Columbia Land Trust

Columbia Land Trust is looking for NEW MEMBERS TO JOIN OUR VOLUNTEER BOARD OF DIRECTORS! We seek candidates representing the full diversity of the Pacific Northwest to guide our organization in conserving and caring for vital lands, waters, and wildlife in the Columbia River region. Serving on our board is an incredible opportunity for personal and professional development. Board members contribute unique perspectives while learning from, connecting with, and supporting a robust conservation community. If you practice big-picture thinking, embrace equity, and care deeply about conservation in the Northwest, please consider becoming a Columbia Land Trust board member! View the detailed position profile here >> https://lnkd.in/g9XCCdF4. We encourage you to apply yourself or share this opportunity with someone in your network. The search is being led by Potrero Group, and you can contact Jena Kuznik (JKuznik@potrerogroup.com) with questions or recommendations.

That’s a whole lot of cleaned-up holly! Our stewardship team hosted hardworking volunteers from Holland Partner Group at a conservation easement site in Clark County to remove English holly (Ilex aquifolium). While their leaves may resemble those of Oregon grape, English holly is not a native species. Its roots grow deep into the earth and if removed only at the surface, it can sprout hundreds of new suckers. Holly shrubs can grow up to 50 feet tall and displace other native species in forest understories, which reduces biodiversity. At this conserved site, native plants like orange honeysuckle, Oregon iris, and rare small-flowered trillium (pictured third-fifth) can be found in abundance in nearby areas. Removing non-natives reduces competition for species like these to take hold once again. A big thanks to this group for fearlessly tackling this stubborn holly! Swipe to see the results.

Few things are better than good company, nature talk, and a cold pint on a summer night! Join Columbia Land Trust from 4-6 pm on Friday, August 23rd at Obelisk Beer Co in Astoria, Oregon for our brewery meet-up, Habitap! Obelisk has kindly offered to donate a portion of bar sales to the Land Trust during the event, so know that your purchase will support coastal conservation and restoration, plus a local business. We’ll hear updates from our Coast Region Stewardship Manager, Austin Tomlinson, and offer a warm welcome and introduction to two new members of our local team. Enter our raffle for a chance to win a 2-night cabin stay at the beautiful Trout Creek Wilderness Lodge, or a guided boat tour along the Gray’s River with Austin! As always, these events are free to join and open to all ages, but we’d love if you’d RSVP at https://lnkd.in/gSAqi3JF so we know you’re coming. We hope to see you there! Habitap photo by Doug Gorsline

The removal of Kwoneesum Dam is well underway! Led by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe on land conserved by Columbia Land Trust, this dam removal will restore miles of salmon habitat and improve overall ecosystem health on a key tributary of the Washougal River, within the Cowlitz Indian Tribe’s ancestral lands. The first major step in this process was to remove all the water from the 10-acre reservoir behind the dam. This required temporarily rerouting the flow of water from three tributaries above the reservoir. Rerouting these tributaries while maintaining water quality downstream is one of the most challenging parts of the dam removal process and needed to be done slowly and carefully. Before dewatering of the reservoir began, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe relocated fish and other aquatic species from the downstream waterways that will be dry during deconstruction. Columbia Land Trust, with help from the Xerces Society, salvaged and relocated native freshwater mussels. As of late July, the removal of the 425-foot wide dam structure itself has begun. Once the dam is gone, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe will recreate the braided, meandering nature of the historic tributaries and place logs and large woody structures in the stream beds to create additional fish habitat.

Wetland discoveries from the Columbia River Estuary! Monitoring Program Manager Amy Borde and Land Steward Helen Gavrilov visited our Kandoll Farm site outside Rosburg, Washington to monitor and measure natural processes like sediment accretion, inundation, water temperature, and the size and location of channels within the wetland. The Land Trust began #restoration here in 2005, returning the waterway to its historic path. Our team conducts post-restoration monitoring like this to track the effectiveness of our work. The large wood Amy is standing on is likely quite old and was unearthed during the restoration after being buried for a long time!

It takes a village to drive meaningful conservation and stewardship throughout the Northwest. Some members of our team recently attended Northwest Land Camp, a biennial gathering of #conservation organizations from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. We had the chance to connect with land trust colleagues from across the region, and share learnings, discuss challenges and celebrate successes! Columbia Land Trust staff presented on topics including prescribed fire, our monitoring program, and forest management. Members of our stewardship staff also participated in a panel discussion highlighting the lived experiences of diverse professionals in the conservation field, fostering a rich discussion on how land trusts can build a diverse workforce now and in the future. Thank you, Washington Association of Land Trusts and Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts, for providing this incredible opportunity for learning and community building! Photos by Javier Montes d’Arce

A full circle day of learning about and propagating native plants!   The East Cascades Oak Partnership recognizes the importance of Oregon white oak systems, including the diverse understory plant communities these habitats support.    The partnership recently hosted Drew Merritt of Humble Roots Nursery who led a group of private landowners, Land Trust staff, volunteer site stewards, and conservation district staff on a learning tour of a conserved Columbia Land Trust site to identify native plants for seed collection!    Different species have different seasonal "readiness" for seed collection so it can be tricky to time events like these. Fortunately, arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) was ready for collection.    In a cycle of sustainability, the balsamroot seeds that participants collected will eventually be sowed back in the ground in a different part of this same Land Trust site for future understory restoration! 

Join us for the long-awaited return of our Wild Splendor gala—an occasion to gather with friends and celebrate our collective passion for nature!    The evening will feature a reception, dinner, and inspiring presentations from Land Trust leadership about the conservation you have helped us achieve over the past five years. Together, we will raise funds to fuel the incredible opportunities ahead, to protect and care for the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Northwest.    Tickets are now on sale at https://lnkd.in/gkqEcFsy. We hope to see you there!

Led by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, our work to remove the defunct Kwoneesum Dam and restore a key tributary of the Washougal River--which feeds into the Columbia River--was featured in this collaborative article from Underscore Native News and The Seattle Times!

It was a busy start to the year for Columbia Land Trust and we have lots to share in our latest Fieldbook! Read about our work with prescribed fire in the East Cascades, our collaboration with the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to remove Kwoneesum Dam, and our latest #conservation wins throughout the Columbia River region. This issue also features a fun Q&A with our new Conservation Director, Cathy Kellon! Check out the new Fieldbook issue at https://lnkd.in/gUg_5iPC.