New Grants Benefit Columbia River Estuary

February 12, 2010.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation have announced that seven projects designed to benefit salmon, sea birds and native plants have been selected to receive a total of $600,000 from the Columbia River Estuarine Coastal Fund.

The Columbia River Estuarine Coastal Fund was established in 2004 to receive community service payments ordered by court settlements resulting from violations of federal pollution laws. "The recovery process for several key species will surge as a result of these grants," said Jeff Trandahl, executive director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. "Simultaneously, more citizens of the watershed than ever before will be engaged in the restoration effort, providing a 'win-win' for wildlife."

Volunteer restoration worker

Nelson Creek Restoration Phase I
Columbia Land Trust
Grant Award: $72,000 / Match: $157,856
Columbia Land Trust will implement a comprehensive restoration project on 180 acres to restore Sitka spruce swamp, riparian corridors, and tidal sloughs and channels. The project will benefit waterfowl, shorebirds, salmonids, endangered deer, and other faunal groups. Project partners include Willapa Hills Audubon Society, Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge staff, and Lower Columbia College.

Aerial view of Haven Island

Youngs River Island Habitat Restoration
Columbia Land Trust
Grant Award: $37,000 / Match: $23,000
The project will result in the restoration of 80 acres of intertidal scrub-shrub and emergent wetland habitat in the lower Columbia River estuary. Grant funds will be used to breach a dike, remove non-native invasive plants, plant 4,750 native trees and shrubs, and monitor the results on Haven Island in the Youngs River watershed near the mouth of the Columbia River in northwestern Oregon. The project responds to a variety of established plans and priority conservation needs of the Youngs Bay Watershed and the Columbia River Estuary.

Aerial view of Lower Grays River

Lower Grays River Tidal Wetland Restoration
Columbia Land Trust
Grant Award: $96,000 / Match: $99,000
The project will reconnect approximately 50 acres of intertidal wetlands, including tidal channel habitat, and implement actions to improve habitat function over 30 acres in the Grays River. This project will result in construction of approximately 2,000 feet of tidal channel, dike removal, invasive plant species control on 30 acres, and planting of 13,500 native plants to restore spruce swamp, intertidal scrub-shrub and riparian shoreline habitat.

Aerial view of Germany Creek

Germany Creek Conservation and Restoration - Phase II
Columbia Land Trust
Grant Award: $95,000 / Match: $108,000
The project will restore 25 acres of in-stream, floodplain, and riparian habitat, and permanently protect 30.63 acres of floodplain, riparian, and upland habitat on Germany Creek in Cowlitz County. The acquisition will build upon 155 acres of already conserved habitat on Germany Creek extending 1.5 miles upstream from its confluence with the Columbia River.

Pond at Miami Wetlands

Miami Wetlands Enhancement Grantee
Tillamook Estuaries Partnership
Grant Award: $198,938 / Match: $100,000
The project will enhance 22 acres of rare tidal spruce swamp and 30 acres of uplands in the Tillamook Bay estuary. This project will improve wildlife habitats and habitat for 5 salmon species, improve aquatic habitat and wetland connections to the Miami River, restore the historic character of the site vegetation, and permanently protect 18 acres. The project goal is to restore historic wetland function, emphasizing habitat conditions for anadromous salmon and trout. More than 20 partners are involved in this effort.

Pair of Pintail Ducks
Photo credit: Gary Kramer / USFWS

Ridgefield Restoration and Watershed Coordination
Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge
Grant Award: $55,360 / Match: $84,280
This project will continue on-the-ground long-term restoration of floodplain habitats on the Ridgefield Refuge and associated Gee Creek Watershed and will continue watershed partnerships and outreach within the community. The project includes surveying 737 acres of floodplain habitat for invasive plants and controlling key invasive plants, planting 1,340 native plants within 4 acres of riparian and oak woodland habitat, and engaging community volunteers in restoration efforts.

Having a Beautiful Flight
Photo credit: Steve Hillebrand / USFWS

Nehalem Watershed Conservation Planning
The Nature Conservancy
Grant Award: $63,028 / Match: $26,312
The Nature Conservancy will conduct a conservation planning effort for the Nehalem watershed to identify the most effective conservation actions to improve native fish, wildlife and habitat resources in this biologically important area. The conservation actions identified in this plan will help coordinate activities to help recover coastal coho and Chinook salmon while also benefiting a broad array of other species. As a result of this project, local conservation groups, potential funders, and other stakeholder groups will have a clear idea of where to concentrate conservation efforts in the watershed and will have built partnerships to implement that coordinated conservation vision.

More Information:
Krystyna Wolniakowski, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, 503-702-0245
Amy Gaskill, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 503-231-6874