Columbia Stock Ranch Ecosystem Restoration Project
Columbia County, Oregon
CENWP-PM-E-16-03
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bonneville Power Administration are preparing to construct an ecosystem restoration project on the Columbia Stock Ranch to restore structure and function of floodplains to improve juvenile fish habitat.
The Corps and BPA are meeting with members of the Deer Island Drainage Improvement Company, some of whom expressed concerns about the CSR project and its potential impacts. Meetings will take place in the Armstrong Room of the St. Helens Public Library, 375 S. 18th St., St. Helens, Oregon, on the following dates:
Friday, July 8, 3-5 p.m.
Thursday, July 14, 5-7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 20, 5-7 p.m. (if needed)
Wednesday, July 27, 5-7 p.m. (if needed)
The goals for the meetings are three-fold: 1) to ensure that the Corps and BPA understand the community's concerns; that 2) the project goals and technical information developed by the Corps and BPA are understood by the residents; and, 3) through this dialogue, develop acceptable solutions for a successful project. Links to the meeting materials as well as residents’ comments and Corps responses are available on this page.
This floodplain habitat restoration in the lower Columbia River and estuary helps the Corps and BPA meet Reasonable and Prudent Alternative Actions 36 and 37 in the Endangered Species Act Section 7(a)(2) Supplemental Biological Opinion, Consultation on Remand for Operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System, issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service on Jan. 17, 2014. The proposed action restores hydrologic connectivity between the Columbia Stock Ranch project site and the Columbia River. This provides fish access to wetlands and off-channel habitats in the project area, thereby increasing rearing and foraging opportunities for juvenile fish to improve survival in the lower Columbia River and estuary.