective management strategies.
Explore the Ecosystem Monitoring Program Dashboard for visualizations of the data gathered through the EMP.
Action Effectiveness Monitoring and Research
CEERP’s Action Effectiveness Monitoring and Research (AEMR) program provides insights into the effects of habitat restoration actions on salmon habitats to inform the planning and engineering of future restoration.
Researchers employ standard monitoring protocols to examine key indicators such as water temperature, sediment accretion, hydrologic connectivity, plant community structure, and fish use. These data are collected both before and after management actions are completed. Sites are selected for their potential to improve understanding of restoration benefits at both the site and landscape scales. The information gained from this program enables practitioners to improve or replace restoration techniques, ensuring that future restoration efforts deliver maximum benefits.
In conjunction with the EMP, AEMR fosters adaptive management by providing critical and timely feedback on restoration efforts, enabling ongoing adjustment to improve estuarine habitat based on empirical data and observed outcomes.
View the Action Effectiveness Monitoring and Research Dashboard for monitoring data from wetland restoration sites throughout the estuary!
AEMR data captures the direct and indirect benefits of ecosystem restoration, from refuge and prey production in tidal wetlands to enriching food webs in the mainstem of the river. (Illustration developed by Nikki Sather and Rose Perry at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)
Key Resources and Publications
The CEERP Synthesis Memos provide a synopsis and evaluation of results from program implementation
- Synthesis Memo 1 (2012)
- Synthesis Memo 2 (2018)
- Synthesis Memo 3 (in progress)
Monitoring Protocols followed under the Ecosystem Monitoring and Action Effectiveness Monitoring and Research Programs
The Action Effectiveness Monitoring Programmatic Plan presents an approach that regional stakeholders implement to support CEERP
Annual reports document results for the Ecosystem Monitoring and Action Effectiveness Monitoring and Research Programs
UNDERSTAND | CONSERVE | RESTORE