Columbia River

by RFA Staff

The Columbia River watershed is a critical link in the mega-linkages of the Pacific flyway and predator migration corridor. It is the nerve center for salmon restoration, and one of the world's most highly manipulated great river systems.

The Columbia is one of North America's greatest rivers, winding 1200 miles from Canada to the Pacific. Many national treasures lie within its watershed, including the Hells Canyon and Eagle Cap Wilderness Areas, Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, parts of Mt. Rainier and North Cascades National Parks, and, of course, the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area. The area involved is comprised of all of Idaho, about 2/3 of Washington, more than half of Oregon, and small areas of Montana and British Columbia, Canada.

The centennial anniversary of Lewis & Clark's 1804 expedition, which concluded at the mouth of the Columbia River, should help to draw attention to the critical issues facing this vast watershed. This is the most heavily dammed watershed in the country, with over 200 dams. In addition to dams, this watershed ecosystem has been impacted by logging and grazing, wetlands reduction through the building of levees and canals, river dredging, water diversion for irrigation, and pollution. All of this has taken a huge toll on native salmon species: only about one percent of the historical numbers of the wild fish population can be found today.

Fortunately, the Northwest today is populated with people who support the restoration of salmon populations to the region, recognizing the importance both of healthy watershed ecosystems and of the fishing industry they support. The Snake River, the major tributary of the Columbia, has been the focus of recent efforts to actually remove some relatively minor dams. In this context, the project spearheaded by RFA to produce an Encyclopedia of Restoration of Northwest Ecosystems is particularly timely and relevant.

The Encyclopedia is being written by a distinguished team of over 30 ecological restoration scientists and environmental lawyers, and will be published by Island Press in 2005. It will provide practical, how-to information about restoring our regional ecosystems, with coverage of special topics such as invasive species, traditional ecological knowledge, stream restoration, and others. This will be the first attempt to cover the whole range of restoration activities in this region.

Rivers Foundation of the Americas takes an active role in addressing critical issues throughout the Columbia River basin. Our focuses have included: salmon recovery, support for a strong federal Clean Water Act and effective state and local implementation of clean water regulations, participation in various efforts regarding the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation on the Columbia, etc. RFA works closely with several organizations in these efforts. These groups include: Clean Water Network, Willamette Riverkeeper, Oregon Conservation Network, and the Columbia River Inter-tribal Fish Commission.

Explore Our Watersheds

Copper River

The Copper River Delta has the largest concentration of nesting shorebirds in North America, is an important nursery for prized salmon and other fisheries, and is a relatively unspoiled wilderness area with keystone predators including wolves and grizzlies.

Columbia River

Colorado River

The Colorado River system flows 1,450 miles through nine states and Mexico; the Grand Canyon was created by its waters. The aridity of most of this region has made its water into a valuable commodity, and the fragile desert, canyon, and delta ecosystems it supports have suffered as a result.

RFA Programs

Clean Water, Biodiversity, and Environmental Justice Initiative

This initiative links RFA's policies of supporting indigenous peoples, drumming home the common sense linkages between clean healthy water for human use, strong biodiverse and healthy ecosystems, and environmental justice for indigenous peoples and economically disadvantaged people throughout the Americas. Continue reading below for more about this initiative, or go to Global Water Policy Initiative to learn about RFA's other main initiative.

Global Water Policy Initiative

This initiative works at the heart of water policy issues, especially the global debate on the privatization of fresh water resources and growing water supply controversies throughout the United States and the hemisphere. We believe that all children and all people deserve clean water, and that access to a subsistence level of water is a basic human obligation. Continue reading below for more about this initiative, or go to Clean Water, Biodiversity, and Environmental Justice to learn about RFA's other main initiative.

Donating to RFA

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