Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership

Registration is open for the Columbia River Estuary Conference! The biennial Conference brings together restoration practitioners, scientists, researchers, and others interested in the ecosystems and restoration of the lower Columbia River, its estuary, plume, and nearshore ocean. While we had planned to gather in Astoria, travel and purchasing restrictions on federal employees caused the conference steering committee to reconfigure the event so that more of these important partners are able to attend. The all-day event will take place on May 13 at McMenamins Edgefield and include technical presentations, a poster session, and an evening social. An additional event will be held in October, details TBD.?Register: https://lnkd.in/g8QhwTCj Thanks to our sponsors for making the event possible: Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce, Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, Wolf Water Resources, MacKay Sposito, NANOOS, Ryan Kilgren, and Inter-Fluve!

Please join us in welcoming Katarina Lunde to the Estuary Partnership! Katerina is the newest member of our Monitoring Team. As a Research Scientist III, Katarina will support our longstanding Ecosystem Monitoring Program and Action Effectiveness Monitoring Program. Katarina has a background in plant ecology, with experience researching plant population ecology, biological invasions, and plant-insect interactions. Her past work includes assessing impacts of biological control agents on a native host plant in the Oregon Cascades and Coast Range. She has extensive experience with remote sensing and GIS data analysis, including using lidar, multispectral and hyperspectral imagery to classify tree species and health across landscapes. Katarina holds an M.S. in plant ecology and a graduate certificate in GIS from Oregon State University, and a B.A. in biology from Oberlin College.

We’re hiring a Restoration Ecologist to join our Restoration Team to assist in the development and implementation of on-the-ground restoration projects, focusing on floodplain reconnection and habitat for imperiled fish species. The position will provide oversight and inspections for a wide variety of construction and revegetation work, including daily inspection reports, fish salvage, and coordination with the construction contractor, engineer, and construction management team. Learn more and apply by March 19: https://lnkd.in/gAbZGDJR

Request for Bids:? Campen Creek Reconnection Project The Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership (Estuary Partnership) is partnering with the City of Washougal and other public and private partners to implement the Campen Creek Reconnection Project (Campen Project). The purpose of the Campen Project is fourfold: (1) to restore connectivity between Campen Creek and adjacent floodplain habitats; (2) to improve habitat for salmonids, lamprey, and other native species; (3) to reduce flood and erosion risk; and, (4) to improve recreation opportunities. Bids are due on March 13, 2025.? Mandatory on-site pre-bid meeting on February 25, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.? For questions, please write to Erica Keeley,?Technical Contract Specialist,?[email protected]. Please see RFB details, application requirements, selection criteria, and contract documents here: https://lnkd.in/g3wNJmtd

Exciting news: we selected Tapani Inc. to lead the construction efforts to restore the East Fork Lewis River. For details: Vancouver Business Journal https://lnkd.in/gGR6axBQ

Registration is open now for the Columbia River Estuary Conference, May 13-15 in Astoria! And there's still time to present at the conference: abstracts for oral presentations, lightning presentations, and posters are due tomorrow in time for Valentine's Day. ?? https://lnkd.in/gqdm5zSt

Our February newsletter is hot off the servers! Read an important message from our Director, sign up for a volunteer event, and see our newly refurbished Big Canoes. https://lnkd.in/g_WQT4pD Sign up to receive our newsletter (sent every 2 months): https://lnkd.in/ge4rsVxg

The Estuary Partnership is soliciting Statements of Qualifications from firms interested in providing “on-call” natural area vegetation management assistance for habitat restoration projects. The Estuary Partnership anticipates selecting several firms that can provide vegetation management skills, both for for complex, large-scale habitat restoration projects as well as smaller scale projects.?Applications are due on February 21, 2025. Find all the details on our website: https://lnkd.in/giSYdecF

Tune in on Wednesday at 2:00pm for EESI's first Congressional briefing of 2025, which will focus on the Columbia River! The third installment of our Resilient and Healthy Rivers series will cover climate adaptation, resilience, and mitigation strategies for the Columbia River basin in the Pacific Northwest. Speakers: ?? Jeremy Takala - Chair, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission ?? Miles Johnson - Legal Director, Columbia Riverkeeper ?? Jackson Blalock - Marine & Estuarine Resilience Program Manager, Pacific Conservation District ?? Elaine Placido, DPA - Executive Director, Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership ?? Sarah Dyrdahl - Northwest Region Director, American Rivers RSVP at the link to watch the briefing live online: https://lnkd.in/eZM2AdNy #ColumbiaRiver #RiverResilience #HealthyRivers #ClimateResilience

We are excited to welcome Ona Underwood as a regular member of our team! Ona first joined us this past summer as a Field Technician, but was recently hired full time as a Research Scientist I. Ona is a key part of our Monitoring Team, who are responsible for tracking habitat conditions at relatively undisturbed and restored project areas. We're excited to have her with us long-term!