News

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

For nearly a decade, the Estuary Partnership has been working alongside the US Forest Service to restore a critical slice of floodplain habitat in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Floodplain habitat for migrating salmon is especially scarce in the Gorge--this site makes up 31% of this type of habitat in the lower Gorge. Our work has improved fish passage, enhanced habitat quality

We have many amazing creatures that we share the lower Columbia River with. One of them is a fish species that has survived for 300–400 million years, migrates to and from the ocean, and provided sustenance for generations upon generations of Tribal peoples along the Columbia. No, not salmon (that species is far younger), but lamprey! Can you imagine a fish that swims on this Earth today that is

April is Earth Month and the 51st anniversary of Earth Day! For more than 50 years, the world has recognized Earth Day as a day of action. This year the Estuary Partnership is teaming up with nonprofits across the state for the Earth Day Oregon* campaign. And together we are working to Amplify Earth Day! As a nonprofit that supports several of the UN's 17 sustainable development goals, we are

By our count, there are at least 21 Watershed Councils and Friends groups in the lower Columbia River, all dedicated to caring for a tributary river or watershed. That’s not even counting Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Riverkeepers, Land Conservancies and other groups and coalitions dedicated to river health. That’s great news, because the lower Columbia is a huge river system, and each

We have The Confluence Project, dedicated to storytelling and art along the Columbia River. Confluence’s mission is to connect people to the history, living cultures, and ecology of the Columbia River system through Indigenous voices. Confluence is a non-profit that works with artist Maya Lin to install a series of art installations along the Columbia River, including three along the lower

Stormwater is the number one source of water pollution across the country. When rain falls on impervious surfaces, it picks up all sorts of sediment, oils and toxic compounds from automobiles, pesticides and herbicides, pet waste, and other contaminants. To lessen the impacts of stormwater runoff, many communities and nonprofits are implementing stormwater retrofit projects - redirecting

The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership is celebrating our 26th birthday in 2021! In 2020, we had hoped to celebrate our milestone 25th anniversary, but COVID threw a wrench in that, as it did with so many plans. But now we are one year older and wiser. And we want to share with you some of the things that we think are so great about our river and its people. Now we know that there are many, many

We are excited to welcome two new members of our team, who will be with us through the next year working on a variety of projects with us. Katrina Poremba was raised on a hobby farm in Idaho, where part of her daily life included chores around the pasture and backyard pond. At 17, she attended Humboldt State University to study marine biology. As an undergraduate, Katrina went abroad for a year to