The Northwest Power Act directs the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NPCC) and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to consult with the region’s appropriate Indian Tribes in the development and implementation of the Fish and Wildlife Program.  The Power Act also calls for fish and wildlife management coordination to assist protection, mitigation, and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources in the Columbia River Basin.  The Cowlitz Indian Tribe is a federally recognized Indian tribe whose area of influence extends from the crest of the Cascade Mountains and Celilo Falls to Pacific County in Washington and Clatsop County in Oregon.  The northern area of influence extends to Thurston County in Washington and is bounded on the south inside Columbia, Washington, Multnomah, and Hood River Counties in Oregon.  Many culturally important landscapes and species to the Cowlitz People within its areas of influence are affected by the operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS).  The development of the FCRPS has adversely affected wildlife, resident fish, and anadromous fish resources along the entirety of the ancestral Cowlitz landscape including, but not limited to:  The Lewis River and its tributaries, the Cowlitz River and its tributaries, the Kalama River and its tributaries, as well as the Columbia River Estuary from Bonneville Dam to the Plume.

The goal of this project is to acquire and restore lands that support the habitats of culturally relevant native fish, wildlife and plant species in the Columbia River estuary (CRE) for the purpose of ecosystem restoration and cultural continuity. The purpose is to increase the quantity and improve the quality of degraded aquatic and floodplain habitats within the Lower Columbia River mainstem and tidally influenced reaches of tributaries in both OR and WA from Bonneville Dam at RM 146 to the plume of the Columbia River, all located within the Cowlitz Tribe's Historical Area of Interest. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe works with the NPCC, BPA and her partners to identify, develop and implement salmonid habitat restoration projects on the Lower Columbia River from Bonneville Dam to the Plume of the Columbia River, all located within the Cowlitz Tribe's Historical Area of Interest. This project will allow the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to identify, develop, and implement habitat restoration activities throughout the lower Columbia River by funding activities which assess the feasibility of acquisition, implementation and management actions all necessary to successfully implement BPA's obligations under the 2008 BiOp.

One of these projects identified and developed through the Estuary process is a 232 acre floodplain project which occurs at the confluence of the Wallooskee River and Youngs Bay near Astoria Oregon.

The Wallooskee-Youngs Confluence restoration project is sponsored by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. The site has been purchased by Astoria Wetlands, LLC which will fund the site’s restoration design, permitting, and construction; the land’s title will be conveyed to the Tribe. The Tribe will provide perpetual stewardship of the site, manage the area, and provide access to the site for the Cowlitz and other Tribes’ cultural activities.

The project will restore tidal processes, a functioning tidal marsh system, and fish access to the historically estuarine portion of the site: 164.50 acres of isolated floodplain habitat. This site is characterized by an extensive dike along the perimeter that isolates the area and prevents daily tidal interaction with historical floodplain habitat that is now drained pasture land. The dike, which is privately owned and operated, is poorly constructed of unconsolidated materials and is eroding in extensive areas. Breaching the dike and further weakening it in selected areas will immediately restore tidal hydrology and, through time, promote more connectivity with the bay as the dike continues to erode.

What this contract sets out to perform is to facilitate, develop and come into compliance with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) authority to modify (in this case breach in several locations) a levee under the authority of USACE. This process is known as Section 408 Compliance. Section 408 is an intensive process that requires several steps and independent review to ensure that infrastructure and human safety drive the design process of any modifications to USACE authorized levees. This project will fund the design steps, review, coordination and technical assessments necessary to bring the Wallooskee-Youngs Confluence Project into compliance with USACE Section 408 rules.