Coalition effort to restore natural flow benefits salmon and other imperiled species
This fall, for the first time in almost 50 years, adult and juvenile Chinook salmon were able to migrate freely through several rivers in northwestern Oregon, including the waters of Clear Creek in the Nestucca watershed. For decades, an outdated culvert—a barrier built across a river that alters its flow—impeded five fish species from completing their migration journey up these creeks.
Now, a partnership project on Oregon’s North Coast is reestablishing over 180 miles of riverine habitat. The project will encompass six major coastal rivers that feed Tillamook and Nestucca bays and represent some of the best opportunities for salmon and steelhead recovery in the continental United States.
The Salmon SuperHwy, a collaboration that includes the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, local businesses, Tillamook County, and the advocacy group Trout Unlimited, is working to reconnect historical fish habitat, reduce chronic flooding, improve recreation opportunities, and boost the local economy.
Dams and other barriers have multiple ecological consequences, including direct and adverse effects on the biological, chemical, and physical properties of rivers and riparian environments. With access to spawning areas cut off or impeded, salmon populations are experiencing declines throughout the region, and that—combined with climate change, pollution, and other threats—is having a major impact on the riverine and marine ecosystems, as well as the sport and commercial fishing industries.
https://www-pewtrusts-org.cdn.amppr...riers-helps-fish-and-communities-thrive?amp=1
This fall, for the first time in almost 50 years, adult and juvenile Chinook salmon were able to migrate freely through several rivers in northwestern Oregon, including the waters of Clear Creek in the Nestucca watershed. For decades, an outdated culvert—a barrier built across a river that alters its flow—impeded five fish species from completing their migration journey up these creeks.
Now, a partnership project on Oregon’s North Coast is reestablishing over 180 miles of riverine habitat. The project will encompass six major coastal rivers that feed Tillamook and Nestucca bays and represent some of the best opportunities for salmon and steelhead recovery in the continental United States.
The Salmon SuperHwy, a collaboration that includes the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, local businesses, Tillamook County, and the advocacy group Trout Unlimited, is working to reconnect historical fish habitat, reduce chronic flooding, improve recreation opportunities, and boost the local economy.
Dams and other barriers have multiple ecological consequences, including direct and adverse effects on the biological, chemical, and physical properties of rivers and riparian environments. With access to spawning areas cut off or impeded, salmon populations are experiencing declines throughout the region, and that—combined with climate change, pollution, and other threats—is having a major impact on the riverine and marine ecosystems, as well as the sport and commercial fishing industries.
https://www-pewtrusts-org.cdn.amppr...riers-helps-fish-and-communities-thrive?amp=1