Talk on Wetlands Restoration

Dan Bottom

Talk on Wetlands Restoration

Dan Bottom, author and scientist, will give a presentation examining the science behind estuary wetlands restoration and the recovery of salmon populations.  His talk, sponsored by the Lower Nehalem Watershed Council, takes place Thursday, February 9, at the Pine Grove Community House (225 Laneda Ave.) in Manzanita.  Doors open at 6:30; refreshments will be served.  Bottom’s presentation begins at 7:20 p.m., following an update about the watershed council.  The event is free and open to the public.

The presentation will make the scientific case for habitat restoration as an engine for salmon resiliency and recovery, focusing on the extensive wetland restoration that has taken place in the Salmon River estuary. Bottom will discuss how estuary restoration has strengthened population resilience to future disturbance (e.g., floods, landslides, climate change, etc.) by providing access to alternative downstream rearing areas, dispersing the risks of salmon mortality more broadly across the basin. In addition, the restoration of estuarine habitat has contributed directly to the survival and return of adult salmon.  

Bottom served as a fishery research biologist and project leader in state and federal government for 38 years, including 22 years with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Research Section in Corvallis and 16 years with the Northwest Fisheries Science Center (a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in Newport, Ore.  At NOAA, Dan led an interdisciplinary research team investigating the ecology and life histories of juvenile Chinook salmon in the Columbia River estuary. In 2011 he co-authored an Oregon Sea Grant book examining the conservation future of Pacific Salmon species, "Pathways to Resilience: Restoring Salmon Ecosystems in a Changing World." Bottom retired from federal service at the end of 2015. He continues serving as a member of the Expert Regional Technical Group for the Columbia River estuary and as Courtesy Faculty at Oregon State University.