Lower Columbia River Ecoregion Restoration Phase III

Project Description

In this restoration and protection project, Columbia Land Trust and Ducks Unlimited acquired, restored and/or enhanced 6,555 acres. From the 2000 grant proposal: "This project is located within the Lower Columbia River Focus Area of the Pacific Coast Joint Venture. All ten project elements are within areas targeted for restoration and/r protection efforts by the Focus Area plan. Restoration within the Chinook River estuary was identified as a "Recommended Action". Restoration in the Young's River system, another project element, was identified as having high potential value for dabb...

Project Map

Publicly Accessible: Partially
County: Clark County, WA; Clatsop County, OR; Columbia County, OR; Multnomah County, OR; Pacific County, WA; Wahkiakum County, WA
Project Size:
  • 3174.9 acres

Project Sites

  • Chinook River
  • Clatsop private lands (Not publicly accessible)
  • Deadwillow
  • Deer Island (Not publicly accessible)
  • Grays Bay
  • JBH NWR
  • Ridgefield NWR
  • Shillapoo Wildlife Area
  • Smith and Bybee Lakes

Goals and Targets

Primary Motivations:

  • Conservation Mission
    Ducks Unlimited conserves, restores, and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. The Pacific Coast Joint Venture uses a business model that develops partnerships between public and private agencies and organizations. Our partners pool financial and management resources to fund and carry out on-the-ground projects to protect lowland wetland and upland habitats.

Primary Goals:

