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Over the past 150 years, the Willamette River has lost a tremendous amount of habitat. This has resulted from the conversion of land to agricultural and urban uses, and the introduction of dams in the Willamette system. Floodplains, braided channels and riparian areas are three components of the river system that have been most impacted. Restoring these elements along the river is essential to restoring the health of the river system, reducing flood impacts, and improving wildlife habitat.
The best scientific studies on restoring the Willamette come to the same conclusions:
- Restore complexity to the system by reconnecting side channels and floodplains to the main stem of the river wherever possible. Over the years, many of these side channel areas have been cut off from the river, relegating the river’s water to one main channel in many areas.
- Focus efforts on public lands and on private lands where willing landowners and land trusts are interested in conservation easements and related restoration work.
- Coordinate efforts with other organizations to maximize impact, minimize cost, and create contiguous wildlife corridors.
- Improve riparian habitat throughout the system.
Willamette Riverkeeper’s restoration program is built around these guidelines. We collaborate with state, county and local governments to reconnect channels and floodplains on public lands. We also seek to work with willing private landowners, whose cooperation is the most critical component of large-scale habitat restoration along the river given that most of the land along the Willamette and the lower portions of the tributaries are owned by private parties.
We use the best scientific studies and engineering models to guide our efforts, especially those that restore channel complexity. We target islands, bars, and bends along the Willamette Greenway to improve wildlife corridors and riparian habitat.
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