Partners

Columbia Land Trust

The Columbia Land Trust has been conserving and stewarding land as a CEERP partner since the early 2000s. Their lands have high conservation value, whether as working landscapes or as habitat for plants and wildlife. They work respectfully with willing landowners to either buy land or to help place a conservation easement on property. This legal tool permanently limits development or other land uses in exchange for compensation to landowners. The Columbia Land Trust’s stewardship team builds long-term management plans for each place, based on the best available science, to ensure the land is as healthy as possible. The Columbia Land Trust contributes to many restoration projects and to scientifically addressing restoration design challenges.

Columbia Land Trust

Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce

The Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce (CREST), based in Astoria, Oregon, is a council of governments specializing in environmental planning and habitat restoration for fish and wildlife. CREST excels in project design, funding, acquisition, management, implementation, and long-term monitoring to sustain the partnership between the ecosystem and neighboring communities along the Columbia River Estuary. By working closely with local stakeholders, CREST helps ensure that restoration efforts are not only ecologically effective, but also sustainable and beneficial for both the environment and the people who depend on it.

In addition to on-the-ground restoration, CREST plays a key role in scientific research and monitoring through its involvement in the Action Effectiveness Monitoring Program (AEMR). Their team of biologists, ecologists, and environmental planners provides valuable insights to help inform decisions and policies that affect the Columbia River Estuary ecosystem.

Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce

Cowlitz Indian Tribe

The Cowlitz Indian Tribe Natural Resources Department (NRD) restores ecosystem health through direct action, conserves lands for cultural and natural resource purposes, and advises tribal leadership on natural resource issues. The NRD works to ensure plants, animals, and landscapes central to Cowlitz culture thrive.

The Habitat Restoration and Conservation Program develops, funds, and implements restoration projects in the Tribe’s Historic Area of Interest. This includes conservation property acquisition, barrier removal, floodplain reconnection, large wood placement, channel modification, culvert replacement, and riparian planting.

Learn more about one of the largest CEERP restoration projects, sponsored by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, Wallooskee-Youngs.

Cowlitz Indian Tribe

Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (LCEP) is a nonprofit National Estuary Program that works to restore and care for the waters and ecosystems of the lower Columbia River for current and future generations of fish, wildlife, and people.

LCEP was an early sponsor contracted under CEERP and has implemented several habitat restoration projects across the estuary, including the Steigerwald National Wildlife Refuge floodplain reconnection project.

The Partnership is also a key partner in CEERP monitoring programs. LCEP, along with other partners, helps us better understand river conditions and increases the effectiveness of restoration. Monitoring programs, including the Ecosystem Monitoring Program and Action Effectiveness Monitoring and Research efforts, measure and track several types of habitat and compare restoration outcomes to long-term status and trend sites.

Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) preserves the state’s wildlife and ecosystems while providing sustainable recreation and commercial opportunities.

WDFW works with BPA and the Corps of Engineers to coordinate, prioritize, scope, and develop projects for CEERP. They also manage wildlife areas and agency-owned lands in the Columbia River Estuary. In 2019, WDFW, in partnership with CREST, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, completed a pilot project at South Bachelor Island near Ridgefield, Washington. Learn more about reconnecting habitat and working with dredged material.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife