Many rivers across the state of Oregon are a product of the land use history in their basins. Logging, mining, damming, agriculture, and “flood protection” have all resulted in distinctive and recognizable changes to river morphology and function, to the detriment of native fish and wildlife. However, large, watershed-scale restoration projects to counter the damage caused by these destructive practices are becoming more common.
In this webcast, Liz Perkin from Native Fish Society shares how to spot signatures of land use past, how current restoration projects are reversing their effects and increasing the climate resilience of river ecosystems, and how we can protect and restore Oregon’s river systems into the future. Liz talks about Native Fish Society’s restoration work on Oregon’s Molalla River to provide an example of an impaired river and the kind of work needed to restore it.
