A new StoryMap created by NOAA and the Portland Harbor Natural Resource Trustee Council depicts a visual journey of restoration efforts in Portland Harbor in Oregon. Since the 1900s, numerous facilities have released oil, PCBs, heavy metals, pesticides, and other hazardous substances into Portland Harbor. Salmon and lamprey, as well as birds and mammals, have been exposed to these contaminants and may have been injured. Additionally, the Willamette River is culturally and spiritually consequential to the local Tribes, providing food and transportation, and serving as an economic center for the people of this area for thousands of years.

The StoryMap highlights four restoration projects that provide broad, long-term ecosystem benefits concentrated within and around the area where the injuries to natural resources have taken place.

Click the image above to view the StoryMap.

Restoration 101: Side Channels

Side channels, a particularly important habitat type for Chinook salmon, are small meandering remnants of a main river channel that typically spread or braid across a floodplain. They are formed during seasons of flooding as water erodes through river banks and forms outward winding water channels, expanding beneficial habitat in a river’s ecosystem. Side channels can attract insects and offer vegetation and woody debris, providing fish a place to forage for food, as well as a place to rest, rear, and hide from predators.

Side channel at Alder Creek restoration site, Wildlands, Fall 2019.

During high winter flows and extreme flooding conditions that may come with climate change, aquatic animals and fish can seek refuge in these channels as water is slower and generally calmer. In warmer months, salmon will instead hide in deep pools upstream, and side channels may shrink into drier habitats, change shape, or shift to a new location and may provide habitat for successive plant communities.

Today, finding protected areas in Portland Harbor is challenging, as channelization, land use, and industrialization have removed these natural resting habitats. In an effort to recover fish and other wildlife populations in the Willamette River, the Trustee Council has overseen the creation and enhancement of side channels at multiple ecological restoration sites. Side channels were designed and built alongside a diversity of other important habitats at the Alder Creek, Linnton Mill, and Rinearson Natural Area restoration projects.

Side Channel at Linnton Mill restoration site, NOAA, Spring 2023

Portland Harbor Collaborative Meeting

March 13th 5:30PM - 7:30PM In-person and online. The Portland Harbor Collaborative is made up of a diverse group of individuals with varied interests and perspectives who also want to be involved in the Willamette River Cleanup. Everyone is welcome to observe the quarterly Portland Harbor Collaborative meetings, but please note that participation will be focused on Collaborative members. Find out more information as it's updated Here.

Portland Harbor CAG Meeting

April 10th 6:30PM - 8:30PM The Portland Harbor Community Advisory Group (CAG) is made up of representatives of diverse community interests. Its purpose is to provide a public forum for community members to present and discuss their needs and concerns related to the Superfund decision-making process. Additional information can be found Here.

Icy floodplain at PGE Harborton Restoration site, NOAA, winter 2024