What We Do
In 2022, the upper and lower Nehalem watershed councils formed a partnership to collectively Protect, Preserve, And Enhance our watershed through Leadership, Cooperation and Education.
OUR MISSION
To foster stewardship and understanding of the natural resources of the Nehalem River Watershed among the stakeholders of our watershed community in order to protect, conserve, restore and sustain the health and functions of our watershed.
OUR VISION
To see abundant Nehalem salmon populations able to sustain freshwater production with natural resilience to climate changes.
THE NEHALEM RIVER
The Nehalem River is the third-longest coastal river in Oregon. Located in the state’s northwest corner, the river drains approximately 855 square miles of Washington, Columbia, Clatsop, and Tillamook Counties. The Nehalem River flows 118.5 river miles from its source on Giveout Mountain (west of the town of Timber) to Nehalem Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, the mainstem collects input from over 935 miles of tributaries (Maser 1999).
WHAT IS A WATERSHED COUNCIL?
Watershed councils are locally organized, voluntary, non-regulatory groups established to improve the condition of watersheds in their local area. They are required to represent the interests in the basin and be balanced in their makeup.
Watershed councils offer local residents the opportunity to independently evaluate watershed conditions and identify opportunities to restore or enhance the conditions. Through the councils, partnerships between residents, local, state and federal agency staff and other groups can be developed.
THE NEHALEM WATERSHED
The Nehalem River watershed is home to an independent population of Coho salmon that relies on the watershed and its habitat-forming processes for adult spawning, juvenile rearing, and migration to and from the ocean.
The watershed receives between 100 and 200 inches of rain each year and is managed primarily for timber production.
52% of the land is owned by the State of Oregon, managed by the Oregon Dept. of Forestry. Private timber companies own 31.6% of the land and the remaining 16.4% is farmland or zoned for urban & rural development.
Prior to the arrival of European and American homesteaders and the rise of the commercial timber and agriculture industries, the Nehalem River and its tributaries provided abundant habitat for aquatic species (such as beaver and coho salmon) and sustenance for indigenous cultures.
Since settlement, Coho salmon populations have steadily declined. Agriculture, logging & climate change have contributed to the decline.
Restoration
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Fish Passage
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Riparian
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Watershed Analysis
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Anchor Habitat
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Wetland
