In 2011, a private landowner reached out to her local Soil & Water Conservation District to begin a conversation. Her property is directly on the Columbia River, and she wanted to return it to a more natural state to support fish and wildlife. They were happy to start the conversation about how to make that happen.
The levee along Batwater Station before the project
Completed in 2015, the Batwater Station Floodplain Restoration Project reconnected a 26-acre tidal wetland to the lower Columbia River. The project benefits threatened and endangered species of salmon and steelhead and other native species. Located on private land near
Steigerwald Lake is a US Fish & Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge situated along the banks of the Columbia near Washougal, Washington, at the Gateway to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Through a collaborative partnership, the lands and waters of the Refuge and the Columbia River were recently reconnected. The collaborative Steigerwald Reconnection Project reconnected 965 acres of Columbia River floodplain after generations separated by a levee, reduced flood risk from Gibbons Creek, improved habitat for fish and wildlife, and created new trails for recreation at the
