Stewardship

In a recent year, we’ve removed over 52,000 square feet of invasive plants, restored the habitat of 5,400 linear feet of stream banks, and installed over 11,000 native plants.

In 2018, the Council adopted a five-year Stewardship Action Plan to focus efforts on improving biological corridors and engaging industrial landowners and community members in the enhancement of important natural area buffers.

Habitat Restoration

In our heavily urbanized watershed, enhancing native habitat is critical to improving climate resilience, water quality, and biodiversity. We work with public and private landowners throughout our watershed to expand and diversify native plant populations to create a healthy Columbia Slough for people, wildlife and plants alike.

Interested in getting your hands dirty for a good cause? Visit our Volunteer Page to learn how you can join our next Stewardship Saturday work party and help enhance habitat in the Columbia Slough Watershed

Kirk Fatland_planting at Wilkes Creek Headwaters.JPG

Green Workforce Development

We partner with green workforce development organizations on a large portion of our projects, collaborating across every phase from design through implementation.

We work with other nonprofits that mentor, train, and employ people of color and low-income community members in environmental careers, including habitat enhancement and engineering. This process helps adults gain living-wage jobs and youth acquire skills and connections to prepare them for professions in the environmental sector.

Stakeholder Engagement

Every quarter, the Council convenes a Technical Team of local conservation professionals and stakeholders to discuss issues, strategies, and projects that the stewardship program plans to accomplish over the course of the year.

Currently, the Council is in the midst of a project to engage corporate and industrial landowners in incentivizing their investment in green infrastructure. The project would help improve resiliency in the landscape, increase the potential for associated environmental services (increased shade, water temperature reduction, increased habitat, etc.), and encourage private sector investments in our region’s natural resources.