Portland Harbor is home to various fish and wildlife as the river corridor offers aquatic, riparian, and upland habitat. However, years of industrial pollution have hurt these habitats that once thrived in Portland Harbor. A goal of the Trustee Council is to restore habitat that benefits natural resources, like salmon, eagles, and mink. Four ecological restoration projects have been constructed in Portland Harbor and are now being monitored to ensure these projects meet site-specific performance standards and are developing as planned. Photo monitoring and surveys also occur on a regular schedule to provide qualitative documentation of the progression at each of the sites. 

Though not part of the site-specific performance standards, photo monitoring and surveys of fish and wildlife using the restoration sites help determine the restoration project’s success. They help identify broader trends of which species are using the sites and what environmental factors are allowing them to use the sites. The Trustee Council also has a particular focus on target fish and wildlife including Chinook salmon, lamprey, bald eagle, and mink. In this newsletter we are highlighting new photos and videos capturing fish and wildlife using the restoration projects over the last few years.

Alder Creek

Juvenile Coho, Wildlands, 2022.

Mink Scurrying Away, Wildlands, 2020.

River Otter enjoying the side channel, Wildlands.

The Alder Creek restoration project, which was once a lumber mill, now provides habitat for fish and wildlife. It was constructed by Wildlands in 2015 creating a resting place for fish in its side channel including Coho and other juvenile salmonids based on the latest monitoring report. Seen in the photo to the left is an underwater video still of a juvenile Coho salmon taken during the spring when Coho smolts are typically migrating seaward. In addition to anadromous fish, Alder Creek has also received four legged visitors such as mink, otter, and deer, captured in the photos below.

Black-Tailed Deer, NOAA, 2023.

PGE Harborton

The PGE Harborton restoration project, which was completed in 2021, is also enjoyed by many fish and four legged friends, including northern red-legged frogs. In their monitoring reports, PGE shared some photos captured from their wildlife cameras of deer and coyotes using the habitat to forage. PGE noted in their latest monitoring report that the project site has been used by juvenile salmonids, and later provided an update that three western painted turtles were spotted basking at the site this year, seen in the photo below.

Western Pond Turtle, PGE, 2024.

Black-Tailed Deer, PGE, 2021

Red-Tailed Hawk, PGE, 2024

Coyote passing through, PGE, 2022

Linnton Mill

Once a plywood mill, Linnton Mill was transformed into a habitat for fish and wildlife by RestorCap in 2019. Quite a few spirited animals have been caught on camera including a Heron, a family of geese, and a curious squirrel. Additionally, beavers inhabit the site and often leave traces of activity such as chewing on trees and dragging branches around. RestorCap’s latest monitoring report also shared that juvenile Chinook salmon were documented during fish surveys.

 Family of Canada Geese, RestorCap, 2022.

Night time photo of a beaver, RestorCap, 2022.

Friendly squirrel taking a peek, RestorCap, 2022.

Blue Heron sunbathing, RestorCap, 2022.

Rinearson Natural Area

Rinearson Natural Area was constructed in 2018 by Columbia Restoration Group to improve conditions for fish and wildlife that use Rinearson Creek and surrounding habitat. Rinearson Natural Area is frequently visited by beavers, otters, turtles, bald eagles, and other wildlife. In their latest monitoring report, the restoration bank developer shared photos of a mink using the project’s log structures for den building multiple times. Other animals have also been caught on wildlife cameras, their photos are shown below.

Night time photo of a mink, Columbia Restoration Group, 2021.

Night time photo of a mink, Columbia Restoration Group, 2021.

Juvenile fish in Rinearson pond, NOAA, 2023.

Pondering egret, Bill Dugan, 2022.

To learn more about monitoring and the site-specific performance standards in place or the project monitoring reports, please visit the Trustee Council website.

Water Ceremony

September 8th, 10:00AM-4:00PM. Join the Portland Harbor Community Coalition at Cathedral Park in September to celebrate Mother Earth and honor ancestry in collective healing with Native and Indigenous community-led ceremony with Columbia River Tribal Members, Canoe Family, Mayan, Mexica-Azteca, Pacific Islanders, and P’urépecha. Find out more about the event here. 

Portland Harbor Collaborative Working Group Meeting (Virtual)

September 11th, 6:30-8:30PM. The Portland Harbor Collaborative is made up of a diverse group of individuals with varied interests and perspectives who also want to be involved in the Willamette River Cleanup. Everyone is welcome to observe the quarterly Portland Harbor Collaborative meetings, though participation will be focused on Collaborative members. Find out more information as it's updated here.

Portland Harbor in the News

• Eating Fish from the River, from Multnomah County
• Portland Bridge Swim aims to highlight health of Willamette River July 14th, 2024 in the Oregonian.
• After Years of Stigma and Advocacy, a Willamette River Renaissance July 11, 2024, in Portland Mercury.
• Cathedral Park's New Swim Dock Opens Under the St. Johns Bridge June 28, 2024 in Portland Monthly.