The Nehalem Bay Watershed Council is dedicated to the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the Nehalem Watershed through leadership, partnership, and education.
We work with landowners, private companies, local, state, and federal agencies, and the community to restore and enhance habitat for fish and wildlife.
watershedS and
Watershed councils
Watershed councils are locally organized, voluntary, non-regulatory groups established to improve the condition of watersheds in their local area.
Watershed councils are required to represent the interests in the basin and be balanced in their makeup.
Watershed councils offer local residents the opportunity to independently evaluate watershed conditions and identify opportunities to restore or enhance the conditions.
Through these councils, partnerships between local, state and federal agency staff, residents, and other groups can be developed.
We invite anyone interested in being more involved with the NBWC to attend a meeting and to apply to join the board. To do so please contact us!
Watersheds, also known as drainage basins, are land areas that channel rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, streams, and rivers, and eventually to outflow points such as reservoirs, bays, and estuaries.
• Bays are broad coastal indentations in the shoreline that open into the ocean or a lake. They are often calmer than the surrounding sea, providing a safe harbor for marine life.Estuaries are dynamic environments where a river meets the sea, mixing fresh water with saltwater.
• Estuaries are known for being highly productive ecosystems, serving as nurseries for many marine species.
Management of watersheds is essential for the protection and sustainability of bays and estuaries. This includes monitoring water quality, managing land use, and restoring natural habitats to maintain the balance of these interconnected ecosystems.
The relationship between watersheds and these coastal features is critical for several reasons:
• Water Flow: The watershed determines the amount and timing of fresh water that flows into bays and estuaries. This flow can influence the salinity, temperature, and clarity of the water, which are all important factors for the ecosystems that thrive there.
• Nutrient Delivery: Watersheds are a source of nutrients that can be beneficial or detrimental to bay and estuary health. While nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are essential for the growth of aquatic plants and phytoplankton, too much nutrient input due to runoff from agriculture or urban areas (eutrophication) can lead to algal blooms and dead zones.
• Sediment Transport: Sediment carried by rivers can be deposited in bays and estuaries, influencing their depth, water quality, and the types of habitats available. Sediments can carry pollutants, but they also contribute to the formation of important features like mudflats and salt marshes.
• Pollutant Filtration: Natural processes in watersheds, such as percolation through soil and uptake by plants, can filter out pollutants before they reach sensitive bay and estuary environments. However, when these systems are overwhelmed or bypassed, pollutants can degrade water quality and harm aquatic life.
• Biodiversity Support: The health of a watershed directly affects the biodiversity within bays and estuaries. A healthy watershed supports a diversity of habitats upstream, which can benefit the entire food web.
• Flood Mitigation: Watersheds play a role in flood control by capturing and slowly releasing water. Changes in land use within a watershed, like urbanization, can lead to increased runoff and a higher risk of flooding in downstream bays and estuaries.
WHO WE WORK WITH
FARMERS
Agriculture is an important piece of the economy in the Nehalem Watershed. Access to water is critical for crops, livestock, and for fish.
Additionally, both agricultural properties and essential fish habitat often overlap.
The Nehalem Bay Watershed Council works with willing agricultural producers to improve fish habitat on their properties and meet the needs of their businesses.
Industrial Timber
The majority of the Nehalem Bay Watershed Council’s coverage area is managed for timber products. This provides ample opportunities to collaborate on replacing culverts that act as barriers to fish migration and to add logs back into streams to improve habitat complexity.
The NBWC is very grateful to have good working relationships with many of the timber producers in the Nehalem Watershed.
NONPROFIT PARTNERS
The Nehalem Bay Watershed Council partners with other non-profit organizations throughout the watershed.
These collaborations include technical assistance for habitat restoration, collaboration on action plans, educational events, and more.
Likewise, many of these organizations provide technical support to the NBWC.
RURAL RESIDENTIAL LANDOWNERS
Rural residential properties are spread out throughout the Nehalem watershed. Homeowners often don’t have access to the resources for managing erosion, replacing culverts, controlling invasive plants, and more.
The NBWC works with interested landowners to both improve habitat on their lands and to help meet landowner’s goals for their property.
Join up, learn, AND help
Annual Meeting
The NBWC’s annual meeting is held on the second Thursday of January each year. In the annual meeting watershed council members vote in board elections, board officers are selected by the board, and the NBWC Director delivers the Annual Report. The Annual Report covers all of the council’s activities for the entirety of the previous year including design projects, projects implemented, partnership reports, and more.
NBWC Board Meeting: February 2024
The NBWC’s bimonthly board meetings are an opportunity for the public to hear about the NBWC’s activities in the Nehalem watershed. At board meetings we discuss issues of council governance, staffing, board recruitment, upcoming events, project updates, and more.
Nehalem Estuary Clean Up 2024
The 2024 Nehalem Estuary Clean Up will be held on March 9th, 2024. This will be our 13th Biennial Clean Up and we hope you will join us. On March 9th, volunteers will convene at the Salmonberry Saloon for registration and then spread out in teams throughout the Nehalem Estuary to pick up litter. This community effort regularly removes more than a ton of waste and recyclables from the estuary. This helps keep the estuary clear of hazards for people, fish, and wildlife.
NBWC Board Meeting: April 2024
The NBWC’s bimonthly board meetings are an opportunity for the public to hear about the NBWC’s activities in the Nehalem watershed. At board meetings we discuss issues of council governance, staffing, board recruitment, upcoming events, project updates, and more.
NBWC Board Meeting: June 2024
The NBWC’s bimonthly board meetings are an opportunity for the public to hear about the NBWC’s activities in the Nehalem watershed. At board meetings we discuss issues of council governance, staffing, board recruitment, upcoming events, project updates, and more.
NBWC Board Meeting: August 2024
The NBWC’s bimonthly board meetings are an opportunity for the public to hear about the NBWC’s activities in the Nehalem watershed. At board meetings we discuss issues of council governance, staffing, board recruitment, upcoming events, project updates, and more.