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As the summer draws to a close, so do the Estuary Partnership’s Community Paddles on the Big Canoes. Our team went on over 20 paddles with all types of groups. Through funding from East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, paddlers got to explore the Ross Island complex, and funding from Metro supported paddles that explored the industrialized stretch of Cathedral Park to Fred’s Marina

The pandemic almost brought learning to a standstill. But our Educators are creative and dedicated to fostering understanding of the natural world and students long to learn. Watch to see how we adapted to keep kids learning about science! Then donate: https://bit.ly/EPgive Video produced by Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership Environmental Educator, Andy Bauer

Before summer 2021 wraps up—though we may all be ready for fall rains—we want to celebrate a few of the amazing beaches that line the lower Columbia. Beaches are our #12 Reason to Love the Lower Columbia. Below are six of our favorites. Many of these beaches are ideal swimming spots, but be sure to exercise caution, because river conditions can change rapidly. With river levels low this year, also

POSTPONED to 2022. Please register for our Picnic at Vancouver Lake on September 25! The event will be held at Rossi Farms (3839 NE 122nd Avenue), a working farm in Portland's Parkrose Neighborhood. We will begin outdoors with music, a roaming photo booth and raffles with great art and packages to win. Dinner from Calabash Authentic will be served in an airy barn with large open doors, followed by

From long epic miles to gentle bays for birdwatching, there is an adventure for anyone on the Lower Columbia River Water Trail. All you need is a kayak, canoe or stand up paddleboard to launch. The Water Trail stretches 146 river miles from Bonneville Dam to the Pacific Ocean, and that is hundreds of miles of shoreline you can explore. Paddling is our #11 reason to Love the Lower Columbia. If you

by Alex Rhodes, Environmental Educator On a bright and sunny weekend, the first in what seemed like forever, the Blueprint Foundation and the Estuary Partnership circled up on the grass near the busy Cathedral Park boat ramp to build relationships and learn together. The Blueprint Foundation is a family—some related by blood but most tied together by the close-knit Black community of North

It's summer, and you might have noticed the fluffy seeds of cottonwood floating around your local park, looking almost like a layer of fresh snow. Cottonwoods are our #10 reason the Love the Lower Columbia. So why do we love these trees in particular? Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) has a lot of remarkable features. It is the most massive broad-leaved deciduous tree in the Pacific Northwest

Every year on the first Saturday of June, the City of Ridgefield throws a great big party to celebrate their connection to local rivers. The Ridgefield Big Paddle is our #9 reason to Love the Lower Columbia. The Ridgefield Big Paddle is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year! Since 2012, Ridgefield holds a big party on the Lake River waterfront on National Trails Day. The festival celebrates

We can’t recover orca until we first recover salmon. Washington Governor Jay Inslee Pacific Northwesterners love our orcas. To coastal Tribal people, orcas are cousins, a sign representing power, luck, the strength of love and family, and are the guardians of the sea. The Southern Resident Killer Whales (J, K and L pods), in particular, have captured the hearts of locals throughout Washington and

There is a spot managed by Columbia Land Trust specifically for sandhill cranes. With their tall stature, prominent red crown patch, unique calls and extravagant dance moves, sandhill cranes are a magnificent sight. On the lower Columbia River within the Vancouver Lowlands, Columbia Land Trust manages a 527-acre property that is conserved specifically for these birds and attracts them in high