Programs
Oregon North CoastNorth America Program
Regional Overview
Lying between Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Ocean is a vast stretch of temperate rain forest and free-flowing rivers that are almost completely encompassed by the 518,000 acre Tillamook and Clatsop State Forest. The Trask, Wilson, Kilchis, Miami, Nehalem, and Salmonberry rivers are home to extraordinary runs of wild fall Chinook and winter steelhead, as well as spring Chinook, coho, and chum salmon and rainbow and sea-run cutthroat trout. These watersheds also provide critical wildlife habitat, clean water, flood control, carbon sequestration, and significant recreation opportunities.
While the habitat for wild salmon in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forest is relatively healthy today, there have been repeated proposals by coastal counties, the timber industry, and the Oregon state legislature to change the overriding policies that govern management of the Tillamook to make timber production the primary goal. This would lead to extensive clear cuts, road building, and damage to key salmon spawning and rearing watersheds.
Since 2008, WSC has spearheaded a broad conservation
coalition to defend Oregon's North Coast. In 2010, WSC
succeeded in stopping legislation that would mandate extensive clear cutting in some of the most important areas for salmon conservation. The WSC advocated for an independent scientific review by the Institute for Natural Resources at Oregon State University to determine the impacts of increased logging to salmon habitat. The WSC is also working with Oregon's Governor and Oregon Board of Forestry to promote the creation of conservation areas for salmon and wildlife.
Publications
- Oregon North Coast Salmon Conservation Assessment
- Finding a Solution to the Landslide-Prone Railroad on the Salmonberry River
- Overview of Tillamook Bay/Nehalem Watershed activities
(January 2008) by the Wild Salmon Center - Miami River Watershed Assessment
(December 2001) by the Tillamook Bay National Estuary Partnership - Kilchis Watershed Analysis
(October 1998) by the Tillamook Bay National Estuary Partnership - Tillamook and Clatsop State Forest Plans
Additional Links
- TheTillamook.net
- Testimony before the Oregon Board of Forestry
- Tillamook Faces Increased Clearcutting
- Governor Backs Conservation Areas
Species List
- Fall Chinook (O. tshawytscha)
- Summer Steelhead (O. mykiss)
- Chum (O. keta)
- Sea run/fluvial/resident coastal Cutthroat Trout (O. clarki)