  • Enhance and protect 3,099 acres of Palustrine Emergent land.
    Progress: 3,771 acres completed. 130 acres enhanced at the Karamanos property, by building a levee and installing 2 water control structures. 1,600 acres at Smith and Bybee Lakes enhanced. 471 enhanced acres for the Chinook river project, through a combination of freshwater wetland enhancement, channel/ditch enhancement (bank flattening, connectivity improvements), fish barrier removal, and invasive removal and control. Estuarine reconnection of the Chinook River to the Columbia River, as was originally planned, could not be done due to community concerns and opposition resulting from questions about localized flooding and drainage issues and future maintenance issues. Due to the importance of community support for this project, partners choose to refocus efforts on more passive restoration and enhancement of freshwater wetlands. As of the final project report, January 8, 2007, The 50 acre Shillapoo Wildlife Area restoration has not been completed. This project is in the conceptual phase and is being contemplate as part of a larger project with additional partners. The 562 acre acquisition is complete.
  • Enhance and protect 332 acres of Palustrine Forested land.
    Progress: Actual acres: 342. The Metro Multnomah Channel acquisition project was removed from this grant (30 acres in this wetland type). 100 enhanced acres for the Chinook River project were include in this type. 16 acres of uplands were restored not he Clatsop Private Lands/Sharnelle Fee project through plantings. The restoration of 60 acres of wetlands on this project were not completed within the grant timeframe (and not included in the final report), but were to be completed in the summer of 2007. Ducks Unlimited was repairing a neighbor's levee and raising a set-back levee to complete this restoration.
  • Enhance 800 acres of Estuarine Intertidal Emergent land.
    Progress: 0 acres were enhanced. See the Chinook River project explanation.
  • Enahnce and restore 200 acres of Palustrine Shrub land.
    Progress: 300 acres completed. The grant proposal had included 200 acres iof enhanced acres at Smith and Bybee Lakes. These acres were enhanced, but are included int eh Palustrine Emergent wetland type above. 300 acres of Palustrine Shrub were restored at Chinook River; these acres were Estuarine Intertidal Emergent in the grant proposal. See the explanation of the Chinook River part of the project.
  • Restore 192 acres of Estuarine Intertidal Forested/Shrub land.
    Progress: 116 acres completed. The 80 acres proposed to be restored at Chinook river were enhanced under the Palustrine Shrub wetland type.
  • Restore 20 acres of Estuarine Subtidal land.
    Progress: Zero acres completed. Chinook river acres that were enhanced rather than restored, and included in the Palustrine Emergent wetland type.
  • 2,026 acres of Uplands.
    Progress: Accomplishments for upland acres match the proposal.
  • Acquire 391 acres in Fee: perpetuity.
    Progress: 395 acres acquired. The 279 acre Eagle Island match project was completed as outlined. The Grays River acquisition was 116 acres rather than the 112 acres in the grant proposal.
  • Acquire and restore 950 acres.
    Progress: 400 acres accomplished. Columbia Land Trust acquired 871 acres at Chinook River rather than the 900 acres anticipated in the grant proposal. In addition, 400 acres were restored rather than 900 acres. (See the description of the Palustrine Emergent land goal.) As noted, the 50 acre Shillappoo Wildlife Area restoration had not been completed by the time of the final grant report. It was in the conceptual phase and was being contemplated a part of a larger project with additional partners.
  • There had been no initial goal for this property:
    Progress: A Wetlands Reserve Program easement was acquired on the Chinook River portion of this project through National Resource Conservation Service.
  • Make restorations that will last in perpetuity on 262 acres
    Progress: 202 acres restored. The 170 acre Julia Butler Hansen and 17 acre Metro/Smith and Bybee Lakes projects were completed. As noted elsewhere, 60 of the 75 acres on the Clatsop Private Lands/Sharnelle Feeproject had not been restored at the time of the final grant report, but restoration was planned for the summer of 2007.
  • Enhance the Julia Butler Hansen national Wildlife Refuge with 10-25 year enhancements.
    Progress: 300 acres of forest at the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge were enhanced in perpetuity, not with 10-25 year enhancements.
  • Add 26-99 year benefit to the Metro Multnomah Channel acquisition project
    Progress: The Metro Multnomah Channel acquisition was removed from this project because the dollars and acres had already been used as match in the Columbia river Phase II NAWCA grant.
  • Restore 1,990 acres with restorations that will last 26-99 years.
    Progress: All project elements were completed as proposed.
  • Enhance 754 acres with work that will last 26-99 years.
    Progress: 1,535 acres enhanced. The 350 acre Deer Island and 240 acre Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge projects were completed as proposed. The Karamaos project was 130 acres rather than the 49 acres proposed in grant modification #2. 700 acres of palustrine emergent at the Julia Butler Hansen national Wildlife Refuge were enhanced for 26-99 years rather than the 10-25 years proposed.
  • 10-25 year fee on 562 acres.
    Progress: 562 acres of grassland was acquired at the Shillapoo Wildlife Area as proposed.
  • Enhance 1,700 acres with enhancements to last 10-25 years
    Progress: All 1,700 acres of enhanced with benefits for 10-25 years proposed in the grant were at the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge. 1,000 acres were instead enhanced for longer terms. 700 acres of grassland was enhanced in this category.
  • Obtain and use $2,133,280 in non-federal match.
    Progress: In modification #2, the $8,000 in match form the Hall Slough/DeLorenzo project was removed ad $10,000 from the Karamanos project was added, leaving $3,083,752 in matching partner funds.

Targeted Habitats:

  • Aquatic
    • Rivers and Streams
  • Shrublands and Grasslands
  • Wetlands and Riparian Habitats

Targeted Species:

No targeted species were identified for this project.

Conservation Actions

Action Status Start Year End Year
Land acquisition for conservation (fee simple, etc.) ---- 2012 2012

Outcomes

Is the success of this project's actions being monitored? No/Unknown

Quick Facts

Owning Organization

Pacific Coast Joint Venture

Managing Organization

Ducks Unlimited
(Non-Governmental Organization)

Contact Information

Chuck Lobdell (Regional Biologist)
Ducks Unlimited

General Information

Project #: 100857
Last Updated: May 21, 2012

Project Relations

Partners

The Columbia Land Trust

Links

Ducks Unlimited
Pacific Coast Joint Venture

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