Columbia Estuary Conference

View of the Columbia River estuary, Astoria, and the Megler Bridge.\Photo by Sonja Peterson.

The 10^th biennial Columbia River Estuary Conference (CREC) will take place Tuesday through Thursday, April 10-12, at the Liberty Theatre in Astoria.  The theme of this year’s conference is “Promoting Resiliency Under Shifting Environmental Conditions.”  The conference, which is open to the public, will explore ways local resource managers and land use planners can adapt to changes in weather patterns to protect native species and watershed health.

Every two years, CREC brings together regional scientists, researchers, natural resource managers, and others to present and learn the latest findings on the lower river, its plume, and nearshore ocean.  The conference consists of two-and-a-half days of oral presentations, along with a poster session during a Tuesday evening social. 

Speakers will cover topics including: changing ocean conditions and the resulting effect on salmon and ecosystems; sea level rise and flood risk; integrating shifting weather patterns into habitat restoration; measuring results of habitat restoration; toxic contaminants; and more.  Keynote speaker Mary Hunsicker, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, will present Tuesday morning on detecting whether ocean conditions have reached an important tipping point.  Thursday’s keynote address will be given by John Shurts of the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on the latest in fish, wildlife, and energy policy and law.

The conference has been held every two years since 1999.  It is sponsored by the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership, Bonneville Power Administration, Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce, Lewis & Clark National Park Association, Northwest Power & Conservation Council, Wapato Valley Mitigation & Conservation Bank, Wolf Water Resources, Pacific Northwest Chapter of Society of Wetland Scientists, Waterways Consulting, and Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.

Conference fee is $175, or $100 for one day.  Local residents get a special discount—admission is $20 per day for those with Clatsop County or Pacific County (Washington) identification. To receive this discounted rate, contact Erinne Goodell at EGoodell@estuarypartnership.org. Attendance at the catered evening poster session requires regular admission costs.

To register, view the conference agenda, and find travel information, go here.

For further inquiries, contact Debrah Marriott, (503) 226-1565, x227.