Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

06/18/2026

Yesterday we had Rainier City Administrator Scott Jorgensen and Public Works Director Russ Reigel to tour Fox Creek, where a new beaver has recently moved in!

Fox Creek is small urban stream located in the heart of Rainier. Our Community Programs Team began working at this site in 2019. When we began, the floodplain was dominated by dense reed canarygrass with little native vegetation or shade (see pic 5). Our team has taken on restoring this site over time with the help of local students, volunteers, Ash Creek Forest Management, and a partnership with Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, the City of Rainier, Friends of Fox Creek, and the Lower Columbia Watershed Council.

Since we began work to restore and steward this site we have engaged 584 people in hands on stewardship work and planted over 8,700 native trees and shrubs. This dense planting and interplanting have been needed due to the large amount of browse from wildlife and the aggressive nature of the reed canarygrass in this floodplain. This spring for the first time we were excited to discover a beaver dam in the project area built from the red alder and Oregon ash trees we had planted! Beaver dams help to improve water quality by storing cool water in summer, creating habitat for native fish. They also help to slow water down, filter water, and remove pollutants. Additionally, beaver ponds store groundwater which fuels riverside vegetation. This vegetation, in turn, shades rivers and streams, further cooling the water for native fish.

06/16/2026

We're excited to welcome Makarios Macris to our team this summer! Makarios joins us as an intern from the University of Portland, and will be with the Estuary Partnership until mid-August. During his service, he will gain experience with a mix of our programs--supporting Big Canoe community paddles in the Portland Harbor and helping to survey and map fish passage barriers throughout southwest Washington. Makarios was born and raised in North Portland and is currently an undergraduate student studying Environmental Science. In his free time, he loves to hike, fish, and enjoy all that the great outdoors has to offer. Welcome, Makarios!

06/05/2026

The East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project year 2 construction is gaining steam. But before too much in-water work can happen, we must safely relocate fish, lamprey, mussels, and other aquatic creatures safely outside the project boundaries. We invite volunteers with field work experience to participate in these aquatic species collection efforts later this month! This is a unique opportunity: volunteers must be 18 or older and specific equipment, like waders or tall boots, are required. Completing this rescue and relocation effort is essential to keeping project construction on schedule. Find out more and sign up for a shift: https://estuarypartnership.app.neoncrm.com/forms/east-fork-aquatic-salvage?opportunityId=8

06/03/2026

Many thanks to the dozens of people who joined us and Depave at Chief Joseph Elementary School this past Saturday to help pry up asphalt from the schoolyard to clear the way for new green space 💚! This summer, crews will continue the work started by volunteers and create 3,000 square feet of stormwater planters along the schoolyard perimeter to manage runoff from more than one acre of impervious surface. Students will help to replant the area this fall. 🌳

05/14/2026

It's with great sadness that we share the passing of friend and colleague, Alvey Seeyouma. Our hearts are heavy as we extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and community in this difficult time.

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05/12/2026

The East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project is more than a floodplain restoration—it's also a learning laboratory where students gain hands-on experience in river ecology, native plants and wildlife, geology, and habitat restoration! Over the winter, nearly 500 students from four local elementary schools participated in behind-the-scenes field trips that allowed them to explore the restoration site and apply lessons learned in the classroom. We even created a new geology and rock identification activity to make the most out of student learning along this river, where gravel mines formerly stood. Read more about the East Fork Lewis River field trips at https://www.estuarypartnership.org/news/learning-laboratory-schools-along-east-fork-lewis-river

05/07/2026

We love getting students out for educational field trips to Vancouver Lake! Students always love spotting (and poking, and pretending to pick) this nose-like tree burl as we hike through the woods. 😁 And they engage their inner engineer--working together to make a model of the area on the sandy shoreline to see how rivers and lakes flow together (and yes, just having fun digging in the sand).

You can find a fun, interactive map of Vancouver Lake made by Art Nature Place in both English and español on our website: https://www.estuarypartnership.org/vancouver-lake

Big thanks to Vancouver, Washington City Government, Port of Vancouver USA & Clark County, WA for supporting critical outdoor learning time for these kids!

05/06/2026

CVTV made a great video update of the East Fork Lewis River Reconnection Project! Hear directly from our Principal Restoration Ecologist II Kari Dupler, and Clark County WA Public Works's Lands Coordinator Denielle Cowley about what's happened and what's to come for the project!

05/05/2026

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day! Today especially, we honor all the teachers across our study area for their tireless work to support and educate younger generations. We also celebrate our team of Environmental Educators at the Estuary Partnership, who work every day to connect kids to their watershed! Thank you, teachers. 💙

05/04/2026

Crews from Tapani began mobilizing for the 2nd year of construction on the East Fork Lewis River last month, but the broader project team never stopped working. Throughout the fall, winter, and spring, skilled revegetation crews from Ash Creek Forest Management, LLC, Biohabitats, ERSM LLC, & R Franco Restoration planted tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs across the newly restored and reconnected floodplain. Crews planted 23 different species, including over 40,000 willow cuttings and more than 100,000 other species such as red osier dogwood, black cottonwood, Douglas-fir, and spirea. Read more about what's to come for the second year of construction at https://www.estuarypartnership.org/news/east-fork-lewis-river-reconnection-project-enters-final-year-of-construction.